The Wrath of God

 

Do you have a favorite attribute of God? Maybe it is His love or even His grace. These are by far the most popular aspects of God that fill our songs and books about Him. But if there is one attribute of God that people do not enjoy talking about, it is the wrath of God. Though it is not talked of often, this is the image that many people have of God. Whether this notion of God stems from reading Puritan Pastor and Scholar Jonathan Edward's sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God," which many US students read in literature class during high school, or from typical street preachers who have "turn or burn in hell" messages plastered on the huge signs they carry through our streets, many think God is only angry all the time. While the Bible is clear that God is a God of wrath, we need to be clear in understanding why He is revealed that way and what He has done about it. The primary reason for God's anger and wrath is the sin and rebellion of mankind. Sin is the reason for His wrath, but the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ absorbed God's wrath when He died for our sins upon the cross.

 

There is no reason to fear or dislike the wrath of God anymore because it is no longer directed towards anyone who is in Christ. Neither God's wrath nor condemnation is anything we, as believers, will ever have to face when our trust is in Christ. Romans 8 tells us that there is no more condemnation for those of us who are in Christ. So how should we respond to this particular attribute of God? We should be led to a greater hatred of sin, the reason wrath was revealed. We should also be led to greater thanksgiving, for the grace of Jesus who saved us from it. Finally, we should be led to greater urgency for evangelism, because our loved ones need His grace to be saved from His wrath.

 

Saved from His Wrath,

Editor-in-Chief Eddie Byun