I need the wrath of God

Several people that I know promote peace, which is good, but theirs is a form of peace that will compromise what the Bible says in the name of unity, rather than stand firm on God’s Word and offend someone. This position distorts what Scripture says about God, even to putting an odd spin on the parts that do not agree with their concept of Him.

For instance, they have decided that wrath does not belong to God, that this a purely human and sinful trait. For them, God is never angry, nor should we be angry. Instead, He is meek, mild and passive, and we need to be like that too.

There is some truth in that. Our anger often has selfish and sinful motivations. We could do with a lot more meekness at times. However, some things should raise our hackles, and it is possible to be angry without sinning.

Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no opportunity to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26–27)

As I understand Scripture, the wrath of God is without sin. He is holy, pure, and so far above us in character and nature that we cannot imagine or understand His purity. At the same time, He hates sin. What kind of a god would He be if He didn’t?

Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. The scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of uprightness; you have loved righteousness and hated wickedness. (Psalm 45:6)

How could there be goodness in God if He was not angry at sin? Spurgeon even asks how could there be goodness in a person who was never angry at sin, who didn’t love truth and hate every false way? We are not to express this passion in sinful ways. Nevertheless, holy people should hate sin.

Those who think God is without wrath point to Jesus Christ as their image of God (which He is) but forget how Jesus hated sin when He was tempted. He hated it in others even though He showed this anger more often in tears of pity and sorrow than in words of rebuke.

However, consider the emotions behind these words: “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees . . . ” which were repeated several times before a long list of condemnations that included, “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which outwardly appear beautiful, but within are full of dead people’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matthew 23:27).

Jesus hated wickedness so much that He bled to wound it to the core. He died that it might die, was buried that He might bury it and rose again that He might forever trample it beneath his feet.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is opposed to wickedness in every shape and form. When Jesus found it in the temple, He made a scourge of small cords and overturned it out of the temple. This was not the action of a pacifist.

He will not tolerate wickedness in my heart either. I have known His sorrow over sin, even His anger. I understand His abhorrence and wrath. As much as He loves me, so much also is His hatred of sin and His anger against all forms of wickedness.

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Lord, You are angry with the evil that tries to control and destroy Your people. It gave You such grief and emotion that You came to earth and laid down You life to conquer it. May those who try to write that out of Your character realize that by doing that and trying to imitate that, they are leaving themselves without the emotion needed to work with You in our battle against sin. Help me hate sin in myself as much as You hate it. May that anger against sin produce in me a passion that is willing to do whatever it takes to banish all sin from my heart.