³¹ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

After warning “pseudo-believers” who understood the message of Christ and associated with the believing community, the writer expands on God’s severity. There are huge consequences for making little of God’s solution to the failure of humans to meet His standard. Even Jesus, when faced with the prospect of taking on the anger of God, prayed three times, “If only this cup could pass from me …” That should tell us something of God’s wrath, that even His Son would wince.

Yet, how can a God of love get so angry with His creation? This can only be understood when seen against the backdrop of His absolutely wonderful graciousness. Consider again what God has done in giving His son. Humans, created in His image, spurned His righteous instructions for life. We have all fallen short of His purposes for us.

Now clearly, whatever the final resolution is about understanding God’s sovereignty and human responsibility (which Christians of all stripes have argued about for centuries), God does not get angry over any mis-creation or mistakes He has made—His ways are perfect. His anger results from the audacity of those made in His image, with the choice to either follow Him or not, have chosen not to follow. His anger would make no sense if humans were not culpable (that is, had no choice in the matter). The impertinence, the rebellion, the ego-centeredness and now, in context, those who “trample” underfoot the blood of Christ, show the darkened hearts of the image bearers. We cannot sustain a life of choices, apart from the centrality of God in our heart. Of all the worlds God could have created, He created this one, in which humans given “free will” to choose, have chosen wrongly. It was within the realm of possibility for God to have created a world in which His image bearers would have followed Him.

“Choice” did not make sinning inevitable. But, in the world God has created we do know that “choice” which has led to sin for all, has shown us the need for God’s grace and forgiveness – which, as it turns out, glorifies God (see Romans 5:20). This grace and forgiveness comes out of a God who is love, and personally offers us the solution through the offering of His Son, the perfect sacrifice. All that is needed from the imager bearers is simply to trust God by accepting that sacrifice. To spurn that graciously, freely given act of love is to invoke the wrath of God—and that is a terrifying thing!

Lord, the gift of Your Son is so overwhelmingly gracious, I could not be a fool and reject it. Thank You for providing me a way to finding “rest” in You.