The Wrath Of God

There is a saying among Scottish people about someone who loses his temper: "He lost his heid!" God never "loses his heid" even when people say horrible things about him or do the very opposite of what God wants them to do. But God does have a strong and settled opposition to all that is evil (including our sin) — that is the wrath of God.

We remember that God is our Creator. He is also our Judge. Because God is perfectly holy his judgments are perfectly fair. This means that when men and women give up God and go away from him, he gives them up. The Letter to Romans tells us that when that happens the result is even more sinfulness, unhappiness and ugliness. God's judgment is a fearful thing when people choose to go away from him, and each person receives precisely what he/she deserves. God is always fair.

But God is also the God of grace. He does not wish that anyone should perish under his judgment. He has sent his Son Jesus Christ to be the great Saviour of all who as for his forgiveness from sin. For all who do this Jesus stood in their place to take the wrath of God so that they can be forgiven free from the judgment and the wrath of God. They will come to know the love and tender care of God for his family.

Prayer

Almighty God, help me to grasp the reality of your angry displeasure at all that is sinful, and help me to stay close to Christ for ever. Amen