Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. On account of these the wrath of God is coming. In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.
Colossians 3:5-8 (ESV)
 
     We live in a day when love has been redefined in terms of a tolerance that is politically correct but deadly. It seems we have judged God by our limited understanding of mercy instead of judging events and actions based on God's definitions.
 
     Wrath still comes. The choice to neglect the grace of God shown in Jesus Christ is the choice to experience the wrath of God. This choice will produce the perversion of every good thing God created. It creates sexual perversion, deceit, sinful lust, greed...idolatry. When the only God who satisfies is rejected, there will always be a substitute. Substitute gods leave us with confused minds, and mismanaged lives. This is a part of wrath. God has so designed life that it can only be lived meaningfully in fellowship with him. Without him, life itself destroys. But there is a personal element in wrath also. God is offended when his mercy is mocked. So redemption is not just a matter of learning how to manipulate principles for successful living. God's own justice is offended.
 
     True mercy is shown when Jesus took the wrath of God on himself and was actually separated from the Father while on the cross. Justice was satisfied. God was reconciled to mankind. True wisdom for living was again available to us. Why wouldn't anyone want to believe?
 
     This text is not intended to put fear into us. It is telling us what a grand act of mercy has been revealed by God sending his Son to stop the wrath and to change our very nature. The fact that wrath still comes highlights our privilege. We are recipients of a kind of grace that radically transforms. Now it is our privilege and responsibility to access this power on a case by case basis. We can put to death the deeds of the flesh. Why would we want to keep them? They are wrath fodder. We are free from wrath because we are under a mercy that empowers us to choose and act differently.
 
     Don't fall for some "mushy" mercy which intimates that God doesn't punish sin. He does. He punished Jesus for ours. Those who reject Jesus are waiting for wrath.