God of Hate.

     Can you even handle that title?  I couldn't until recently.  In church there has been a gradual shift from teaching about God's hate to mostly teaching His love.  The wrath of God is even offensive to us if we don't understand it.  I have been studying, well listening to a study of ROMANS. I was a little taken back by how much was taught on God's wrath but if you listen to it you will hear a very simple truth as I did.  The "Good News" isn't as good until you hear the bad news.
    The bad news is this in a nut shell: We have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  He is only righteous and can not in any way shape or form mix or have anything to do with unrighteousness.  This is what is so safe true and constant about Him.  A righteous, holy God must have a reaction to unrighteousness, sin.  His reaction is judgement.  I said it, God hates sin and judges it!  EEK!  Maybe it is so offensive because we are hopeless on our own to mix or be with God.  This is the reality of life apart from God.  Judgement death and Hell for eternity after death.  So not exciting.  When we really get it that God isn't going to just let everyone into heaven in the end and that there really is existence after death it makes the gravity of righteous judgement weigh more.
     Good News!  God and Jesus before the creation of the world knew mankind would not make it to eternity with Them on their own.  They planned for Jesus to come to earth, humble Himself to live like us, be tempted like us with out sin and die a brutal death.  There wasn't a currency in existence before Christ's death to buy us.  His blood is the currency the only one of its kids.  God continues to hate sin to this day but because Christ died the consequence of sin (death) has been taken care of for those who Abide in Christ. WHAT!
     I have been on a wonderful journey to better understanding of grace in the last few years.  I used to treat grace like left overs.  I would eat them but I just want something new.  Grace is not left overs.  It is a feast we don't deserve to even look upon and we not only get to look at it we get to smell it and taste it and be filled by it.

     I have always loved the truth in John 15.  This chapter of the bible is were the title for this blog came from. Abide!  Thus far in my salvation I have been abiding in Christ  but it feels like just recently I am getting to know who I am abiding in more fully.  I would be so uncomfortable with scriptures that talked about God's judgement.  I was trying to make God like man.  I was trying to understand who God is through my experience of who man is.  This should not be done.  We are made in His image not the other way around.  The God of scripture is a God of Hate and a God of Love.  If this is still offensive to you, I encourage you to ask Him to reconcile to two aspects of His character for you.  I trust that you will find that it is not an offence but the safest most wonderful truth.
     When we see God for who He is and not just the comfortable fluffy comfort and love part then grace becomes so much more valuable.  If it is valuable how could we not share it with the world.