Open almost any church website and you will see it. God is love. The love of God. The love of Christ.
And that is true. But it is not the whole truth.
The same Bible that tells us God is love also tells us about God's wrath. The same God who loves also angers. The same Father who embraces His children also judges them.
The Reality of Wrath
The word "wrath" appears over 200 times in the Bible. In both Old and New Testaments. In the Gospels. In the letters of Paul.
This is not a minor theme. This is a major theme. The wrath of God is mentioned almost as often as the love of God.
Paul writes in Romans:
"The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness."
Romans 1:18The wrath of God is being revealed. Right now. Against all the godlessness and wickedness of people.
This is not a future thing. This is a present thing. God is wrathful. Right now.
The Cross and Wrath
Here is something we do not think about enough. The cross was not just about love. The cross was about wrath.
Jesus did not just die for our sins. He died to turn aside the wrath of God. He died as a substitute. He took the judgment we deserved.
"He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"
Romans 8:32God gave up His Son. Why? Because of love. But also because of wrath. The Son absorbed the wrath so we would not have to.
If there were no wrath, there would be no need for the cross. The very existence of the cross proves the reality of wrath.
The Flood
In the Old Testament, God's wrath is on full display. The flood. God looked at the earth and saw violence and corruption. And He decided to wipe it all out.
"The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the Lord said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created.'"
Genesis 6:5-7God wiped out the entire human race. Every person. All the animals. The whole created order. Because of His wrath.
This is not a metaphor. This is history. And this is who God is.
The Warning
Paul warns about this in the New Testament:
"Because of these, the wrath of God is coming."
Colossians 3:6The wrath of God is coming. Not maybe. Not possibly. Coming. It is on its way.
And this is why the Gospel matters. Not just because of love. Because of wrath. Because there is coming a day when God will pour out His anger on ungodliness and unrighteousness.
Try This Today
We cannot have one without the other. If God is only love, then the cross makes no sense. If there is no wrath, then there is no need for a savior. The cross is where love and wrath meet. It is where God loved us enough to absorb His own wrath against us.
What This Means
Here is what this means for you. God is not a gentle grandfather in the sky who tolerates whatever you do. He is a holy God who will judge. Who will punish. Who will pour out wrath.
But the good news is this. In Christ, that wrath has already been poured out. On the cross. So that we would not have to experience it.
The choice is simple. Receive the wrath now, or receive the gift now. That is the Gospel.
"For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ."
1 Thessalonians 5:9God did not appoint us to suffer wrath. But that is only because of what Christ did. Without Christ, the wrath is still coming.
With Christ, we are saved from wrath. That is the good news.
Father, thank You for loving me enough to pour out Your wrath on Your Son instead of on me. Help me to understand the full picture of who You are, both Your love and Your justice. Thank You that I do not have to face Your wrath because of what Christ did on the cross. Teach me to live in gratitude for this gift. In Jesus Name, Amen.
With honesty and hope,
Claire