Christians, Stop Apologizing for God!

In an article in Christianity Today this last week, Jim Denison made the claim that Covid-19 is NOT the judgment of God. He made the claim based upon two arbitrary standards for the judgment of God. He said it cannot be God’s judgment because it is not miraculous and because it does not target a specific group for a specific sin.

It’s not true. Nowhere in scripture are such standards applied to God’s judgment.

There is no miraculous cause mentioned for the sickness and even death of the Corinthian believers who had taken the Lord’s Table unworthily (1 Corinthians 11:30). In fact, the indication from the text is that the Corinthian church was unaware of the reason for their demise until Paul told them. Many other episodes of judgment in scripture were providential rather than miraculous—if it is even possible to always clearly define the difference between the two.

God also justly judges families (Achan’s family), cities (Sodom and Gomorrah), and even nations (Israel, Judah, Nineveh, and many more) for sin. There are many specific sins that are so rampant on this planet that would warrant the judgment of God. Abortion, for instance, is not just an American problem. We all rightly deserve God’s judgment and universal judgment is inevitably coming someday.

So why would someone make such a statement?

Many Christians are in the awful habit of trying to make God look “nice” to an unbelieving world.

They treat God like an insolent little child that they have to follow around saying to every offended party “He really didn’t mean it.” The habit is irreverent, maybe even blasphemous. Some supposed Christians try to explain away clear passages of scripture dealing with such unsavory issues as universal judgment, hell, and more. God knows what He says and means what He says. Nothing He ever does is arbitrary or unwarranted.

It is extremely presumptuous to say that this is NOT the judgment of God.

While this crisis we are in right now might not be the judgment of God for everyone, it is clearly the work of God.

God has allowed it and He has allowed it for His own purposes and every one of us ought to rightly consider what God is teaching each one of us in the moment. If it is the judgment of God, it is a mild version of judgment. Judgment has been much more severe in the past and it will be much more severe in the future.

God is not “nice.”

He is holy; He is loving; He is good; but He is not “nice” in the way that most people define the term—agreeable, satisfactory. God is neither. He is not agreeable, He demands our agreement. He is not just satisfactory, He is superlative in every aspect of His being.

Let’s quit trying to make God look “nice” and harmless to a world that is bent on rejecting Him anyway. God is not the cosmic version of Mr. Rogers. His holiness demands our death and His love sacrificed His Son for us. That is ultimate love and far above and beyond “agreeable and satisfactory.”

Let’s let God Himself tell us who He is.

He does so quite vividly in Job chapters 38-41, after Job had suffered a great calamity that was NOT the judgment of God.

The LORD said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!”

Then Job answered the LORD:

“I am unworthy—how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. I spoke once, but I have no answer— twice, but I will say no more.”

Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm:

“Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. “Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? Do you have an arm like God’s, and can your voice thunder like his? Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at all who are proud and bring them low, look at all who are proud and humble them, crush the wicked where they stand. Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. Job’s response to God’s self-revelation is telling. (Job 40:1-14)

Then Job answered the Lord and said:

“I know that You can do everything and that no purpose of Yours can be withheld from You. You asked, ‘Who is this who hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know. Listen, please, and let me speak; you said, ‘I will question you, and you shall answer Me.’

I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You. Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. (Job 42:1-6)

I do not know if this is the judgment of God (it seems likely), but I do know this nation—this planet–deserves the judgment of God and a Nineveh-like response would be wise.

Then word came to the king of Nineveh; and he arose from his throne and laid aside his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he caused it to be proclaimed and published throughout Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles, saying,

Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything; do not let them eat, or drink water. But let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yes, let every one turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. Who can tell if God will turn and relent, and turn away from His fierce anger, so that we may not perish? (Jonah 3:6-9).