A Bridge

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.                (Psalm 103:8 ESV)

What a wonderful verse that guides us in understanding God. This is not the only place we read these words; God spoke these words to Moses on Sinai. Moses wrote, “The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands,  forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children's children, to the third and the fourth generation.”(Exodus 34:6-7). David undoubtedly noted this passage while penning his psalm. This verse, along with many others in scripture, enlightens us about the character of God.

Both passages are important because they reveal God's duality, something most will deny today. God's grace is why we can be saved. It is because of His grace that Christ came in the incarnation. He came out of love and grace.

Yet, our God is just; He can be a wrathful God. What many either refuse to understand or have never been taught is that the wrath of God comes out of love. It is those who reject God who feel the wrath of God. We read this in Revelation 19 after the destruction of Babylon, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, for his judgments

are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.” Once more they cried out, “Hallelujah! the smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” (Rev 19:1-3) When God destroys the wicked, it is done out of love for His creation. God cannot and will not tolerate evil in any form.

Many try to separate the Old Testament and the New Testament. In doing so, you lose all that Jesus told us; it is about Him. The Old Testament is about Jesus, and Jesus is the bridge that spans both. The mercy and grace of God lie in all the scriptures. Even in destruction, God is love.

The Protestant Bible contains 66 Books. Each of these books is there for a reason. By reading them, you may come to understand not only God’s grace but also His justice. This act of reading and understanding the entire Bible can empower you with a comprehensive knowledge of God's character.

Grace and Peace.