Nails

I recently acquired a nail at a church service. I plan put this nail on a necklace. But perhaps I should provide some background.

On August 28 in Atmore, Alabama, at Grace Community Fellowship, I listened to a sermon preached by Glenn Weber. The sermon was on Jonah 3, in which Jonah, having recently been vomited from the belly of a large fish, preaches God's judgment on Ninevah. The Ninevites genuinely repent of their sin in the hope that God will spare them the coming judgment, and God does. Jonah is disgruntled, and probably enjoyed delivering a message of judgment while failing to mention anything about mercy or repentance.

Pastor Glenn transitioned into an exposition of judgment and mercy as evidenced by the events of Jesus' crucifixion. His pulpit (or I should say stage, since he didn't really use a pulpit) presence was captivating, providing a glimpse of what Billy Sunday might have been like. I do not remember all of the details of his sermon (after all, it was two days ago). However, the message remains.

We are fond in Christian circles of explaining how the cross demonstrated to the world the ultimate righteous mercy of God towards sinful humans and the incredible lengths to which He goes to restore them to Himself. Jesus, being God, voluntarily took on the form of a servant, a lowly human being. He lived a perfect life, and then took his place on the cross as the substitution for us, taking our penalty upon himself that we might be saved through faith in him. This aspect of the cross is so important, for without it, our faith would be useless.

However, there is another aspect to the cross that we tend to gloss over, and in some ways this has caused us to lose something in our relationship with God. God hates sin. He abhors it. He cannot be in its presence, for sin is directly opposed to his character. Sin is the object of his wrath, and his wrath is dreadful indeed. Thus, when Jesus Christ hung on the cross and allowed all the sins of humanity to be laid on his back, God poured his wrath out on him. In the end, God turned his face away, abandoning his own Son. This is perhaps the greatest consequence of sin, to be removed from the presence of God and experience complete and utter separation and loneliness. The cross demonstrated to the world the ultimate righteous wrath of God towards sin and the dreadful penalty which it incurs.

As Christians, we have accepted the righteousness of Christ and the forgiveness of God made available through Christ's sacrifice. However, we still have not been set free from this sinful world, and we still sometimes fall into sin. When that happens, we would do well to remember the wrath of God. Don't get me wrong; one sin does not place us back under God's wrath, because we have been freed from that. However, the effects of sin are still separation from God, even if it is no longer an eternal separation. When we sin, we must remember how intensely God deals with it, and we must do whatever we can to rid ourselves (with his power) from the sin and repent. Repentance is not just admitting wrongdoing. It is complete contrition, a 180-degree turn, a  rejection of the sin and a commitment to make it right. God cannot stand sin, and we should not either.

Having a nail on a necklace will serve as a reminder to me of the wrath of God towards sin. When I am tempted, perhaps it will help remind me to flee. When I fall into sin, perhaps it will remind me to reject the sin and repent. And perhaps it can serve as a conversation starter with others.

"What is that on your neck?"
"It is a nail."
"Why are you wearing a nail?"
"This nail reminds me of the seriousness of sin and the mercy of God."
The possibilities are endless.

What will you do to remind you of the seriousness of sin and the mercy of God? And how will you tell others?