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WHAT
PRESBYTERIANS BELIEVE
ABOUT THE WRATH OF GOD |
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What
is wrath?
In
human terms, wrath is a forceful, often vindictive anger.
It is often expressed through punishment or vengeance as a
manifestation of that anger. Wrath is brought to
bear upon one who commits an offense until the offender
has met the punishment and has been made to pay for the
offense.
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What
is the wrath of God?
The
“wrath of God” is a phrase which denotes our
understanding of God’s activity against sin. It
expresses an important attribute of God—that God is holy
and good and rejects everything which is not. The
apostle Paul claims that God’s wrath is a divine
reaction to human sin.
“The
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their
wickedness suppress the truth.” (Romans
1:18)
“But
by 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.” (Romans
2:5)
The
divine wrath to which Paul refers is a means of
underscoring how seriously God takes sin. We believe
that the divine reaction to human sin expresses two
distinct, yet inseparable aspects of God’s
being—God’s righteousness and love. |
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How
is the wrath of God an expression of divine righteousness?
The
wrath of God (as presented in Scripture) cannot properly
be understood apart from the righteousness of God.
According to the prophet Isaiah, “the Lord
of hosts is exalted by justice, and the Holy God shows
Himself holy by righteousness” (Isaiah 5:16).
Presbyterians believe that God does not simply ignore
sin—God is not indifferent to it. The wrath of God
is an expression of God’s righteousness in that God
refuses to let us get by with the unjust actions which we
inflict upon others (and ourselves). God’s wrath
is a righteous wrath. If any judgment of our sins is
just, it is God’s. God’s wrath is turned against
our sinfulness in order to call us back to righteousness
for our own good and for the good of God’s creation.
The wrath of God means that God judges and disciplines us
in order to help us, and to put an end to the
self-destructive path which we have chosen, and to set us
on the right path again. |
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How
is the wrath of God an expression of divine love?
Just
as the wrath of God cannot properly be understood apart
from righteousness, so also the wrath of God cannot be
understood apart from the love and mercy of God.
According to the Old Testament, “the Lord
is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in
steadfast love” (Psalms 103:8). And, in the New
Testament, we specifically find that “God is love” (1
John 4:16).
We believe that the wrath of God is an expression of
God’s love because it means that God cares about us.
God cares enough to refuse to let us get by with our sin.
God’s wrath is a loving wrath. When we refuse to
love God and our neighbors as ourselves, we not only sin
against God, but we also deny our own humanity and hurt
ourselves. God’s wrath is turned against our
sinfulness in order that we may be reconciled to God and
to each other. |
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How
do we experience the wrath of God?
As
men and women resist God’s righteousness and love, they
experience that righteousness and love as wrath and
condemnation. The wrath of God is not the vindictive
indignation of an angry God Who must be appeased. It
is not an animosity on God’s part. It is not an
experience of God’s anger. Rather, the wrath of
God is what one experiences as the effect of rejecting
God’s offer of love and righteousness.
Presbyterians believe that the ultimate expression of
God’s love and righteousness is Jesus Christ.
“The
righteousness of God has been disclosed . . . through
faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” (Romans
3:21-22)
“But
God proves His love for us in that while we still were
sinners Christ died for us.” (Romans
5:8)
Accordingly,
through Jesus Christ, we are saved by God’s
righteousness and love. Through Christ, “we are
saved . . . from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:9). |
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"What We Believe." |
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