“The Lord is slow to anger but great in power;
the Lord will never leave the guilty unpunished.
His path is in the whirlwind and storm,
and clouds are the dust beneath his feet.”
– Nahum 1:3
It can be easy to look around at the evil in the world and wonder where God is and why He isn’t intervening more visibly and dramatically. Fortunately, Scripture is quite clear. God is perfectly just, but He moves on His timetable and based on His perfect wisdom. God is gracious and patient (for which we should all be extremely thankful), but He absolutely will punish the guilty.
God’s justice is absolute. The evil will be punished and that punishment will last forever. There is no joy in that, but there is certainly justice for all who cry out. Nonetheless, punishment isn’t God’s desire for anyone. God desires each person to repent of their sins and live a transformed life. God desires each person to reject their evil ways, cry out to Him for salvation and forgiveness, turning to Him in faith.
God sent His Son to die on a cross as an atoning sacrifice for sins, precisely because He is perfectly just. The cross is the proof that we never need to doubt God’s justice or His determination and commitment. God’s justice, satisfied at the cross, permits His grace to be offered to all who will repent of their guilt and believe in Christ in faith. God’s grace is why He’s slow to anger. Nonetheless, we must never doubt His great power or the certainty of His punishment of the guilty. A day of justice is coming for all who are guilty!