The inseparable nature of God's Wrath and Love

The wrath of God is an essential component of the gospel. Some people reject the concept, and others think of it as a backdrop or something that helps us better understand the gospel message, but that's not the case. The reality is that God's wrath is at the very heart of the gospel.

In his letter to the Romans, Paul begins his exposition of the gospel by talking about the wrath of God: "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth." (Rm 1:18)

God's wrath is not without reason, and it's not a mere demonstration of power and anger. God's wrath is executed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.

John Stott summarizes God's wrath: "The wrath of God, then, is almost totally different from human anger. It does not mean that God loses his temper, flies into a rage, or is ever malicious, spiteful or vindictive. The alternative to 'wrath' is not 'love' but 'neutrality' in the moral conflict. And God is not neutral. On the contrary, his wrath is his holy hostility to evil, his refusal to condone it or come to terms with it, his just judgment upon it."

God is not neutral in the face of evil, and neither should we be. Blessed are those who seek justice. One of the characteristics of the unrighteous is that "they suppress the truth," which makes them passive or selective in their anger against evil.

We - Christians - understand that all evil should and will be punished, and God is a just Judge who will not let any sin go without retribution. The primary realization of the Christian faith is that we're sinners and that we deserve to be justly punished for every single sinful act.

And only when we understand that we start grasping what Jesus did on the cross for us. Jesus did not die on the cross in an empty demonstration of love, to make a point, or to defend an ideal. He died on the cross to drink the cup of the wrath of God that was due to us. And everyone who trusts Jesus for the payment of their sins is because the Spirit confirms in their hearts that they are now saved from the judgment to come through Jesus' sacrifice.

Nino Marques