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WHAT IS THE WRATH OF GOD? Because we are mean and vengeful we see God as mean and vengeful. We want Him to come down hard on those who have wronged us. We want them punished even punitively. But God is not like us. His wrath is not at all like our human anger. So how does God define His wrath? The answer is in Rom. 1:18-23. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his eternal power and divine nature, invisible though they are, have been understood and seen through the things he has made. So they are without excuse; for though they knew God, they did not honor him as God (They assigned to Him the characteristics of man.) or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their senseless (unintelligent minds) minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools (stupid); and they exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling a mortal human being...” NRSV When humans do not glorify God as God, and instead give Him human characteristics, they think they are wise but they are stupid. When man does this, God pours out his wrath. And what is that? He turns us over to ourselves! Rom 1:24-25 “Therefore God gave them up (or gives them over) in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the degrading of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.” NRSV The wrath of God is letting us do what we want to do. His wrath is allowing us to do what we prefer and to follow our own carnal desires. God allows us to go our own way, make our own plans to see the end of our own stupid decisions. It is not punishment from God. There are two NT words for wrath: “Themos” meaning “passion as in breathing hard” and “orge” meaning “desire or violent passion.” There are six OT words for wrath: “aph” meaning rapid breathing in passion,” “chemah” meaning “heat,” “kaac” “meaning to trouble,” “ebrah” meaning “outburst of passion,” “qetseph” meaning “to splinter” as off a block,” and “ragaz”meaning “to quiver with violent emotion.” All these words speak of an outburst of compassionate passion from the heart of God, because he sees us going the wrong way. It’s like a father seeing his child heading out in front of a speeding car. So what is God’s vengeance? It means “a passion to set us right.” Vengence is a violent passion to turn us back to doing what is right, not to destroy us. The word translated “punish” is “paquad” which means “to visit.” It is more like the picture of the potter and the clay. In short, God’s wrath is always remedial, not punitive. He turns us over to ourselves to see the end of our self-driven ways, son we will learn and come back to Him and his love. The punishment for sin in in the sin, not from the heart of God. “God chastens whom He loves.” (Rev. 3:19) |