Niels Prip – Blog

By David Ravenhill

I recently read the testimony of a pastor who had drifted into years of sexual sin which ended in costing him his marriage and ministry. In sharing his testimony of restoration, he stated that through it all God was not angry with him or disappointed but caring and loving throughout.

As I pondered his words, I found myself asking if what he believed was really true. Was God truly immune from any feeling of sadness or hurt by his sinful lifestyle?

This growing belief that God is not affected by our sin no matter how wretched it is, may sound plausible to many but is entirely unsubstantiated by scripture. God is not immune from feelings and especially from those of His own children; who if anything exacerbated His pain rather than diminished it.

From Genesis to Revelation we are told clearly, frequently, and specifically that God is affected by our sin. In Genesis we read that God grieved over the fact that He made man. He reminded Israel time after time that he was hurt by their adulterous ways. The notion that God cannot be hurt, wounded, grieved, or sad, is the evolutionary conclusion that ‘God is good all the time.’

As I have often stated, my dear mother believed in the ‘laying on of hands’ with my posterior being the recipient. I don’t recall ever singing ‘Mum is good all the time’ as her hand administered justice upon my behind. Her actions were both loving and painful as both of us suffered by my sin and disobedience.

While talking to my brother recently he quoted one of the church fathers who said something to this effect. ‘Sin is first felt in heaven before it is felt on earth.’ God’s love does not mean He can’t be wounded or hurt by our actions. Every time we as believers partake of communion we are reminded of the fact that Jesus was betrayed by one of His own. Not only was he betrayed but despised and rejected by men.

This false teaching that God never gets angry, hurt or even disappointed by our actions gives birth to the idea that sin is no big thing; and that by some divine power God’s love immunes Him from feelings of hurt or betrayal. Nothing could be further from the truth. I need to emphasize here that God’s anger is not some instant emotional outburst that He regrets later, but rather a righteous anger that is slow to develop. He is also patient and longsuffering and seeks to lovingly woo us back to Himself.

Imagine finding out your wife or husband have been repeatedly cheating on you. You can’t tell me that you wouldn’t be extremely disappointed and hurt by their actions. Our relationship with God is similar in the fact that He is to be our first love. When we involve ourselves in things that God hates, how can we say He is not troubled or hurt by our actions? He is! Let’s also never forget He is a God of mercy and forgiveness. His mercy and forgiveness however do not cancel out his anger or sadness as he is the embodiment of them all.

Link to David Ravenhill blog- https://davidravenhill.wordpress.com/page/7/