God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day (Ps. 7:11).

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth (Rom. 1:18).

None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. . . . For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom. 3:10-12, 23).

When we talk about the gospel, the first question we have to ask is, “Why do we need the gospel? What do we need to be ‘saved’ from?” Today, many people scoff at the idea of being saved from anything—or their idea of salvation is becoming a god in their own right (so-called human evolution). The problem, and the reason that the gospel is necessary, is sin.

What is Sin?

We all have at least a vague idea of what “sin” is. Sin, in a general sense, is wrongdoing. In the Bible, sin is defined as “falling short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23, the idea of falling short or missing the mark). Sin is also defined as transgressing the law of God (1 John 3:4, the idea being that one is a law unto himself and thus violates the law of God).

We should be careful to understand that sin goes deeper than just outward behavior. Why is this so? Because God’s law demands perfection, reaching beyond the appearance to the very attitudes of the heart (Ps. 19:7; Mark 12:30). “Wait, God requires me to be perfect?” He does. He is holy and perfect, with no moral blemish, and His law requires that same perfection.

But, no one is perfect. No human since the fall of Adam and Eve has ever kept the law perfectly. That’s a real problem. Why, you ask? That’s a good question.

The Wrath of God

What’s the problem with sin? Those who fail to meet the standard of God’s law are subject to His wrath. His eternal wrath. Some people teach that we are separated from God’s presence by our sin; however, God is omnipresent, everywhere at once. We are certainly separated from His goodness, mercy, and love, but not from Him. And we could never hide from Him, as the psalmist has said:

Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me. If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me, and the light about me be night,” even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you (Ps. 139:7-12).

All humanity, then is in danger of His wrath. Our experience in life confirms what Scripture has already said: No one is perfect. No one is righteous. All have sinned.

God the Righteous Judge

Many people object to the idea of God as a judge, since it means they are subject to His judgment. Scripture does affirm, however, that God looks down and makes righteous judgments, and is rightly indignant with human sin (Ps. 7:11). God’s judgment, however, is not capricious, cruel, or arbitrary. They are righteous. They are based on standards that are in accord with His character.

How is that so? Firstly, because we all are born with an instinctive awareness of God and His righteous decrees:

For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse (Rom. 1:19-20).

We all know instinctively that there is a God and He has standards. Those who deny His existence have been taught to deny His existence and violate their own instincts.

Secondly, besides the revelation of nature, man has awareness of right and wrong (God’s moral decrees) through the vehicle of conscience (Rom. 2:15). God has given humanity light to see His moral decrees.

God’s judgments, then, are based on evidence, and as Paul tells us, the judgement of God rightly falls on those who violate His law. The standard has been set, and when people violate the standard, he is subject to the wrath of God.

What is to Be Done?

What is the solution to this dilemma? How can a righteous and holy God justify and reconcile sinful man to Himself? Are we to simply “do better?” Is that enough? That can’t be enough, simply because even if one could be perfect from this point on (an impossible task), he has already sinned in the past! If salvation from the wrath of God is not possible by keeping the law, then what hope have we? That will be the subject of the next post.

[Note: Much of the material in this series has been adapted from my commentary The Righteousness of God: A Commentary on Romans.]