Faithful and True
READ
A lot of us separate the God of love and forgiveness from the God of justice and judgment, as if God has two irreconcilable identities. We embrace God’s grace and mercy, but shy away from acknowledging His righteous anger. We love the God Who gives us the warm-and-fuzzies, but despise the God Who unsettles us with His mighty wrath.
God’s judgment is not cause for fear, but for reverent worship. It is an extension of His faithfulness to us. We worship a God who loves us enough to condemn and destroy the forces of evil that harm us.
In the book of Revelation, John gives us a picture of our mighty and loving God, who has chosen to wage war against sin and darkness.
Let’s take a moment to read Revelation 19:11:
Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. Its rider was named Faithful and True, for He judges fairly and wages a righteous war.
REFLECT
Revelation is often characterised as a book about destruction, judgment, strange creatures, and false teachers. While it contains all of these elements, Revelation is ultimately a book about God’s decisive victory over evil. It is a book of hope. Sadly, Revelation has been misused and wrongly interpreted to inspire fear. But when read rightly, the book of Revelation gives us a glorious picture of the One Who is named Faithful and True.
We serve a God who condemns sin without rejecting us. His judgment falls squarely on the enemy, not on those of us who have been forgiven on account of the cross. Because we are bound to Christ, we don’t have to fear the end of the age. Rather, we can live in joyful anticipation of the day when the earth is restored and all tears are wiped away. The “end times” do not signify our end, but the end of evil.
God does not wage a righteous war against us. He wages war against the darkness that plagues our world and breaks our hearts.
God stands firmly against injustice, which means He stands unequivocally on our side. Like any loving parent, He hates the things that hurt His children. In His faithful love, He condemns racism, sexism, classism, nationalism, ableism, and every form of prejudice. His fury pours out over illness, abuse, neglect, poverty, loneliness, and betrayal.
God could not be Faithful and True if He were indifferent to evil. The God of righteous anger is the God of love.
God is worthy of our worship, not only for His gentleness and inexhaustible grace toward us, but for His intolerance for sin and wickedness.
RESPOND
Take a moment to process what God might be leading you to do in light of what you read.
Do you have a hard time reconciling the God of love with the God of judgment? Why or why not?
How would it impact your life of faith if you viewed God’s anger as an extension of His faithfulness?
REST
Take a moment to rest in God’s presence and consider one thing you can take away from your time reading, then close your devotional experience by praying:
Faithful and True God, thank You for Your righteous judgment. Thank You for waging war on evil, while loving and forgiving me. Thank You for the assurance that the victory has already been won, and that the day is coming when darkness and corruption are fully eradicated. Help me to worship You for Your anger and wrath, rather than fearing Your judgment. Grant me peace and remind me that You do not condemn me. You condemn the forces of evil that harm me and the children You so love. Thank You for the cross, which has saved me from the penalty I deserve. I love You and thank You. Amen.
Port City writer Kate Redenbaugh wrote today’s devotional.