Lesson 16. The Wrath of God
The Attributes of God Steve Lawson
Trinity Bible Church, September 2022
Romans 11:22 "Consider therefore the kindness and the severity of God"
"A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies." Nahum 1:2
I. MESSAGE INTRODUCTION
While many people prefer not to think about the wrath of God, the Bible does not hesitate to speak of it. In Scripture, God's wrath serves as a warning to unbelievers, and a reason for holy living for His people. In this message, Lawson looks at the nature and necessity of God's wrath, and the many different ways that it is shown in Scripture.
II. REVIEW QUESTIONS
1. When God allows individuals to continue in their sin, it is an example of:
a. Abiding wrath
b. Abandoning wrath
c. Consequential wrath
d. none of the above
2. Only those who have knowingly rejected the gospel of Christ will face eternal punishment. (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8)
a. True b. False
3. God's wrath is necessitated primarily by His:
a. Omniscience
b. Goodness
c. Holiness
d. Sovereignty
4. Hell is not everlasting.
a. True b. False
III. DEFINITION OF GOD'S WRATH
Brad Klassen: The wrath of God refers to His righteous response to everything which is contrary to His divine perfections. Wrath is an expression of God's justice, in the same way that love is an expression of His goodness. Because God is a God of righteousness (justice), He must hate and punish sin. He must be repulsed by everything which opposes His character, and He must be passionately protect His glory and punish that which threatens it. If not, He would cease to be perfect.
Because God's wrath is exercised as an expression of His justice, it is always judicial in nature. In other words, God's wrath is never cruel, arbitrary, or inappropriate. His wrath will always fit the crime; the intensity of God's response to sin will always be in proper proportion.
Jerry Bridges: "God's wrath arises from His intense, settled hatred of all sin and is the tangible expression of His inflexible determination to punish it. We might say God's wrath is His justice in action, rendering to everyone his just due, which, because of our sin, is always judgment.
God's wrath is His necessary response to uphold His moral authority in His universe. It contains a fierce intensity arising from His settled opposition to sin and His determination to punish it to the utmost.
All sin is an assault on God's holy majesty!
John Piper: What is sin?
Sin is the glory of God not honored.
Sin is the holiness of God not reverenced.
Sin is the greatness of God not admired.
Sin is the power of God not awed.
Sin is the truth of God not sought.
Sin is the wisdom of God not esteemed.
Sin is the beauty of God not treasured.
Sin is the goodness of God not savored.
Sin is the faithfulness of God not trusted.
Sin is the commandments of God not obeyed.
Sin is the justice of God not respected.
Sin is the wrath of God not feared.
Sin is the grace of God not cherished.
Sin is the presence of God not prized.
Sin is the person of God not loved.
That is sin!
*John Piper:
"The wisdom of God,
devised a way for the love of God,
to deliver sinners from the wrath of God,
while not compromising the justice of God."
IV. UNBELIEVERS AND GOD'S WRATH
Klassen: Scripture is filled with references to wrath as a quality of God's character. Words like "wrath," "anger," "hatred" and "fury" are all words which are used to describe God and His reaction to evil. God is not afraid to be identified with wrath.
Your comments on the following verses:
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God ABIDES on him."
Romans 2:5 "But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God's WRATH when His righteous judgment will be revealed."
Revelation 6:16-17 "They called to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the WRATH of the Lamb! For the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?"
Revelation 14:9-11 "If anyone worships the beast and his image and receives his mark on the forehead or on the hand, he, too, will drink of the wine of God's fury, which has been poured full strength into the cup of His wrath. He will be tormented with burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and of the Lamb. And the smoke of their torment rises for ever and ever. There is no rest day or night for those who worship the beast and his image, or for anyone who receives the mark of his name."
Jonathan Edwards: "Wicked men will hereafter earnestly wish to be turned into nothing and forever cease to be, that they may escape the wrath of God."
"God is the best friend, but worst ENEMY!"
