“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 1:18
–
There are many things in the Bible that are difficult to understand and accept, not least among them being the teaching on “the wrath of God.” The Bible’s teaching on this doctrine is so foreign to us modern Christians that our impulse might be to spit it out when it’s fed to us. Yet, despite the bitter taste it leaves in our mouths, we must eat.
We can rest assured, though, that the Bible does not teach us this frightening doctrine without reason—or outside the full picture of good news. It’s clear throughout the unfolding narrative of Scripture that God exercises His wrath on sinners because He hates sin. However, our focus this week won’t be on a section of a narrative that displays God’s wrath, but on a section of a letter that explains God’s wrath: Romans 1:18-2:11. Our focus today will be on the first verse.
Paul writes, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (ESV). How do you understand the phrase “the wrath of God” in this verse? Do you picture a large and scary man raging against the slightest insults hurled at him? Perhaps you picture an angry child throwing a tantrum for not getting the toy they wanted.
Whatever image comes to mind, you likely need to dispel it, for the wrath of God is nothing like the wrath of men. God is holy through and through, and we are not (Isaiah 6:1-5). Hence, God’s wrath is not like that of a wild man or an unruly child, but righteous in character. His wrath is a direct assault on the sin that hinders us from loving Him with all our being and from loving our neighbors as ourselves (Matthew 22:34-40). Paul alludes to this by telling us that God’s wrath is being revealed against the “ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.” The term “ungodliness” refers to a complete lack of reverence for the living and true God, and “unrighteousness” refers to all the ways we live in opposition to God’s commands.
This passage makes it clear that we must take our sin seriously because God takes our sin seriously. It’s worth looking around and seeing how much pain and suffering we humans have caused each other. We cannot fully love and say this does not matter. Yet, God Himself provides redemption for all humanity through Jesus Christ, His Son. If we have faith in Jesus, we are united with Him, and the Holy Spirit applies gospel-righteousness into our lives.
Let’s be encouraged by knowing that God has given us the means to live godly and righteous lives before Him through Jesus Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Questions for reflection and discussion:
- What do you feel when you hear the term “wrath of God”?
- In what ways do humans harm each other?
- In what ways do you feel wrath in response to these things, and in what ways is this (for you) a loving response versus an unloving response?
Church Reading Plan: Job 19; 1 Corinthians 6