The Cross Is the Only Place God Loves the Sinner

I used to say it. "God loves the sinner but hates the sin." It sounds gracious. It feels safe. But it minimizes the seriousness of sin and the seriousness of God's wrath, and we cannot afford to minimize God.

Read John 3:16 slowly. "For God so loved the world." Not loves. Loved. Past tense. God sent — past tense. Christ died — past tense. The love of God is magnified on the cross. It is understood at the cross. It abides on the cross. Apart from that, the Psalmist says plainly, "Thou hatest all workers of iniquity." Those workers are people. Not just actions.

I'm not being mean. I'm being loving.

Here is what a preacher scared of losing members will never tell you. The unbeliever is not on a spiritual journey. He is on a countdown. "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him." That word abideth means it is remaining, actively, right now, on every breath he draws on borrowed time.

So why preach this? Why not just preach the love and skip the wrath? Because the severity of what we are saved from magnifies the glory of what we are saved to. A man who has never seen the fire will never run from it. And the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance.

If you have made peace with a gospel that is all love and no wrath, you have not made it kinder. You have made it powerless to save anyone.

The love is real. But it is on the cross. Run there.

This post came from a sermon preached at Pilgrim Baptist. If it stirred something, hear the whole thing — give it a listen.

Pastor Fortunato
Founding Pastor & Preacher of the Word.
Pilgrim Baptist Church — Cookeville, Tennessee

https://pilgrimbaptist.church/ https://www.sermonaudio.com/solo/pilgrimbaptist/