WHAT IS THE GOSPEL: WHY GOD MUST JUDGE SIN Part 1

In Episode 3 of the Real Truth Matters Podcast, Michael Durham confronts one of the most unsettling yet essential questions of the gospel: How good do you have to be? Continuing his series What Is the Gospel?, this episode turns to Romans 1:18 and addresses why a righteous God must judge sin. If God Himself is the standard of righteousness, then human goodness—whether measured by moral effort, religious devotion, or obedience to the Ten Commandments—falls devastatingly short. Durham shows that God’s wrath is not an embarrassing footnote to the gospel, but a necessary expression of His righteousness. A God who is truly holy must oppose all ungodliness and unrighteousness, and Scripture makes clear that no one is exempt from this judgment.

With biblical clarity and sobering illustrations, this episode challenges the popular notion of a God who merely overlooks sin in the name of love. Drawing from both Old and New Testament texts, Durham demonstrates that God’s love and God’s judgment are not contradictory, but complementary. A judge who refuses to judge evil is not loving, but corrupt. Yet woven through this hard truth is profound hope: the same righteous God who must judge sin is also rich in mercy. This episode presses listeners to abandon shallow views of sin, sentimental views of God, and false confidence in personal goodness—and instead grapple honestly with the holiness of God and the absolute necessity of grace. It is a weighty but vital step toward understanding the gospel as Scripture presents it, not as we might wish it to be.