A Dreadful Thing

God righteousness is revealed in his wrath against sin.

Q. But does not God do man an injustice by requiring in His law what man cannot do? 

A. No, 

• unjust — unfair, unreasonable, unlawful, not righteous

for God so created man that he was able to do it. 

But man, at the instigation of the devil,

•  instigation — influence, encouragement, prompting

in deliberate disobedience  

robbed himself and all his descendants of these gifts.

• gifts — those things man was created with

Q. Will God allow such disobedience and apostasy to go unpunished? 

A. Certainly not. 

• apostasy — desertion, backsliding, to abandon the faith.

He is terribly displeased with our original sin as well as our actual sins. 

• original sin — the sin and guilt that we inherit from Adam 

Therefore He will punish them by a just judgment both now and eternally, as He has declared:  

Cursed be every one who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law, and do them (Galatians 3:10).

Q. But is God not also merciful? 

A. God is indeed merciful, 

• Merciful — God is always loving, gracious, compassionate

But He is also just. 

• Just — God always does what is right, lawful, equitable 

His justice requires that sin committed against the most high majesty of God also be punished with the most severe, 

that is, with everlasting, punishment of body and soul.

For the Bible Tells Me So...

Deuteronomy 7:9-11 — 

• Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. 
• But those who hate him he will repay to their face by destruction; he will not be slow to repay to their face those who hate him.
• Therefore, take care to follow the commands, decrees and laws I give you today. 

Exodus 20:5b — I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me. 

Hebrews 10:30,31 — 

• For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people." 
• It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

The Heidelberg Catechism Lord's Day 4