The Wrath of God

The Wrath of God

(Romans 1:18)

Contemporary churches rarely mention the wrath of God, simply because people find it uncomfortable. And they certainly do not teach that even Christians can come face-to-face with that wrath.

1. A Gospel Premised on Wrath
The gospel that Scripture proclaims rests on the premise of God’s wrath. To see the true worth of the gospel, we must first know the wrath of God—what it is, and that He is truly wrathful. The flood that drowned the human race, the annihilation of the Egyptian army, the end of those who rose up against Moses—through these events in the Old Testament, we can clearly confirm the wrath of God. And the New Testament speaks the same. Ephesians 5:6 declares, “Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

2. Righteous and Holy Wrath
We must not think of the wrath of God as the imperfect anger of a person. Human anger is always tainted by sin. Human anger loses its temper and spills out in uncontrolled emotion, but the wrath of God is completely righteous—righteous in every way and at all times. Human anger rises from greed, selfishness, and jealousy, but the wrath of God rises from His holiness. So it is not strange at all that the God who is righteous and holy should hate what is evil.

3. When the Bowl of Wrath Is Full
God reveals His wrath even now, and His wrath can break forth at any moment. At times it may seem as though countless wrongdoers never face His wrath. But God is not leaving their sin unattended. The wrath of God is rising; it is being stored up. And when the bowl of wrath is full, God will act. God’s wrath is just. Because of that wrath, the Son of God died upon the cross, and through His death we have been given the opportunity to repent. So let us acknowledge the wrath of God, and let us follow His plan.

Overseer Sung-Hyun Kim