Justin mentioned one of my all time favorite quotes on Sunday, and it struck a deep chord within me, just as it has every time before.

“Aslan is a lion- the Lion, the great Lion." "Ooh" said Susan. "I'd thought he was a man. Is he-quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion"..."Safe?" said Mr. Beaver, "Who said anything about safe? 'Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you.” –The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

Fierce, avenging, and good Justin assured us this past Sunday. God’s anger and wrath and judgment are a part of His goodness. Shivers went up my spine. How can this be? I spend an awful lot of time considering God’s mercy, His grace, and His loving-kindness… and I praise God for these qualities. Being a sinner I am in desperate need of all of these things. But what does it mean to serve a God of vengeance?

It is key to remember God’s goodness when considering anger and vengeance as aspects of God’s character. In this broken world, it’s hard to understand what righteous anger is. Reading through Nahum, reflecting on God’s anger and his judgment, I began to lose heart for a moment, until I remembered the cross. In Philippians Paul reminds us to think about whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, or praiseworthy…and rarely do I consider God’s wrath as falling into these categories, but, when God’s anger goes hand in hand with his love, and his justice, oh, what a wonder to dwell on.

For me, the main take away from remembering this about our Lord, is how I perceive the sin of others and the injustice in the world. He is a God of vengeance, who is for our good and His glory. The sin of those that I love grieves God more deeply than it grieves me. He desires their sanctification more purely than I do. When evil is perpetuated, violence is done, and people are harmed—God cares more for those who have been wronged than I do. His heart breaks over the sin and evil of this world. The reminder that we received in the sermon on Sunday is that God is not powerless against evil and injustice, and we must learn to step aside, relying on God’s power and love and justice.

As I take time to remember how offensive sin is to the God of all creation, to remember that vengeance belongs to the Lord… I feel rather nervous, much like Susan in C.S. Lewis’ book, when she finds out that Aslan is a lion. The only thing standing between my sinful self, and God’s wrath is the cross. We don’t have to appease the gods, because God appeased himself. He sent his son to pay the debt for my sinfulness, and the implications are extensive. Not only can I run to God, my savior who is good and all-powerful for refuge, I can live out of the protection that has been bought for me in Jesus Christ. Vengeance is not mine, I don’t have to be all powerful, I don’t have to make evil doers pay for their wrongs, because that is the work of a Holy and perfect God. The sacrifice that Jesus made for me means that I can sacrifice for others, relying on God’s justice.

“Wrong will be right, when Aslan comes in sight, At the sound of his roar, sorrows will be no more, When he bares his teeth, winter meets its death, And when he shakes his mane, we shall have spring again.” –The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe

~ Emily Leslie