R.C. Sproul warned that the greatest problem people have with God is not ignorance but distortion, imagining a god of love without holiness, justice, or wrath – creating a god of their imagination. God’s wrath is not like human anger. His wrath is a holy and just opposition to sin that is consistent with the perfection of His character. Scripture shows that loving and fearing God aren’t contradictions. Rather, they work together for our good (Deuteronomy 10:12-13). True fear of the Lord means recognizing His holiness, justice, and authority. Rightly understood, God’s wrath is righteous, reserved, and redemptive.

RIGHTEOUS

Romans 1:18-21 declares that God’s wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and unrighteousness. His attributes and power are seen, leaving us without excuse. And yet despite this, mankind repeatedly makes the foolish mistake of refusing to honor Him. Genesis 6 shows how widespread corruption and violence led to the flooding of the earth, but Noah was spared because he was righteous. In the end, God will again judge the world, but this time He will do so by fire. As John Stott put it, God’s wrath is His righteous reaction to evil, His refusal to condone it, and His judgment upon it.

RESERVED FOR THE UNGODLY

God’s wrath isn’t impulsive; it’s deliberate and just. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 18–19) is a perfect illustration of this, as God’s patience and justice are on full display. Because of Abraham's intercession, God rescued Lot and his family before judgment and destruction fell upon the wicked. 2 Peter 2:6-9 reminds us that this event stands as a warning for the ungodly, but also an assurance that God rescues the godly from judgment.

REDEMPTIVE

The wrath of God isn’t just meant to warn us, but also to bring us to repentance. Ephesians 5:5-6, along with several other verses, reminds us clearly that the disobedient will face God’s wrath. Yet there is hope. 1 Thessalonians 1:10 and John 3:36 both point to Jesus, the one who will rescue us from the wrath to come and through whom we have eternal life. Real faith produces obedience, meaning that to continue in sin while claiming to follow Jesus is to deceive ourselves (Matthew 7:21-23).

The reality of God’s wrath sobers us, draws us to His kindness, and leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4). God’s wrath is righteous, reserved for the ungodly, and redemptive for those who turn in faith to Christ. May we proclaim this truth without shame just as Paul urged Timothy to do (1 Timothy 4:1-2).

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LAST WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” (John 3:36)