The Modern God Who Is Not Divine
The sermon argues that the modern concept of God is not divine because it lacks essential virtues, such as the ability to be angry with wrongdoing.
C.H. Spurgeon addresses the modern conception of God, criticizing the creation of a false deity that lacks the attributes of the God of the Bible. He emphasizes that the true God is just and must be angry with wickedness, countering the belief that God is only loving and incapable of anger. Spurgeon argues that a God who does not punish wrongdoing is not worthy of respect and lacks the essential qualities of a moral ruler. He warns against the dangers of a diluted faith that ignores God's justice and righteousness. Ultimately, Spurgeon calls for a return to the understanding of God as both loving and just.
Text
"God is angry with the wicked every day."
The wise men of modern thought have made a new God of late - one of those gods newly come up that our fathers knew not, and who is quite unknown to the Bible, as false a god as Apollo or Baal. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob these deep thinkers cannot endure, but if you say that God is angry with the wicked every day, these modern god-makers tell you that he is too loving for that - that he cannot possibly be angry, but loves all, has redeemed all, and will in the long run save all, including Satan himself.
They adore a god made of putty or of wax - plastic, effeminate, molluscous, with no masculine faculty about him, and no quality that entitles him to the respect of just and honest men, for a being who cannot be angry at wrongdoing is destitute of one of the essential virtues, and a moral Ruler who is not angry with the wicked, and who refuses to punish crime, is not divine.
From a sermon by Charles Haddon Spurgeon entitled "Reasons For Turning To The Lord," delivered January 13, 1878.
Sermon Outline
- The Modern God Who Is Not Divine
- The Characteristics of the Modern God
- The Consequences of a God Who Is Not Divine
- Lack of Respect from Just and Honest Men
- Refusal to Punish Crime
- Not a Moral Ruler
Key Quotes
“God is angry with the wicked every day.” — C.H. Spurgeon
“They adore a god made of putty or of wax - plastic, effeminate, molluscous, with no masculine faculty about him,” — C.H. Spurgeon
Application Points
- We must not create a god in our own image, but rather submit to the God of the Bible.
- The ability to be angry with wrongdoing is an essential virtue of a divine God.
- A god who refuses to punish crime is not a moral ruler.