God is a God of compassion and love, but He is also a God of anger and wrath. God is sovereign, which means that He is in control of everything that happens on planet earth. Although God judged sin by sending His Son Jesus Christ to pay the penalty for our sins, mankind is still held responsible for the sins we commit outside the covenant relationship with Jesus Christ, otherwise known as the New Covenant. When we think of God as being an angry God, we have to remember that Jesus took the full wrath we deserved for our sins, when he died on the cross. God's wrath for our sins was fully taken by His Son. Jesus died for the whole world, but outside this relationship, mankind is still under the wrath of God.
As such, God has every right in the world to punish us, and those who's sins are forgiven, still experience the effects of living in a fallen world. When a person trusts in Jesus as Lord and Saviour, they no longer experience the wrath of God, because they have identified themselves with the sacrifice of Jesus, which takes away our sins. What is hell? Hell is the wrath of God poured out fully and completely on the sinner for all eternity, obviously it is for those who reject the grace of God. The Catholic Catechism says about hell that it is for those who die in mortal sin without repenting, and that it is separation from God forever, by our own free choice. It also says that it is the definitive state of self-exclusion from communion with God in Heaven. (1033 CC).
We are human, and because we are so, we have limitations. God knew this, so this is why He sent Jesus to die for our sins. God's justice demanded that a sinless sacrifice be made, not just to cover but to remove our sins, and because God is in control, He has the right to judge our sins now, if we don't repent now. However the Lord is patient and long-suffering and it is not His will that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance, (2 Peter 3:9). God uses all things to bring men and women to repent, His judgement at times seems like it is measured. Even though Jesus ultimately took our judgement God allows us a lot of freedom, even after we repent.
Jesus doesn't have to die again in order for us to be forgiven, and collectively we all participate in God's saving plan, the fact that some people are not saved, doesn't mean that God isn't using them to fulfil His purposes, this is called the providence of God. God doesn't cause evil directly, but uses all circumstances to fulfil His sovereign plan. We can rest knowing that God causes all things to work out for the good of those who love him, (Romans 8:28) and we can have less fear knowing that He hasn't left us to fend on our own, He has given us the Holy Spirit. This is Mike.
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