The Wrath of God
The wrath of God is not a popular subject among
some Christians, but the biblical evidence for God's wrath is
so overwhelming that the subject must be addressed.
God reveals his wrath against sinful persons, where sin is a
violation of the covenant. Scripture does not claim that God
hates the sin but loves the sinner, but rather, understands
persons as totalities, and therefore, sinful actions define
us as sinful persons and subject to the wrath of God.
God's wrath can take several forms. In one form God
addresses us directly, telling us that he is angry, that we
are wrong, that we are hurting him and others. Jesus'
cleaning of the temple, his overturning the tables and
driving out the money changers, was an example of this type
of wrath. The purpose of this personal confrontation is to
bring us to our senses. It is a wrath that cleanses,
restores, awakens, and motivates. This wrath is good for us.
Another form of God's wrath is his abandonment. When we
persist in rejecting God, God accepts our decision and
withdraws his presence. This is not easy for God. According
to some theologians, God became incarnate to deal with human
sin. I prefer to think the primary motive for God taking
flesh was companionship, the joy of fellowship with those he
loves. But we rejected this fellowship. God, in human form,
was rejected and crucified on the cross. At that time Jesus
cried out, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me." He
suffered the consequences of human sin, and that consequence
is abandonment by God.
Since God is the source of life, his abandonment has the
most terrifying consequences. Abandoned persons and nations
are devastated by sin and the cosmic evil powers. This can
clearly be seen in such horrors as war, or in the chaos and
affliction of persons who persist in evil. We may cry out to
God, but if we remain unrepentant and refuse forgiveness, we
can experience God as unrelenting, absent, or even hostile.
In this terrible darkness God is only "present" in his
suffering form, as Christ on the cross, in dereliction and
agony. But even this, as the saints testify, can be good for
us.
Worst of all, and this won't last forever, is to persist
in sin and not experience the wrath of God. This
happens repeatedly. Many, many people are quite
successful, even happy, and live in sin and do not worry
about the wrath of God. God will not allow this
condition to last forever, but thankfully, he has provided a
way that blesses all of us: He revealed his wrath in his
abandonment of Jesus Christ. There God's wrath is
fully displaced in a way that humbles us and gives us the
opportunity to repent, ask forgiveness, and in thankfulness,
live a new life. That is the beauty and the wonder of
the gospel and why it needs to be proclaimed.
The fact that the cross is the revelation
of God's wrath has a corollary. God does allow our
actions to have consequences, and one consequence is the
suffering of the innocent. Christ was innocent, yet he
suffered. And it is not over. All over the world
children, for example, suffer at the hands of the parents
and other adults. How long, Oh God, will you
allow this to continue? Please have mercy upon us.
Scripture is very clear on this. For these many crimes
there will be a day of judgment. It will come, and it
is best that we believe the gospel now while we have life
and time.
But by the same word the heavens and earth
that now exist are stored up for fire, being kept until the
day of judgment and destruction of the ungodly. But do not
overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day
is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count
slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any
should perish, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter
3:7-9).
Love without wrath is indulgence. Indulgent love denies sin
its consequence; it morally degrades others by not holding
them to a high standard. God is not like that. He loves
fiercely and he expects the best of us. Therefore, when his
love is rejected, his love becomes wrath for the sake of his
love. Yet, as the Psalmist says, "His anger is for a moment,
but his favor lasts a lifetime." (30:5)
Ann Douglas, in her book The Feminization of American
Culture (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1977), describes how the 18th century Calvinist view
of a holy, living, wrathful God, was transformed into the
image of a sentimental milk-toast deity in the 19th century,
and this in turn gave way to the pagan permissive culture
and religion of twentieth century America. Douglas is a
feminist, and she repudiates this theological development
because it seduced women into becoming purveyors of a cheap
sentimentality rather than a rigorous force for a better
society. We are still riding the wave and, lacking a sense of God's wrath,
our society is gradually losing its moral bearings. If this continues,
it will lead to no good end, for as Paul put it, "Be not
deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever you sow, that will
you reap." (Gal. 6:7)
The Rev. Robert J. Sanders, Ph.D.
March, 1996
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