Seeing God’s Love Through His Wrath
God's wrath is God's love in action against sin
The following was taken from a sermon I delivered April 20, 2023 at Beautiful Feet Ministries in Ft. Worth, Texas.
When was the last time you heard a sermon on God's wrath and judgment?
We don't hear much about God's wrath today. We hear a lot about God's love and mercy.
God’s Wrath Defined: God's anger toward sin. God is Holy and good - "wrath is God's reaction to moral evil." (J.I. Packer). God must judge sin or He would not be just and good.
Orge (ὀργή) – G3709 (Strong's Concordance)
Definition: Impulse, anger, indignation, vengeance, wrath.
It refers to a settled, intense anger, not a quick temper. In the context of God’s wrath, it speaks of His holy and just response to sin and unrighteousness.
Chemah (חֵמָה) – Strong’s H2534 (Strong's Concordance)
Definition: Heat, rage, hot displeasure, indignation, wrath, anger.
It conveys the idea of burning anger, often associated with God’s fierce judgment.
"God's wrath is God's love in action against sin!"
- Joseph Schumann
We are going to turn some pages of scripture…
Romans 1:18-35
“For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.
Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen."
For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error.
And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them (encouraged sin and evil).”
This is me and you apart from Christ!
Before we point our fingers at someone else in judgment… Continue in Romans 2.
Romans 2: 1-11
“Therefore you have no excuse, O man, every one of you who judges. For in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, practice the very same things. We know that the judgment of God rightly falls on those who practice such things. Do you suppose, O man—you who judge those who practice such things and yet do them yourself—that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you presume on the riches of his kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that God's kindness is meant to lead you to repentance? But because of your hard and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath when God's righteous judgment will be revealed…. For God shows no partiality.”
Why? "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God…" (Romans 3:23)
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
"Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
John 3:36
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him."
What did we discover about God in these passages?
Wrath is God's love in action against sin. Faith in Christ Jesus is the only way to obtain salvation from His wrath.
What did we discover about people in these passages?
All deserve God's wrath and we need God's mercy.
When was the last time you felt the heavy conviction of God's Word upon your conscience?
We don't hear much about God's wrath today. We hear a lot about God's love and mercy.
Many Christians (and Pastors) believe something like, "My God would never judge, be wrathful, hate sin, punish unrighteousness, or send the unrepentant to hell." After all, if we told people about God's wrath and judgment against sin, people may not come to church.
When we preach "feel-good Christianity" or "Jesus gets us" or "God wants me to live my best life now," we are not preaching the TRUTH of God's Word. We are actually twisting Scripture to please and appease man.
By telling the lost, "Jesus is your friend," we are offending a Holy God. Yes, the Bible says that we can become a "friend of Jesus" (John 15:15). It even goes on to say we are "heirs of Christ's Kingdom" (Romans 8:16-17, John 1:12) but only through Christ's payment on the cross!
We often fail to share the full story of the Gospel... As a result, people fail to grasp the 'Big Picture' of God's Word. The 'Big Picture' is the overarching Story of Redemption with Jesus Christ's death and resurrection as the centerpoint - from first Creation (Genesis 1) to the New Creation (Revelation 21-22). We must recover the Gospel of the Kingdom.
In recovering The Story of the full-orbed Gospel, must include God's wrath and judgment. Both are fully part of His love and mercy. You can't have one without the other.
Without wrath and judgment against sin, God's love and mercy are meaningless and our faith is empty and we're dead in our sins. Frankly, God would not be 'loving' if He wasn't wrathful against sin.
We must learn to love God's wrath and judgment because it drives us to His love and mercy through repentance and faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ!
The result of God's wrath is eternal condemnation and separation from God (Hell).
The Good News is Jesus Christ took God's wrath upon Himself on the cross on our behalf… and died for our sins. So, that we could be made righteous in the eyes of God.
Upon His resurrection from the dead, Jesus conquered sin and death.
So, we have a choice. Repent and believe the Gospel or remain rebels who store up God's wrath.
Reflection and Meditation on God's Word:
"And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire." - Revelation 20:15
"But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." - Romans 5:8-9
"Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." - Romans 5:1
"Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him." - John 3:36
"There is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, He has set you free from the power of sin that leads to death." - Romans 8:1-2
"God's wrath is God's love in action against sin!" (Joseph Schumann)
How will you commit to obey God's word today?
Pray:
Thank you for your Word.
God's glory will be revealed where we live and in our spheres of influence.
God's Kingdom will be ushered in with power in our world.
God's Kingdom will advance in the place where we live.
God's will and Word will be obeyed where we live.
Whoever places their trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins has eternal life. Maybe you believe this for the first time? Then, today is the day of your salvation!
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