Judgment and Compassion

On Sunday morning, Oct. 19, I said something like this in my sermon from Jonah 3 (“Jonah’s Second Chance”):

Proclaiming God’s impending judgment on sin is an expression of His compassion…Why? Because it is His call for sinful people to repent, and repentance is the first word of the gospel! And the gospel is good news! Mark 1:14-15 is beautiful—“Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.’”

“Repent and believe the gospel!”

“Given the nature of sin, God, in His justice, could simply judge His people completely and immediately. But He, in love, desires to extend His mercy, forgiveness, and restoration to all of His people…In fact, the first word from the heart of God, revealed from Genesis through Revelation, is His urgent and loving call: ‘Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!” Repentance from the beginning of time to the present hour has been, and remains, the most positive word from the heart of God!” (Henry Blackaby, in his forward to Repentance: The First Word of the Gospel, by Richard Owen Roberts)

Thank God that, out of His great heart of compassion, He declares His judgment against our sin and calls us to repent!