I have seen a wicked, | ruthless man,*
spreading himself like a green | laurel tree.
But he passed away, and behold,
he | was no more;*
though I sought him
he could | not be found. -Psalm 37:35-36
The holiness and righteousness of God will not, and cannot tolerate, let alone live side by side with, wickedness. Wherever it is, it must be cut off, abolished, pass away, and be no more.
That fact stands for all human flesh under the sun, where the wickedness of Adam took root and flourished "like a green laurel tree." In other words it went on as if it would be sustained and live without interuption and without a care for any consequences.
The wicked, ruthless man you inherited still tries to raise his ugly head in pride, but at the same time he is no more and has passed away. How so? By the waters of Holy Baptism that drowned him. Those waters applied the holy benefits of Christ: His innocent sufferings and death, and His resurrection from the dead, all of which take away your sin, having it killed in him together with all its eternal consequences.
To be sure, there are those who still walk this earth uncaring and unaware of the holiness and righteousness of God: The scoffer, the mocker, the murderer, the advocate and champion of evildoing. Do you think they will remain forever? Not so. They, too, will be erased from history forever.
You may see them now, but one day you won't.
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