Here is the page that links to the rest of the posts in this series.
The wrath of GOD is an attribute of GOD that many of us would rather not think about. It is uncomfortable. We don’t associate anger or wrath with anything good, but rather with losing control…of our emotions, our language, our body (as in using it to cause injury to another person). But none of these describe GOD and how His wrath is meted out to those who deserve it.
God’s Wrath: A Definition
A working definition (from Wayne Grudem) would be helpful at this point. The wrath of GOD means that GOD intensely hates all sin! cf. Exodus 32:8-10; Deuteronomy 9:7-8; John 3:36.
Remember and do not forget how you provoked the Lord your God to wrath in the wilderness.
From the day you came out of the land of Egypt until you came to this place,
you have been rebellious against the Lord.
Even at Horeb you provoked the Lord to wrath,
and the Lord was so angry with you that he was ready to destroy you.
The wrath of GOD means that GOD intensely hates all sin! (Grudem) This characteristic of GOD is tied to His goodness & justice as well as His sovereignty & omnipotence. Share on XDeuteronomy 9:7-8 ESV
Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life;
whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life,
but the wrath of God remains on him.John 3:36 ESV
- What kind of GOD would He be if He didn’t hate evil and injustice? Certainly not one who is good!
- Wouldn’t He be a GOD who allows sin and injustice to flourish and tolerates them in His world? But that would clash with His holiness, love and goodness.
- Would He even be GOD? Because he is sovereign and omnipotent, He is not only able to hate sin intensely, He is able to do something about it. He poured out his just wrath on the Son of God who was bearing all our sin so that He could satisfy His perfectly just nature.
- He provided a way to show mercy and love to those who would repent and receive His gift of faith and justification through the cross. He didn’t wink at our sin. It was dealt with justly.
This attribute of GOD is one for which we can be very thankful. He is a GOD who does deal with sin, evil, and injustice. It won’t always be on our timetable, but it will be dealt with. That is reassuring.
Lining up our Attitude toward Sin with GOD’s
We may hate sin, or at least certain ones. We rarely hate our own as much as we hate the sins of others. GOD is not like that. He objectively hates sin and all the results of sin. Because He is perfect and without “blemish”, He does not have “pet sins” like most of us do. He doesn’t show favoritism either. When it comes to meting out justice, that is extremely hopeful. It means He can’t be bribed. He can’t fall prey to the most powerful person. There is nothing that can affect His ability to be just. That is good.
Wedding Patience to Wrath…the Kind that Hates Sin and Injustice!
Neither does He “fly off the handle” when getting impatient with our sins and in that way, show His wrath. His wrath against sin is totally under control! Very few of us have experienced that with our human parents. GOD’s patience and wrath go together! They are mentioned together in Psalm 103:7-12.
For encouragement and further learning on what the Scripture says about the wrath of GOD and His provision for us through His grace and mercy, read the following passages and think on them: Ephesians 2:1-10; Romans 3:21-26; Exodus 34:6-7.
I’m sure we will discuss the character of GOD again…it is basic to so many of the things we discuss here. I doubt that we will go into this much detail, but who knows? We have only scratched the surface of getting to know GOD. I have found it to be helpful in broadening my view of GOD for sure. If we want to be more like Christ, it’s good to know what we want to be like isn’t it?
What new things have you learned about GOD from this series?
What attributes have you found to be encouraging/comforting?
What attributes bring you to the point of fear and awe?
This is from a series I wrote in 2012 on the attributes of GOD. I updated it in 2019 but ran into some other deadlines of series i was doing and didn’t get to put up the last 4 posts. Since GOD’s attributes are basic to hope, I wanted to finish that series on the next four Wednesdays. The reworked series started here. Watch the right margin. I hope to have them all put together there so you can click onto them in one place since they are spread out. Martha