V. THE JUSTICE OF GOD'S WRATH
God, being the holy and just moral governor of His universe, must of necessity punish all sin, all evil, and all wrong-doing.
Genesis 18:25 Far be it from you to do such a thing--to kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous and the wicked alike. Far be it from you! Will not the Judge of all the earth do right?"Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.
Psalm 11:7 For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.
Psalm 33:4-5 For the word of the LORD is right and true; he is faithful in all he does.
The LORD loves righteousness and justicePsalm 89:13-14 Your arm is endued with power; your hand is strong, your right hand exalted. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne; love and faithfulness go before you.
Psalm 97:2 Clouds and thick darkness surround him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!
Isaiah 61:8 "For I, the LORD, love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.Acts 17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.
Jeremiah 17:9-10 "I, the LORD, search the HEART, I test the mind, even to give to each man according to his WAYS, according to the results of his DEEDS."
Matthew 16:27 "For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his DEEDS."
Romans 2:5-6 "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his DEEDS."
Revelation 2:23 "And all the churches will know that I am He who searches the MINDS and HEARTS; and I will give to each one of you according to your DEEDS."
Galatians 6:7-8 "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also REAP. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life."
1 Corinthians 4:5 "Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the MOTIVES of men's hearts."Matthew 12:33-37 "Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned."
J.I. Packer: Would a God who did not react adversely to evil in His world, be morally perfect? Surely not. But it is precisely this adverse reaction to evil, which is a necessary part of His moral perfection, that the Bible has in view when it speaks of God's wrath.
God's wrath is never the capricious, irritable, morally ignoble thing that human anger so often is. It is, instead, a right and necessary objective reaction to moral evil.
John Stott: There is nothing capricious or arbitrary about the holy God. Nor is he ever irascible, malicious, spiteful, or vindictive. His anger is provoked by evil, and evil alone. The wrath of God is His steady, unrelenting, unremitting, uncompromising antagonism to evil in all its forms and manifestations.
"The damned in Hell will drink an ocean of wrath, but not a drop of INJUSTICE!"
VI. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1. If God is a God of love, then how can He be a God of wrath?
2. What large branch of Christendom denies the wrath of God? Why?
3. People often think of God's wrath in terms of human anger. What are the similarities and differences between the two?
4. Since Christians are no longer under the wrath of God, what is the benefit of us studying this attribute?
5. How would you respond to someone who said that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath; but the God of the New Testament is a God of love?
6. In our day, the world either ridicules or simply ignores the wrath of God. Why is this?
7. Why do most all modern day pastors minimize God's wrath in their teaching?
What is the result of this minimizing of God's wrath?
8. "In many ways, whether one affirms or denies the wrath of God is a critical test of biblical orthodoxy."
Do you agree with this statement?
Why, or why not?
9. How do we see God's wrath displayed in Christ's death?
What other attributes of God do we see clearly displayed in death of Christ?
10. "God is by nature a God of wrath."
Do you agree with this statement? Why, or why not?
11. Your thoughts on these two statements:
Don Carson: "If the Bible only talked about the love of God, but never spoke of God's hatred or His wrath—we would be dealing with quite a different God."
R.C. Sproul: "A god who is all love, all grace, all mercy; no sovereignty, no justice, no holiness, and no wrath—is an idol!"
12. Your thoughts on this statement by Walter Chantry: "There are no easy steps to witnessing! No painless, unembarrassing methods! You must bring men to see that they are guilty sinners under the wrath of God who must flee to Christ for mercy. That is offensive. And there is no way to coat it with honey."
13. Your thoughts on this 'Christian' cliché: "God hates the sin, but loves the sinner."
Psalm 5:4-6 "You are not a God who takes pleasure in evil; with you the wicked cannot dwell. The arrogant cannot stand in your presence; you HATE all who do wrong. You destroy those who tell lies; bloodthirsty and deceitful men the LORD ABHORS!"
Psalm 11:5-6 "The Lord examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence His soul HATES. On the wicked He will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot!"
