We should remember that Jesus the savior is also the implacable judge. Nice to have friends in court. I say this because I have been reading Revelations and I think that Billy Sunday's fire and brimestone sermons were quite appropriate. Not much of gentle Jesus here!
*** I say this because I have been reading Revelations and I think that Billy Sunday's fire and brimestone sermons were quite appropriate. Not much of gentle Jesus here!***
I agree, but would substitute Jonathan Edwards for Billy Sunday.
Ever read Edwards', "The Justice of God in the Damnation of Sinners"? Quite powerful.
So that sin against God, being a violation of infinite obligations, must be a crime infinitely heinous, and so deserving of infinite punishment.- Nothing is more agreeable to the common sense of mankind, than that sins committed against any one, must be proportionably heinous to the dignity of the being offended and abused; as it is also agreeable to the word of God, I Samuel 2:25. "If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him;" (i.e. shall judge him, and inflict a finite punishment, such as finite judges can inflict;) "but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him?" This was the aggravation of sin that made Joseph afraid of it. Genesis 39:9. "How shall I commit this great wickedness, and sin against God?" This was the aggravation of David's sin, in comparison of which he esteemed all others as nothing, because they were infinitely exceeded by it. Psalm 51:4. "Against thee, thee only have I sinned."-The eternity of the punishment of ungodly men renders it infinite: and it renders it no more than infinite; and therefore renders no more than proportionable to the heinousness of what they are guilty of.
http://www.ccel.org/e/edwards/sermons/justice.html