The Wrath of God

"God judgeth the righteous, and God is angry with the wicked every day" (Psalm 7:11).

God is Love. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). God's marvelous redemption for us in Jesus Christ is the greatest expression of love that could ever be. We were hopeless sinners and without God in this world. God provided for us what we could not do for ourselves. That is love.

To reject His love is to incur His wrath. God is of kindness and great mercy in providing so that everyone has an opportunity to be saved. "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:9). God gives ample provision for all men. While I do not understand how all that comes about, I believe that God is just in all His actions.

Christians should never question the love of God, even though they sometimes do. The New Testament has many reminders that Christians are to expect persecution. "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution" (2 Timothy 3:12). So in this life we may experience many difficulties and persecution, but God has prepared ample compensation for us in the life to come.

For those who have not received God's provision in Christ it is a whole different matter. Unless they repent of their sin and rejection, God has a perfect right to be angry with them every day. If they choose to blame God for their miserable lives, they are further incurring His wrath, for God has provided for their redemption. They may curse God if they like, but God is going to have the last word. God is longsuffering, but nevertheless He will justly reward every one according to his works.

God's wrath is hot against those who persecute His saints. The Book of Revelation has much to say about this. "For true and righteous are his judgments... and [he] hath avenged the blood of his servants" (Revelation 19:2). While retribution may not take place in this life, God judgments will prevail in the end.

God's wrath is also against those who claim to be Christians but do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, "And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it" (Matthew 7:26-27). "But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, [He will render] indignation and wrath" ( Romans 2:8). While I believe that God is gracious when our hearts are yielded to Him, though we may not fully understand everything in His word, we are responsible to know and obey what the Scriptures teach. We should not be careless in these matters.

The wrath of God is avoidable. Only the foolish ignore His provision. "For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved" (John 3:17).

Thank God for His marvelous provision in Christ. "For our God is a consuming fire" (Hebrews 12:29).

—Silas Martin