Genesis 18:20-28,32

In 1906, San Francisco, California, was rocked by a magnitude 7.9 earthquake. The large tremor did major damage to the city, but it was the fire that followed that nearly burned the entire city to the ground. None of us were alive to witness this tragedy, but it would not be surprising if some reacted with statements like, "How could a loving God allow such a disaster to happen?"

About 4,000 years prior to the fire that destroyed San Francisco, was a fire that destroyed a pair of cities in the Middle East, the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. To the outside observer, again one might make the charge, "How could a loving God send such a disaster?"

The premise behind this question is potentially the false assumption that God is ONLY a God of love. When people in their mind eliminate the justice of God, they can never grasp why God would allow or intentionally bring judgment on a person or group of people. We don't know the mind of God as it relates to Sodom and Gomorrah, but we are told that God was angered by their evil ways. They had deserted God. They had given themselves over to homosexual relationships and deviant sexual behavior. God told Abraham that he was going to destroy the city because of their wickedness (Genesis 18:20-21).

However, Abraham is bold to plead for the mercy of God because his nephew Lot and family lived in those cities. Abraham didn't question the justice of God. In fact, he affirms that he is a God who is fair. Yet, he also knew God is love and pleaded for his mercy to be shown to the cities for the sake of the righteous. Finally, Abraham petitioned God to spare the cities if he could find just ten righteous people living there. The fire the next morning tells us ten righteous were not found. God carried out his justice (Genesis 19:24-29).

We must remember even today that God is just and has every right to punish those that deviate from his ways. Yet we also cannot forget that God is love and desires to forgive and save every person. Where do these two realities find resolution? Only in Jesus Christ. He loved you and me so much that he put himself under the justice of God and was punished for our sins only so he could apply his perfect life to our imperfect lives. As a result, we experience the love of God through Jesus. God forgives our wickedness and remembers our sins no more (Hebrews 8:12).