"What if God, choosing to show his wrath and make his power known, bore with great patience the objects of his wrath--prepared for destruction? What if he did this to make the riches of his glory known to the objects of his mercy, whom he prepared in advance for glory?"
Who are the objects of divine wrath that God bore with great patience? Who are the ones prepared for destruction that God did endure with long suffering and steadfastness? Ephesians 2:3 says this, "Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath." All of us together are objects of God's divine wrath. God has put up with us for so long, with great patience and understanding. We begin to see just how slow to anger this God is. (Ex 34:6)
And what is the miracle? That we were prepared for destruction but we were not destroyed. Those who were once dead are now alive. Those who were not God's people are called God's people. Those who were not God's beloved have become loved. Ephesians 2:4 says, "But because of his great love for us, God who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- It is by grace you have been saved."
So then who are the objects of Mercy? All who are made alive in Christ. God has carried each and every single one of us. He has carried the weight of our sin in Christ his Son and has poured out his wrath on him so that all might not perish but a remnant would remain. He did this so that no one may boast but in Christ alone to the glory of his eternal name. Amen!
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