Proverbs 16:5 "The Lord DETESTS all the proud of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!"
John 3:18 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands CONDEMNED already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son."
John 3:36 "He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the WRATH of God abides on him."
Romans 9:13 "Jacob I loved, but Esau I HATED."
Does God love the unrepentant sinner?
God Hates the Sin and the Sinner
Does God Hate the sin but Love the Sinner?
VII. EIGHT MYTHS ABOUT HELL by Sam Storms
The reality of Hell and eternal punishment is not a popular topic, even among Christians. Part of the problem is that the nature of Hell has been horribly distorted in our culture and portrayed as an experience that is far from what we read in the New Testament. When I'm asked why I believe in Hell, my response is three-fold:
First, I have such unshakable and robust confidence in the inerrant truth of every word in the Bible that the matter is already settled. I believe, as the Apostle Paul said in 2 Timothy 3:16, that "all Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
Second, by God's grace I have come to understand, at least to some degree, the immeasurable magnitude and majesty of God's holiness and beauty and authority and the honor that is due to Him from all of His creatures, including you and me.
Third, again by God's grace I have come to understand the immeasurable horror and ugliness and self-centeredness of humanity's sin and depravity and wickedness.
So I can honestly say that to the degree that we struggle with the concept of Hell and eternal punishment is the degree to which we don't understand God's holiness and honor, on the one hand; or the horror and depravity of mankind's sin, on the other.
In other words, if Hell strikes you as unreasonable or unfair or disproportionate, it can only be due to the fact that either you don't believe the Bible is inspired and true, or you don't believe that God is infinitely holy and just, or you don't believe that mankind is so morally depraved and has committed cosmic treason and is thus deserving of eternal condemnation.
Contributing to the problem of Hell are the numerous myths or false beliefs that surround it. Here are eight of them:
Myth #1. There is widespread belief among non-Christians that Hell is a place where they will be united with their unbelieving friends and drink beer all the time in an endless party.
The fact is that Hell is a place of utter isolation, loneliness, and deprivation.
Myth #2. Another false belief is that Hell is the place where Satan and his demons exercise their authority to rule and reign.
The fact is that Hell is the place where Satan and his demons suffer eternal punishment. Satan and his demons are inhabitants in Hell, not its wardens or guards. Matthew 25:41 "Then He will say to those on His left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."
Myth #3. Directly related to the previous myth, there is the notion among many that in Hell Satan and his demons torment human beings who also are there.
No. There is not one text in the Bible that suggests Satan and his demons afflict or torment human beings.
They themselves, instead, are the object of God's punishment. There have been numerous books written by people who claim to have visited Hell in which they describe a scene where demons are tormenting humans who have been consigned there. This should be the first indication to all careful, Bible-believing readers that such an experience is merely fabricated.
Myth #4. Yet another misconception is that there are people in Hell crying out for mercy who want to reconcile with God.
Nothing in Scripture indicates this is so. Instead, those in Hell are eternally defiant of God and hate Him all the more with each passing moment. Revelation 16:9,11,21
Myth #5. One of the more blasphemous notions about Hell is that there are people in Hell who don't deserve to be there.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. God's justice is impeccable and He never consigns anyone to punishment in Hell who does not fully deserve to suffer there.
Myth #6. A related myth is the notion that there are people in Hell who wanted to go to Heaven while they were still alive, but God wouldn't let them.
That is utterly false. Jesus Himself made this clear when He said, "Whoever comes to Me I will never cast out . . . For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:35, 37b, 40).
Myth #7. A seventh myth is that there are people in Hell who will eventually be released and granted entrance into Heaven.
As much as we might wish this were true, it isn't. The Bible does not teach the doctrine of universalism, that is, the idea that everyone will eventually be saved and given eternal life in the new Heaven and new earth.
Myth #8. Finally, there is the myth that in Hell people will be rid of God and have no experience of Him.
