“…even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.”
(1 Thessalonians 1:10)
As surely as night follows day, God’s wrath will most certainly and inevitably come upon sinners who choose to live and die in their sins. This reality ought to weigh heavily on every soul, for Scripture ensures that the wrath of God will mean unending, unimaginable suffering for the guilty. “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ, who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power” (2 Thess. 1:7-9).
Yet into this hopeless picture shines the grace of God. By His own sovereign purpose, He secured complete deliverance for those He chose to redeem. The blood of the Lamb of God was shed to rescue His people from the inevitability of “wrath to come.” The cross was the full and final answer to the fury of divine justice.
The blood of Jesus ransomed His people fully and freely, bearing the penalty of sin to the last drop. Paul declares, “Much more then, being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him” (Rom. 5:9). Christ’s satisfaction for sin is complete because the judgment that should have consumed sinners was poured out upon Him, fully and completely removing God’s wrath from those who put their trust in Him.
John Flavel wrote, “He did not think it worth the shedding of his blood to respite the execution for a while. No, in the procurement of their eternal deliverance from wrath, and in the purchase of their eternal inheritance, he has but an even bargain, not a jot more than his blood was worth. Therefore is he become the Author of [Eternal Salvation] to them that obey him, Heb. 5:9.”[1]
Such truth strips away all fear for those united to Christ. As Romans 8:1 states, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus.” The cup of wrath is empty, for Christ drained it entirely. Every stroke of divine justice that sin demanded fell upon Him, leaving no punishment remaining for those who belong to Him.
This deliverance is peculiar to God’s chosen, though they were no better by nature than those left under wrath. Grace alone explains the difference. To know this salvation is to see the greatness of God’s love and the perfection of Christ’s sacrifice. What remains for the redeemed is therefore not terror but thanksgiving, not dread but worship, for such salvation is beyond what any creature could have imagined or devised.
Contemplations:
- A full and free redemption. Lord, when You came to redeem Your people, You did it all fully and freely. Your divinely designed plan of salvation held within it the infinite treasures of the precious blood of the Lamb of God, the only price able to purchase our deliverance from wrath. I thank You that nothing was left undone.
- A peculiar deliverance. Lord, this deliverance obtained by Your death is a distinguishing deliverance. It is not common to all, but belongs to those You chose to redeem. By nature I was no different than those still under wrath, yet mercy set me apart. I thank You for sovereign grace that saved me when justice could have left me condemned.
- The wonder of salvation. What a salvation this is, Lord! It would weary the arm of an angel to record all its wonders. That You would design such a plan of grace, when You held every right to let the whole human race perish, humbles me to the dust. I thank You that Your mercy triumphed over judgment in my case.
- Grateful endurance. How ungrateful it is to complain of the sufferings I bear for Christ when He endured the cross for me. My hardships are light and momentary compared to His agonies. I can never suffer anything close to what He bore in my place. I thank You for reminding me that my sufferings are privileges, Lord, tokens of belonging to the One who bled for me.
Prayer (thanksgiving)
Gracious God and Father, I thank You with all my heart for Jesus Christ, who has delivered me from the wrath to come. Your wrath against sin is righteous and unrelenting, and I confess that apart from Christ I would have no hope, no shelter, no peace.
I was by nature a child of wrath, fit for condemnation, bound for everlasting destruction. But You set Your love upon me. You purposed my deliverance before the foundation of the world, and in the fullness of time You sent Your Son to accomplish it.
I thank You for the cross, for the shedding of Christ’s blood, which is of infinite worth. No other sacrifice could satisfy Your justice. No other price could redeem my soul. But Jesus, Your spotless Lamb, bore my punishment, endured my curse, and drank the bitter cup until it was dry. I thank You that not a drop of wrath remains for me, for Christ drained it all.
I thank You for the freedom of this salvation. It is not partial or uncertain, but complete and everlasting. Christ did not purchase a temporary reprieve but eternal deliverance. He is the author of eternal salvation to all who obey him. I live today with the assurance that condemnation has been lifted, for Your Word declares there is now no condemnation to those in Christ Jesus. My heart overflows with gratitude that mercy triumphed over judgment in my life.
I thank You for the hope that strengthens me in suffering. Compared to the cross of Christ, my afflictions are light and momentary. He endured the wrath I could never bear. I thank You that my trials now are not signs of condemnation, but reminders that I belong to Him who conquered death and hell for me.
O Father God, receive my thanksgiving. All glory belongs to You for designing, accomplishing, and applying this salvation. All praise belongs to Jesus, who gave Himself for me. And all honor belongs to the Spirit, who has sealed this truth in my heart. May my whole life be lived in gratitude to the one who delivered me from wrath and brought me into everlasting peace.
In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.
Further Scripture References for 1 Thess. 1:10:
1 Thess. 5:9, Rom. 5:9, Matt. 1:21, 2 Cor. 5:18
[1] John Flavel, The Fountain of Life Opened, (London: Printed for Rob. White, for Francis Tyton .., 1673), 524.
