INSTANT REGRET: When MOCKING God Goes TERRIBLY WRONG

Holy Is His Name

We live in a strange time.

A time when God’s name is spoken constantly, printed on signs, echoed in speeches, woven into culture—yet somehow treated as if it means very little. A time when the name of Jesus can be used casually, jokingly, even mockingly, without anyone pausing to consider what is really being said. His name is familiar, but His claims are avoided. Revered in theory, dismissed in practice.

That should make us curious.

Think about how normalized this has become. Presidents reference God in public addresses. Churches stand openly on street corners. Scripture is quoted in art, music, and slogans. None of this shocks us. Yet the moment the conversation shifts from cultural language to personal belief—Do you believe Jesus rose from the dead? Do you believe He walked on water? Do you believe He is Lord?—something changes. The room tightens. Defensiveness rises. Curiosity fades into discomfort, sometimes even hostility. Why?

According to Scripture, this reaction is not new, and it is not accidental.

“This is the judgment: the light has come into the world,
and people loved darkness rather than light
because their deeds were evil.” — John 3:19

The Bible does not suggest that humanity lacks information. It suggests something more unsettling: resistance. The problem has never been that people do not know enough about God. It is that they do not want what that knowledge demands.

From the beginning, Scripture is clear about humanity’s purpose. God created human beings for His glory—to live in relationship with Him, under His authority, reflecting His character. That purpose is not neutral. It confronts our desire to be autonomous. When we reject that design, we often rename the rejection. We call it independence. We call it freedom. The Bible calls it sin.

And sinful humanity has always resisted God.

That resistance does not always look dramatic. Sometimes it is loud and aggressive. Other times it is subtle and polite. Often it takes the form of mockery—reducing God to a caricature, reshaping His character to be less demanding, or using His name casually while denying His holiness. It can look like spiritual language emptied of spiritual weight.

Throughout Scripture, God repeatedly warns that He will not be mocked. This warning is often misunderstood. It is not a threat rooted in insecurity. God does not defend His holiness because He is fragile. He does not react because He is offended in the way humans are offended. He acts because He is holy—utterly set apart, morally perfect, and unchangingly just.

The Bible records moments when people openly rejected God’s truth, twisted His Word, or treated His name with contempt. In those moments, consequences followed—sometimes immediately, sometimes over time. These accounts are not written to entertain readers or satisfy curiosity. They are written to sober the heart. They are warnings.

“Do not be deceived: God is not mocked.
For whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.” — Galatians 6:7

This principle runs through all of Scripture like a steady thread. Job observed that those who sow wickedness reap trouble. Hosea warned that those who sow the wind will reap the whirlwind. Jeremiah spoke of sowing wheat and reaping thorns. The message is consistent: actions aligned against truth produce consequences aligned with justice.

This is not because God delights in judgment. Scripture never portrays Him as eager to punish. Rather, judgment is presented as the natural outcome of rebellion against reality itself. When truth is rejected, disorder follows. When the source of life is resisted, decay is inevitable.

And yet, there is something many people overlook.

The fact that judgment is often delayed is not evidence of God’s absence or weakness. It is evidence of His mercy.

Every breath we take is undeserved kindness. Every ordinary day that passes without final judgment is not indifference—it is patience. Scripture describes this period as common grace: time extended so that repentance remains possible. If God were to act immediately in full justice, none could stand. What we experience now is restraint, not approval.

But Scripture is also clear about something else. Time is not infinite.

There is a line. There is a point at which persistent rejection meets divine justice. God’s patience does not negate His righteousness. Mercy delayed does not mean mercy denied forever.

“I will execute great vengeance…
and they will know that I am the Lord.” — Ezekiel 25:17

Even so, judgment is not God’s desire. The clearest revelation of His heart is not found in punishment, but in the cross.

The central truth of the Christian faith is staggering: the wrath humanity deserves did not fall on humanity first. It fell on Jesus Christ.

At the cross, justice and mercy met without compromise. God did not ignore sin. He dealt with it fully. Jesus bore judgment so that sinners could receive forgiveness. He absorbed wrath so rebels could be reconciled. He took the place of the guilty so enemies could become children.

This is the Gospel.

Not tolerance that avoids truth.
Not moral relativism that redefines good and evil.
Not reshaping God to fit cultural comfort.

But redemption through Christ alone.

This is why Scripture does not merely inform; it urges a response. Not mockery. Not delay. Not pride. But humility.

“Work out your salvation with fear and trembling…
for it is God who works in you.” — Philippians 2:12–13

The warning in Scripture is real, and it should not be softened. But neither should the invitation be ignored. No one is beyond mercy. No failure is too final. No heart is too hardened for grace. At the same time, no one is promised tomorrow.

If these words stir discomfort, that may be their purpose. Conviction is not meant to drive despair. It is meant to awaken repentance—to call us out of indifference and into truth.

Because when judgment finally comes, it will not be arbitrary. It will not be impulsive. It will be righteous. And every knee will bow—not coerced, but convinced.

Until that day, grace remains open.
Forgiveness remains available.
The invitation still stands.

To Jesus alone be the glory.