What is the wrath of God?
God’s wrath in scripture is His holy and just indignation against sin. His holy reaction to sin, a burning of anger, a sore displeasure of sin. God hates sin. God’s wrath is on sinful men who completely disregard His law and His salvation plan. God is perfect in all His attributes his mercy, love, sovereignty, immutablibly therefore His wrath is also prefect. We can’t compare it to wrath and anger like we have because we are sinful and God’s anger/wrath is sinless. For God to be perfectly loving He also has to be perfectly just sin cannot go unpunished. 2 Thess 1: 6- 10” Since it is a righteous things with God to repay with tribulation those who trouble you, and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God. And on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,”
Who?
God’s wrath is seen on the unrighteous -Rom 1:18 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of Men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.” Rom 2:5 “But in accordance with our hardness and your unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”
Where is it seen?
Example Adam and Eve who disregarded God’s command and experience the first effects of God’s wrath because of their sin. Their bodies were naked and saw death. Noah and the Ark- God wrath was seen in his destroying the whole world expect 8 ppl who kept God’s commandment and had a fear of God. The Egyptian and all their first born died you can see the wrath of God. And also most importantly God’s wrath can be seen in the crucifixion of His sinless Son.
John MacArthur -
The wrath of God is like a great water impounded behind a dam. He said, I can remember the first time I ever saw Hoover Dam, one of the greatest of all dams on earth. It has been thrown across the waters of the Colorado River and these waters have backed up for miles and penetrated into every little cove and valley. And thus it has been with the wrath of God. The first time there was ever a sin committed; the wrath of God was stored up against that sin. And as men lived upon the earth and as their hearts grew more wicked and the outbreak of their sin more violent, the store of wrath grew greater and greater, held back by the patience of God which lies across the valley of His judgment like a great dam across the river. And in His eternal foreknowledge God the Father foresaw all of the sin that would be committed after the time of Christ, your sin and my sin, and He stored His wrath against it behind the dam of His patience. And the wrath of God against sin that even today has not yet been committed is also stored up waiting for the day when His patience shall burst into its holy end. For thousands of years that dam has held and God has held back His wrath. Occasionally throughout human history He stooped to dip His hand into the pent up flood and pour a few drops of wrath on some, especially vicious outbreak of rebellion. But for the most part God seemed to overlook the sins of man in the centuries before the cross. It looked maybe as if sin was tolerated, but it was just piling up.”
You know, the dam broke one day, and it broke at Calvary. And it broke on Christ and drown Him in all the sea of sin. And it will break again and it will drown all those men who are not in Christ. Christ took the judgment for those who believe. For those who do not believe, they will take their own judgment. And the wrath of God awaits them. Because they hold the truth, no matter what they claim, but they hold it and suppress it because of their sin.
You know, the dam broke one day, and it broke at Calvary. And it broke on Christ and drown Him in all the sea of sin. And it will break again and it will drown all those men who are not in Christ. Christ took the judgment for those who believe. For those who do not believe, they will take their own judgment. And the wrath of God awaits them. Because they hold the truth, no matter what they claim, but they hold it and suppress it because of their sin.
We see God’s wrath daily in our lives… we live in a sinful world there is sickness, disasters, depression, pain, death; we are exceedingly sinful so God’s wrath is constantly being seen. Jer. 7:20 “ Therefore thus says the Lord God: Behold , My anger and My fury will be poured out on this place- on man and on beast, on the trees on the field and on the fruit of the ground. And it will burn and not be quenched.” So not just on people do we see God’s wrath in this verse it states on everything created by God in this sinful world. .
Why?
God’s wrath is central to the gospel…. Just like when you go to the doctor and are given bad news like you have cancer … but then the doctor says but we have good news… We have a cure for your cancer. If you didn’t know you had cancer… Hearing” you have a cure” would not matter to you but when you know that you have cancer and it can kill you, how sweet the words are… you have a cure and a way to be completely healed…. Rom 3: 23 “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
The punishment you deserve for your sinful desperately wicked heart is death, a forever separation from God. There is NOTHING we can or cannot do to save ourselves. God’s wrath will be on those who turn their face from him and reject his mercy and forgiveness. We deserve hell however Jesus took our place and was punished for us… How sweet are the words you are forgiven when you know what you have been forgiven from!! What LOVE Mercy and Kindness this is… Rom 5:6- 8 “For when we were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die, But God demonstrated His own love toward us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.”
Therefore for application
1. The reality of the wrath of God will make you so thankful for what God has done for you in spite of what you deserved. So you can have joy no matter what your circumstances might be. Rom 8:1 There is therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit.
2. To live looking forward to heaven and the reality of life eternal and to use our time for the Glory of God not ourselves. Ps. 90:11- 12 who knows the power of Your anger? For as the fear of you, so is Your wrath. So teach us to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” Stop saying but God this is what I have planned for my day, week, ect and ask Lord I am your hands use me today.
3. To see those who aren’t saved as objects of God’s wrath so that we might have mercy and feel the urgency to share the gospel the good news of God’s amazing love! John 3:36 he who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and He who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”
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