I will tell you something boring about myself. I am quite the comtemplative type. What this means in a nutshell is I spend alot of time thinking to myself. Some people are more verbal. I think that is good. I just happen to think about what I believe more than voicing what I believe. I think about deep issues of faith and when I get a chance, transfer those thoughts to written medium like this blog. If you could peer into my brain, a lot of the time my comtemplation would involve trying to reconcile what seems like contradictory beliefs. If you eavesdropped on my cerebral activity over the last year or so, you would have discovered that it would have centered around this issue of reconciling God's love and wrath.
Of course it is easy just to say that the Bible teaches both and leave it at that. Or I could just ignore that the Bible teaches one and embrace the other. But that leaves me a bit dissatisfied, not to mention being dishonest with myself. I want to understand how they can both be true. How does God showing wrath not take away from him being loving?
Here's how I think that God of the Bible is viewed by the average non-religious person: some type of being who is in charge and demands everyone to obey his every whim. Those who tow the line, he doesn't bother. Those who don't agree with his unquestioned authority are in big trouble. "I'm in charge so do what I say or else!" He is viewed in much the same way as an earthly dictator; someone who craves control and cares not for the well-being of his subjects.
The Bible presents a much different story. God is a loving Creator who made man in his image for the purpose of having a loving relationship. God makes a covenant with His creatures, pledging His unending faithfulness and goodness toward them. The Scriptures are replete with references and exclamations of His gracious nature. Terms like "tender mercies" and "loving kindness" are attributed to him. Others like "His mercy endures forever" and "great is your faithfulness" are sung with a heartfelt conviction in the psalms and praises of the Bible. Over and over again the story is the same: "Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise."
Then why all the references to God's anger and wrath? I start with the question, How does a loving person respond to someone who is unloving? Would a loving person be happy with someone who brings cruelty and misery? Love gets complicated when evil is involved because evil is the antithesis of love. So how does God respond to it? God is so pure in His love that He is terribly angered by evil. Yet because of His love, His reaches out to reconcile and forgive evil: "But with You there is forgiveness" (Psalm 130:4). Throughout His story, He has made a way for man to return to Him and find forgiveness and escape from the consequences of his evil. Those who enter His covenant of love through faith, receive the benefits of His grace.
The picture that is presented of the relationship between God and the one who finally receives His wrath is the one is which the person willingly persists in unbelief and unrepentance while God patiently, in love, holds out the offer of life and warns of the consequences of sin. One of the praises sung of God in the Bible is that of his longsuffering. He is "compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness" (Exodus 34:6). Man's continual rejection of God's grace and kindness is said to try his patience and provoke his anger. Yet he continues His goodness:
"All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people" (Romans 10:21)
"But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked." (Luke 6:35)
Yet, the continual rejection of God's salvation throughout one's life is said to chip away at God's patience and all the sin (e.g. unloving-ness) that could have been forgiven is being stored up for judgment:
"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." (Romans 2:5)
Love continues and continues until justice cries out and righteous wrath against evil is unleashed. God is not cruel or mean. His love must eventually address that which brings destruction.
Oh Lord, we thank you for your patient and steadfast love which you have shown to all us. In your persistance, you have won our heart. Thank you for your unlimited forebearance upon all who believe. We celebrate your forgiveness and grace. In Jesus' name, Amen!
