When it comes to that little five letter word, wrath, we tend to either pretend as if it does not exist in Scripture, especially not in reference to God, or we believe, like Richard Dawkins, that “the God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it, a petty, unjust unforgiving control-freak…”. Given our own experience with the ugliness of anger, we have a hard time understanding references to God’s wrath. Whether we ignore it or we make it the lens through which we look upon God, “the wrath of God” becomes an over-simplified characterization of a god whose emotions reflect man’s in amplified proportions, much like the Greek gods of antiquity. But that is not how Scripture describes the wrath of a holy God, whose ways are much higher than our ways (Is. 55:9).
Scripture describes divine wrath as God’s righteous indignation towards that which wounds His beloved. But it is not enough just to acknowledge that God opposes sin. One must understand the heights and depths of God’s love and must wrestle with the passages that speak about divine wrath in order to develop the nuanced understanding of it that is portrayed in the pages of Scripture. Rather than pushing you to one of the extremes in your response to this mystifying five letter word, a biblical understanding of wrath will bring you into a deeper appreciation of the ever-abundant mercy and kindness of God.
For those who struggle to see God as something other than a harsh taskmaster, it may seem obvious that sin leads to wrath. We mess up, God gets mad and rains down judgment upon us, the logic goes. This understanding of God’s wrath on sin is so far from the patient God that is pictured in the Old Testament and the New. For those who see God as a happy-go-lucky pushover, nothing could incite His anger, and any mention of the possibility of divine wrath is met with immediate derision. This, too, is unbiblical. God does get angry. But, if we are living by faith and walking in obedience, we should not shudder at this fact. Rather, it should be a source of solace.
In his book, The Prophets, Abraham Heschel poses a necessary question: “Is it a sign of cruelty that God’s anger is aroused when the rights of the poor are violated, when widows and orphans are oppressed?” What Heschel was highlighting is that God’s wrath is necessary for Him to be good in a world where sin daily wreaks havoc on His creation. Divine wrath is a devoted unwillingness to be indifferent towards that which wounds those He loves. This is a good thing. Many of us have found solace in Scriptural promises that wickedness will not endure forever. “The wicked will perish; and the enemies of the Lord will be like the glory of the pastures, they vanish - like smoke they vanish away” (Psalm 37:20). Such words are a healing balm to a heart that feels that darkness will reign forever. Judgment will eventually come on sin. But God’s ultimate goal is redemption, not condemnation (John 3:17). In his letter to the Colossians, Paul told the believers there to “treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire and greed, which amount to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience” (Colossians 3:5-6). The termination of evil begins with those who have been “called out of darkness and into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9), and ends with God’s final judgment on sin.
Now that we know why sin causes wrath, it is important that we are familiar with the mechanisms by which God’s wrath is revealed. This will help us gain a deeper appreciation for God’s loving care in the world. There is much more than can possibly be covered in one article, but this will give you a brief overview of how the biblical authors understood the wrath of God.
Often, when an expression of God’s anger is referenced, God is simply handing people over to the just consequences of their choices. Much to my toddler’s dismay, we live in a world, designed by God, wherein actions have reactions. When God hands someone over to the consequences of their sin, this is called “the wrath of God” by biblical authors. Take, for example, Romans 1:18-24. In his letter to the Roman church, Paul warned that “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (18). How was it revealed? “God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them” (24). The law of sowing and reaping is quite often at work behind “the wrath of God.” Because God loves us, and does not want us to live in a world where the agony of sin reigns in our bodies and our relationships, He has created a world in which ungodliness is met with opposition by the very laws of nature.
Of course, there are exceptions to this law. Sometimes the wicked freely prosper and the righteous needlessly suffer. There are times when active intervention is necessary. And yet, even in these moments, when what is happening by “God’s hand” seems so clear to us at first reading, we need to pause and ask ourselves what is really going on behind the scenes. In nearly every portrayal of God’s wrath in Scripture, the active hand of judgment is not His, but is His enemy’s. As Tad Trapp, author of The Derakim put it, “God has an aversion to wrath. He doesn’t want to punish anyone.” Take the cross, for example, the most harrowing show of divine wrath. Is it not by the hand of sinners that Jesus suffers the wrath of God? Rather than relishing in the opportunity to dole out due punishment for sin, “when the Bible gives us a peek ‘behind the veil’ during seasons of His wrath,” Trapp invites us to ponder, “what is He usually doing? Answer: grieving, lamenting, and even weeping" (Luke 19:41-44, Hosea 11:8, Jeremiah 9:1).
