I would like to speak with you today about the wrath of God. Admittedly, this is not the happiest of topics. Like you, I would rather speak of the love of God. But we must speak of God’s wrath for the same reason we must pay attention to a doctor when he proffers a bad diagnosis: Unless we acknowledge our sickness, we cannot begin to heal. If we are to find salvation in God’s love, we must know what his love is saving us from.
Now, when we speak of God’s wrath, we must be careful that we do not communicate a wrong impression. The wrath of God is not the rage of God, the uncontrolled anger of God, or the ticked-off-in-general-ness of God. Wrath is a powerful term and can be misunderstood and misused. When the Bible speaks of God’s wrath, it means the deeply felt emotional response of God to the injustice he sees as well as the judgment he offers in response to that injustice. That judgment finds partial fulfillment in history and ultimate completion in hell.
So, for example, Paul writes that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Rom. 1.18). This is God’s judgment working itself out in history. Interestingly, its purpose seems to be remedial, to offer a foretaste of eternal judgment in order that the people who experience it might repent and turn to God for salvation. In a sense then, God’s wrath in history is an expression of his love, of his desire, that is, to get people back on the right track. Thus, Paul writes, “God’s kindness is meant to lead you to repentance.”
However, he goes on to warn us: “But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God’s righteousness judgment will be revealed” (Rom. 2.4, 5). This is God’s judgment finding its complete expression in hell.
Is such wrath beneath God? Is it appropriate for the Deity to be that mad at injustice? John certainly thought saw. In Revelation 15.5–8, he portrays the seven angels who pour out bowls of God’s wrath as emerging from “the sanctuary of the tent of witness in heaven.” This is an allusion to the holy of holies in the Old Testament tabernacle, the place where God dwelled—the heart and center of Israelite worship. God’s wrath—according to the picture, then—does not arise from some lesser aspect of God’s character, but from his heart, from the center of his presence.
As I read John, what I realize is that we cannot separate God’s love from his justice. God’s justice (his wrath) explains the graciousness of his love. Although we deserve judgment, God loves us and makes it possible to be reconciled to him. By the same token, God’s love requires—demands, commands even—spiritual and moral change. Take away either attribute from God and all you have left are an unforgiving legalism or an unjust love.
The wrath of God is not a happy topic to speak about, but it is a necessary one. And in this life, it is a very necessary diagnosis for the healing of our souls.
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