That is not true. It is true they will have no experience of God's loving and gracious presence, but they will most assuredly experience His presence in justice and wrath. In fact, we read in Revelation 14:10 that they will be tormented "in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb," that is, in the presence of Jesus Christ.
I'll conclude with two brief observations:
First, I can't read biblical portrayals of Hell and eternal punishment or think about it without feeling a deep and unrelenting sorrow in my heart. We should never talk about Hell without sorrow, for it is real and real people are going there. This is not a subject for joking or lighthearted banter. It is an issue that should provoke within us both anguish and an urgent commitment to share the gospel with those who remain in unbelief.
My second reaction is one of unfathomable gratitude. When I read about Hell in a passage like Revelation 14:9-11, I'm reading about what I deserve. God would have been perfectly just and righteous had He chosen to consign me to eternal torment. But in mercy He has saved me. In mercy He has poured out His wrath on Jesus in my place—a wrath and judgment that Jesus lovingly and willingly embraced and endured. Every single one of us deserves damnation. God owes us nothing but justice. The fact that He has given us mercy instead, and forgiveness instead of condemnation, ought to awaken in us the most heartfelt and passionate gratitude and praise!
Jerry Bridges: Jesus did not die just to give us peace and a purpose in this life; He died to save us from the wrath of God! He died to reconcile us to a holy God who was alienated from us because of our sin. He died to ransom us from the penalty of sin—the punishment of everlasting destruction, shut out from the presence of the Lord. He died that we, the just objects of God's wrath, would become, by His grace, heirs of God and co-heirs with Him!
VIII. BELIEVERS AND GOD'S WRATH
Song of Songs 4:7 "You are altogether beautiful, My love; there is no flaw (spot, blemish, imperfection) in you."
Matthew 1:21 "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save HIS people from their sins."
Romans 5:9 "Since we have now been justified by His blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's WRATH through Him!"
Romans 8:1 "Therefore, there is now no CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus"
Galatians 3:13 "Christ redeemed us from the CURSE of the law by becoming a curse for us"
1 Thessalonians 1:10 "Jesus, who rescues us from the coming WRATH ."
1 Thessalonians 5:9 "For God did not appoint us to suffer WRATH but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Christ exhausted the cup of God's wrath. For all in Him, there is nothing more in the cup. It is empty!"
Thomas Brooks, He drank it up—every drop!
IX. Practical Implications of God's Wrath
1. Fear:
Hebrews 10:31 "It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!"
Luke 12:4-5 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: FEAR Him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into Hell. Yes, I tell you, FEAR Him!"
2. Praise:
Klassen: The attribute of God's wrath is worthy of our praise and adoration. It is an expression of His perfection, not an embarrassing slip of imperfection. As Grudem states, "Viewed alone, it would arouse only fear and dread. Yet it is helpful for us to ask what God would be like if He were a God that did not hate sin. He would then be a God who either delighted in sin or at least was not troubled by it. Such a God would not be worthy of worship, for sin is hateful and it is worthy of being hated."
3. Hate:
Psalm 97:10 "HATE evil, you who love the LORD, who preserves the souls of His godly ones"
Psalm 101:3 "I HATE doing evil; I will have no part of it."
Psalm 119:104 "I gain understanding from your precepts; therefore I HATE every wrong path."
Psalm 119:128 "From Your precepts I get understanding; therefore I HATE every false way."
Romans 12:9 "ABHOR what is evil; cling to what is good." The Greek word for "abhor" means "to have a vehement dislike for something, to hate strongly."
Revelation 2:6 "Yet this you do have, that you HATE the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also HATE."
What two sins does God seem to especially hate?
Proverbs 8:13 "To fear the LORD is to hate evil; I hate PRIDE and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech."
Proverbs 16:5 "The LORD detests all the PROUD of heart. Be sure of this: They will not go unpunished!"
