What We All Deserve

Bible Reading: Jeremiah 6:10-15

“To whom shall I speak and give warning, that they may hear? behold, the word of the LORD is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it. Therefore I am full of the wrath of the LORD; I am weary of holding it in” (Jeremiah 6:10-11)

The church today often passes by the truth of God’s holiness and justice. If we study Jeremiah’s times, we will find that the people were very secular as we as a society are today. They did not care about God nor listened to what He said. They lived their own lives according to their own pleasures and satisfied all their fleshly desires with no shame. Humans thought that God was nowhere to be seen. His wrath and punishment were irrelevant. What mattered was my life now and how I enjoy it now. 

Jeremiah’s time is just like our time, “For from the least to the greatest of them, everyone is greedy for unjust gain”. Firstly, everyone seeks to gain for themselves. Does that not look like us and our society today? We cut corners to get rich. We put others down so we can be recognised. We are all guilty for our own gain, even if that means unjust ways. 

Secondly, “from prophet to priest, everyone deals falsely”. Take a look at the church today. Even in the church, there is hypocrisy and lies and falsehood. On the outside, many who serve God look blameless. Yet, in private, they party away in sin and unrighteousness. 

Moreover, the church “have healed the wound of [God’s] people lightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace,’ when there is no peace.” What kind of shallow messages do we hear in church today? Many preach ‘God is love’ without preaching ‘God is Holy’. As a result, we are taught to have peace and accept the world in all its sinfulness. In Christ, we must do so. However, does anyone understand the depravity of sin and the holiness of God? 

Lastly, are we “ashamed when [we] commit abomination? No, [we are] not at all ashamed; [we do] not know how to blush.” On top of all, our society today, including ourselves, has no shame for the sins that we commit. We parade them out in public in the name of human rights. When someone accuses us of wrong, we say, “but everyone does it”. We have no shame in our sin; rather, we pride ourselves on it. 

What was God’s Word to people like such in Jeremiah’s time? God concludes, “Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time that I punish them, they shall be overthrown”. What makes today any different? The holy and just God has not changed. We still deserve the wrath and punishment of God today. We are wicked and have rebelled blatantly against God. We directly refuse Him in His face. Why do we still preach “peace, peace” in times like this? 

If we take a look at Christ and what He has done for us on the cross, we will be humbled to see just how amazing God’s love is. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “for our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” Christ took on our sins on Himself. He took our outright willful and ignorant sins on Himself. He took on the full measure of God’s wrath on Himself. In return, He clothed us in His righteousness, cleansing us from all our impurities, and created in us a clean heart, a repentant heart, and a new life in holiness. What kind of love is this? It’s one we definitely don’t deserve. 

What is our understanding of sin? What is our understanding of God’s love? The more we understand the depravity of sin, the more we can wonder at God’s glorious grace in Christ Jesus. 

Lord, forgive me for my sins which are evil before You. Please have mercy on me and help me understand what my sin really is before You. Help me also to comprehend Your love in Christ for me. Teach me to grow in loving You when I see more and more of Your love for me. Plant in me a fear of the Lord, and let me learn to walk in holiness from today. In Jesus’ name, amen.