What Is God’s Attitude Toward Sinners?
At the mention of God’s attitude toward sinners, brothers and sisters may have different understandings. Some think: The Lord Jesus has forgiven all of our sins by crucifixion, including both the previous sins and that we will commit in the future; the Lord has not seen us as sinners, and we thus certainly can enter the kingdom of heaven. Some hold such a view: The Lord is merciful and loving, so He will forgive us no matter how serious sins we commit, and in the end, we are surely able to be taken to the kingdom of heaven and live in paradise with the Lord. But is God’s attitude toward sinners truly as we think?
The Lord Jesus said: “Truly, truly, I say to you, Whoever commits sin is the servant of sin. And the servant stays not in the house for ever: but the son stays ever” (John 8:34–35). The Bible says: “For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries” (Hebrews 10:26–27). These verses make God’s attitude toward sinners very clearly. The Lord has forgiven our sins and showed us mercy and tolerance, but it doesn’t mean that we are sinless. In God’s eyes, all those who commit sins are the servants of sin, belonging to Satan. If we are not completely freed from sins and still sin often, there remains no more sacrifice for sins and what waits for us is only God’s righteous judgment. This allows us to see that God treats sinners by principle, showing both tolerance and wrath toward them. That is God’s righteousness!
God is a righteous and holy God. If we want to enter God’s kingdom, we have to get rid of sins and gain purification. That is the only path for us to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The world is beset by disasters and the Lord’s day is upon us. The Lord Jesus said, “Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17). It can be seen that only those who truly repent can enter into the kingdom of heaven. So, what’s true repentance? How can we achieve true repentance? This text will tell you.
