Considering God's Wrath

Over the past four Wednesday nights we have been thinking about the greatness of God. Tonight, we will finish our study by looking at the wrath of God and the love of God. We are quick to seek out and study the love of God, but we cannot fully appreciate it until we see the wrath of God. Seeing His justice and wrath should cause us to quake with fear, and long for deliverance. This is what I will present tonight on God's wrath. Later I will post on God's love. Friends, prayerfully hear and consider the truths of God we learn from His holy and perfect Word.

God’s wrath is not a Divine blemish on His character.
Yes, many there are who turn away from a vision of God’s wrath as though they were called to look upon some blotch in the Divine character or some blot upon the Divine government. But what saith the Scriptures? As we turn to them we find that God has made no attempt to conceal the facts concerning His wrath. He is not ashamed to make it known that vengeance and fury belong unto Him. His own challenge is, “See now that I, even I, am He, and there is no god with Me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal; neither is there any that can deliver out of My hand. For I lift up My hand to heaven, and say, I live forever. If I whet my glittering sword, and Mine hand takes hold on judgement; I will render vengeance to Mine enemies, and will reward them that hate Me.” (Deut. 32:39-41) A study of a concordance will show that there are more references in Scripture to the anger, fury and wrath of God than there are to His love and tenderness. Because God is holy, He hates all sin; and because He hates all sin, His anger burns against the sinner. (Psalm 7:11) -- A.W. Pink

God’s wrath is a display of His holiness and justice.
The wrath of God is His eternal detestation of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of Divine equity against all evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evildoers. God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His authority, a wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God’s government shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regard. Not that God’s anger is a malignant and malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for the sake of it, or in return for injury received. No, though God will vindicate His dominion as the Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive. -- A.W. Pink

The wrath of God received by evildoers is not revenge, it is justice.

God’s wrath should call all people to careful meditation and personal reflection.
The wrath of God is a perfection of the Divine character upon which we need to frequently meditate. First, that our hearts may be duly impressed by God’s detestation of sin. We are ever prone to regard sin lightly, to gloss over its hideousness, to make excuses for it. But the more we study and ponder God’s abhorrence of sin and His frightful vengeance upon it, the more we are to realize its heinousness. Secondly, to beget a true fear in our souls for God: “Let us have grace whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: for our God is a consuming fire.” (Heb. 12:28) We cannot serve Him acceptably unless there is a due reverence for His awful Majesty and godly fear of His righteous anger; and these are best promoted by frequently calling to mind that “our God is a consuming fire”. Thirdly, to draw out our souls in fervent praise for our having been delivered from “the wrath to come” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).

God’s wrath will be a source of rejoicing at the judgment.
“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, ‘Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God, 2 for his judgments are true and just; for he has judged the great prostitute who corrupted the earth with her immorality, and has avenged on her the blood of his servants.’3 Once more they cried out, ‘Hallelujah! The smoke from her goes up forever and ever.” (Rev. 19:1-3) Great will be the rejoicing of the saints in that day when the Lord will vindicate His majesty, exercise His awful dominion, magnify His justice, and overthrow the proud rebels who have dared defy Him. - A.W. Pink

God's wrath is reality for all those that have not turned to Christ for forgiveness. At the cross He absorbed the wrath of God for all those that will love Him. Today, you are offered the free gift of the mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Will you receive it?