Abraham acknowledged, "I am DUST and ASHES!" Genesis 18:27
Job said of himself, "Behold, I am VILE!" Job 40:4
David admitted, "I am a WORM!" Psalm 22:6
Isaiah confessed, "Woe is me! I am ruined!" Isaiah 6:5
Peter affirmed, "I am a SINFUL man, O Lord!" Luke 5:8
Paul clearly stated, "O What a WRETCHED man I am!"
"Though I am NOTHING." 2 Corinthians 12:11
George Everard: Wonderful was the grace that taught the once proud Pharisee thus to speak!
To be "the least of the apostles," was much to say. (1 Corinthians 15:9)
To be "less than the least of all God's people," was still more. (Ephesians 3:8)
To be "chief of sinners," was yet more. (1 Timothy 1:15)
But "to be nothing," this is the very height of humility!
4. Gratitude:
We are saved from God's wrath! We were once "children of wrath, even as the rest" (Ephesians 2:3), but are no longer because the due penalty for our sin was paid by Christ on the cross:
Romans 5:8-10 "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."
1 Thessalonians 1:10 "and to wait for His Son from Heaven, whom He raised from the dead, that is Jesus, who rescues us from the WRATH to come."
1 Thessalonians 5:9-10 "For God has not destined us for WRATH, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who DIED for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him."
Romans 8:1 "Therefore there is now no CONDEMNATION for those who are in Christ Jesus."
Stephen Charnock: "Not all the vials of judgment that have or shall be poured out upon the wicked world, nor the flaming furnace of a sinner's conscience, nor the irreversible sentence pronounced against the rebellious demons, nor the groans of the damned creatures—give such a demonstration of God's hatred of sin, as the wrath of God let loose upon His Son!
Never did divine holiness appear more beautiful and lovely than at the time our Savior's countenance was most marred in the midst of His dying groans—when God had turned His smiling face from Him, and thrust His sharp knife of justice into His heart, which forced that terrible cry from Him: My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me!"
5. Love:
Matthew 22:37-38 "'You shall LOVE the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment."
Ephesians 6:24 "Grace to all who LOVE our Lord Jesus Christ with an undying LOVE .
1 John 4:19 "We love HIM because He first loved US."
Revelation 2:4 "Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first LOVE."
R.C. Sproul: "Christ exposed Himself not only to the unbridled hostility of angry men, but, more significantly, to the unmitigated wrath of God. The most violent expression of God's wrath and justice is seen in the Cross. Jesus was the only innocent man ever to be punished by God. If we stagger at the wrath of God, let us stagger at the Cross. Here is where our astonishment should be focused."
If you desire additional reading, may we suggest the following:
Choice quotes on the wrath of God
James Smith's powerful 2 page article, "One Hour After Death!"
The biggest problem for those in Hell
The infernal dungeon of Hell! (John Bunyan)
1. O Christ, what burdens bowed Thy head!
Our load was laid on Thee;
Thou stoodest in the sinner's stead,
To bear all ill for me.
A victim led; Thy blood was shed;
Now there's no load for me.2. Death and the curse were in our cup,
O Christ, 'twas full for Thee!
But Thou hast drained the last dark drop—
'Tis empty now for me.
That bitter cup—love drank it up;
Left but the love for me!3. Jehovah lifted up His rod,
O Christ, it fell on Thee!
Thou wast sore stricken of Thy God;
There's not one stroke for me!
Your blood beneath that rod has flowed;
Thy bruising healeth me.4. The tempest's awful voice was heard,
O Christ, it broke on Thee!
Thy open bosom was my ward,
It bore the storm for me.
Thy form was scarred, Thy visage marred;
Now cloudless peace for me!5. For me, Lord Jesus, Thou hast died,
And I have died in Thee;
Thou'rt ris'n: my bands are all untied,
And now Thou liv'st in me.
The Father's face of radiant grace,
Shine now in light on me.6. Jehovah bade His sword awake,
O Christ, it woke 'gainst Thee!
Thy blood the flaming blade must slake;
Thy heart its sheath must be—
All for my sake, my peace to make;
Now sleeps that sword for me.Anne Cousin