Grace and Wrath

It's always interesting to me to hear how people respond to the idea that God has wrath toward sin. The opinions people have, whether they are professing Christians or not are usually based on how they interpret two things; Biblical prophecy and sin.

As I interpret the prophecies in the Bible, I believe that Jesus will return to pour out God's wrath on all who have rejected His love, grace and mercy. When you reject these things, what should you expect to get instead? I have a really good Christian friend who tells me that the way I view prophecy makes God appear to be really mean. A lot of Christians and non-Christians alike expect that mercy will be given to all. I have run into this view a lot. It doesn't surprise me anymore. Satan has labored to sell the world a phony version of God's nature.

People often tend to view God as an understanding old teddy bear of a guy in the sky who, when life here is done, will just give us a little elbow jiggle to the ribs and a loving wink at our sins. He is so infinitely loving that He couldn't and wouldn't condemn anyone. After all, "We're all God's children. He created us in His image." There won't be a day of judgment. Instead, everyone will just get one great big cosmic hug and then get welcomed into heaven.

That might sound really comforting, but it's a notion that comes straight from the pit. The Bible teaches us that God is loving, kind, patient, merciful and full of grace and forgiveness. Peter told the recipients of his first epistle to cast all of their cares upon Him, "for He cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6) It is our very personal God who in Jeremiah chapter 29, states, "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope." (verse 11)

Again, the prophet Jeremiah, in the book of Lamentations tells of the greatness of God's love:

22 Through the Lord's mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
23 They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
24 "The Lord is my portion," says my soul,
"Therefore I hope in Him!"

There is an aspect of God's character that is strangely and consistently overlooked. It is equally as important as any part of His character, and it is something that is constantly under attack in the cults. I am speaking of God's holiness. The Bible teaches us that God is completely holy. It is because He is infinitely holy, and infinitely just, that He cannot tolerate sin. This is not something that makes a sermon "seeker friendly," but it might surprise those who won't speak of it in church to know that it is precisely God's holiness and goodness that lead men to repent of their sins.

The Bible teaches that God will deal with people's sins in either one of two ways, grace or wrath. Every living soul on the planet today is either under God's wrath, or God's grace. Jesus pointed this out to Nicodemus in John, chapter 3, verse 18; "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." He spoke of God's love, and later, in verse 36, He stated plainly again, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

Paul made a point in his letter to the Ephesian church of warning them not to believe the lies of the enemy when he said, "6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not be partakers with them."

If we want to come under God's grace, we have to repent of our sins and place our trust in Jesus. There is no salvation except through Him. There is no salvation apart from Him. If He is rejected, God's grace is rejected, and one has no one to blame except one's self for that, and God's wrath will be poured out when Jesus returns to earth. This doesn't make God some sort of cosmic meanie. Instead, it proves He is holy and just. How could a just and holy God ignore sin and allow it to go unpunished? It is His very wrath against evil that demonstrates how righteous He is.

God sent one prophet after another to warn people of His coming wrath. Finally, He sent His Son, and there have been many of His followers warning people ever since. This too, demonstrates his mercy. Even during the coming period of Tribulation, He will warn the rebellious nations of the world with a series of judgments that increase in their intensity. Most will refuse to repent in response to those judgments and rightly, God could wipe them all out at once, but He won't, and there will be a great number from every tribe and every nation who do respond in repentance and faith.

It will be then, as it is now. Many people respond negatively to Bible prophecy because they see any mention of God's coming wrath as harsh and negative. His wrath will be harsh, but it will be very just. On the other hand, the gospel is good news for those who believe it and place their faith in Jesus, the very good and the very kind God. Only He is worthy.