Human sin invites God’s righteous judgment upon itself in that it goes against the law of love. But God does not delight in punishment. He would rather “let the wicked forsake His way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to the Lord,” so that He may “have compassion on him” (Isaiah 55:7). As the Ninevites repented in hearing of the coming wrath that was to be revealed against them, diverting the plans of God, so God wants all people to repent and turn from their ways so that they will not have to face punishment for their sins. Therefore, He is “slow to anger” (Exodus 34:6). God’s wrath is contingent, not fundamental to His nature. He is “compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness and faithfulness” (Exodus 34:6). Imagine a being that lacks any of those characteristics and you are not imagining God as He revealed Himself to Moses. Angry, on the other hand, is a descriptor only fitting for Him in response to human sin. Thus, when Paul is encouraging believers in Colossae to remember that they have “put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator,” he can explicitly exhort them to rid themselves of “anger, wrath, malice, slander and obscene speech” (Colossians 3: 10 & 8, respectively) without suggesting they do something that will be marring God’s image in them. God’s “lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalm 100:5), His anger is not.
While God’s wrath is just, justifiable, controlled, purposeful, and full of lament, human wrath is all the opposite. God shows lovingkindness for lovingkindness’s sake, but “there is no divine anger for anger’s sake,” writes Heschel. “Its meaning is…instrumental: to bring about repentance; its purpose and consummation is its own disappearance.” It is tempting, when we are angry with sin, to think ourselves one and the same with God, knowing that He, too, disapproves of it. But James 1:20 makes it very clear that “human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” It is true that a lack of righteous indignation may well be a sign of lack of proper concern for one’s fellow man, but Scripture makes it very clear that what man experiences in his anger is far different than the wrath of God. In the book of Proverbs, anger is credited with producing strife (30:33), causing transgression in man (29:22), and is described as cruel and foolish (27:3, 14:29). “He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty, and he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city” (16:32). For anger, in man, is a consuming emotion. It twists the truth, it glorifies self, and it becomes one’s driving force, one’s end goal. Whatever wrath is in God, it is never a primary emotion, and its revelation is never the final objective. Even in moments of wrath, God’s intention is to call sinners unto Himself so that they may “turn from their ways and live” (Ez. 33:11). If God’s wrath is a lament meant to spare God’s beloved from their own destruction, regretfully revealed only after much longsuffering, man’s is a war-cry.
To recognize injustice for what it is, to weep with those who suffer because of it, and to experience indignation towards that which is evidently not from God, is right and good. But if anger is given the driving seat, then sin is sure to follow. For, while “all the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth” (Psalm 25:10), even in expressions of divine wrath, the way of anger in man is a prideful distortion of reality that leads to destruction.
Scripture makes it very clear that we deserve punishment for our actions. “The punishment of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Measured against the holy love of God, our thoughts, our actions, and the state of our hearts, are wicked. If we are honest with ourselves, there is no way that we could repay God for the damage that we have done. The due consequence for our sin is to bear the righteous wrath of God. “But God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).
Good works cannot get us out of the pit that we have dug for ourselves. Only a true faith placed in Christ’s work on the cross can do that. True faith will always lead us to repentance and surrender, both of which are necessary for salvation through Christ.
Romans 5:9 victoriously proclaims, “since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!” It is not only at the final judgment that we will be spared from ultimate condemnation and wrath, but it is a daily reality that, as we place our faith in Christ and in the power of His Spirit working through us that we will experience an ever-deepening salvation. There is no working your way into God’s good graces. The gift of His Son has already been given for you. Believe in Him and you will not only be spared the wrath of God, but will be given everlasting life in Him. True life, free of the sin that wounds and full of His lovingkindness and grace.
Further Reading
How Do We Avoid the Sneaky Sin of Wrath?
What is Wrath? Bible Definition and Meaning
What Does the Bible Say about the Seven Deadly Sins?
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