Wicked men are overthrown and are no more, but the house of the righteous stands firm. (Prov. 12:7)
ADOLF HITLER WAS RESPONSIBLE for the deaths of millions of innocent people, including women and children. He seemed to have no conscience, and only the approaching armies of the Allied forces put a stop to his reign of terror. When he knew the end was near, he committed suicide. For many people, that was a very unsatisfying result. They wanted vengeance and felt that Hitler escaped the punishment he deserved.
Then there are those evil men and women who live in luxury and die a natural death, with no seeming consequences for their actions. That doesn’t satisfy us either.
The Bible assures us that everyone will face judgment after death (2 Cor. 5:10). The wicked will suffer punishment in eternity, while the righteous will find rest with God. But how can that be? Romans 3:10 tells us that no one is righteous. We all deserve death.
The good news is that Jesus has taken our punishment for us. When we repent of our sins and believe that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again for us, God judges us as righteous. As Philippians 3:9 says, “Not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.”
A relationship with God is the hallmark of godly righteousness. Earning it or having it in any form on one’s own is self-contradicting and irrelevant.
Praise God for His infinite grace.
Kathryn Page Camp enjoys photography, reading, and sailing Lake Michigan with her husband of thirty-five years.
