More than I imagined...

When I consider God’s wrath, there are a few passages that immediately spring to mind. I think of Lot’s wife looking back on Sodom before being turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26). I recollect the 42 youths that were mauled by bears after a group of boys jeered and threatened the prophet Elisha (2 Kings 2:23-24). My thoughts drift to the story of Ananias and Sapphira who dropped dead at the apostles’ feet after deceitfully misrepresenting their charity offering (Acts 5:1-11). I typically picture God’s wrath or anger against sin to be sudden, swift, obvious, and deadly. However, it is not as I’ve always imagined.

In Romans 1, Paul describes a different type of wrath (1:18-19). A wrath that is dangerous for sure, yet a type that is subtle and often difficult to recognize. As the apostle addresses the church in Rome, he describes how we are all without excuse because of God’s general revelation. Nature displays the Lord’s divine attributes in a way that is clearly perceived by everyone (1:20). As Paul goes on to explain, the problem is that mankind has become so foolish as to chase after created things, instead of the Creator. We want what God can give us more than we desire Him – His presents more than His presence. We have exchanged truth for a lie, and our hearts have been darkened (1:21-25). Now what is interesting is that God’s wrath is not revealed in this text through people being struck dead with lightening bolts. His wrath is not shown by way of immediate punishment, but is rather a turning over of one to pursue his own lusts.

Consider verse 24, “God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity...” Verse 26 says, “God gave them up to dishonorable passions...” Verse 28 – “(He) gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not be done...” While there is definitely an emphasis placed on sexual immorality (Romans 1:26-27), Romans 1:28-32 makes it clear that Paul is not only referencing sexual sins. There is an entire smorgasbord of evils that man will undertake when left alone. Now isn’t that intriguing? God doesn’t drop a grand piano or a giant anvil from the sky. He doesn’t send a rain cloud to hover over an ungodly individual (Sorry, I watched lots of cartoons as a child!). Life is not suddenly taken away. Instead, we are released to chase after the wind.

In this letter we see God’s anger against sin revealed much differently than one might expect. Paul says that His wrath often releases us to pursue our own evil desires. In this context, God’s wrath may actually involve receiving a raise, accumulating more, achieving a better social status. It may not include persecution at all. In fact, it may allow an individual to avoid discomfort completely. In this description of God’s anger toward sin, we are given opportunity to attempt to fill our souls with possessions, relationships, substances, experiences and the like, all in hopes of satisfying our deepest longing… And of course, the world brutally falls short in this endeavor. But here’s the good news: in the same way we often fail to recognize God’s wrath, we can also miss His grace. For it is often in such dark places that the light of the Gospel is finally seen.

Solomon describes his unique experience in the book of Ecclesiastes. After trying an excess of everything under the sun, the wise king reflects back on his fleeting life and determines that one must go beyond it. For “(God) has put eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11).” This world can’t do the trick. It fails to satisfy. It always has and always will. While there is certainly much offered here to be enjoyed, at best, such pleasure will only last a season. There is a deeper itch inside our souls that we can’t scratch – a deeper thirst that can only be quenched by the living waters of Jesus (John 4:13-15). Mathematician, physicist, and apologist Blaise Pascal described it this way: “There is a God shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created thing, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus.”

We must be aware of God’s present wrath as it's revealed and cling to the sweetness of His grace so that we do not lose heart. Sometimes our misunderstanding of such topics leads us to question His favor. So much of the world seems to be outright antagonistically against God and for anything but His ways, meanwhile the Lord appears quiet and far-removed. Indeed He’s not. Social and legislative decisions that defy and defame the God of Scripture are not examples of His permission but are evidence of His turning over to pursue “what ought not be done.”

Sometimes we observe a friend or loved one that is far from the Lord. Lost in vain wanderings and chasing the world’s empty promises, we fear they are too far from the reaches of grace. May we remember the stretch of our Savior. For while the future wrath and judgement that awaits those outside of Christ will come with finality, Jesus daily saves us from this present wrath. Many of our testimonies speak of how the Lord intervened in that desperate hour. Our stories describe how we hit rock bottom, only to finally look up for the first time and see our heavenly Father beckoning us to come home (Acts 17:27). May we never forget that we were all dead in in our trespasses and worthy of an eternity separated from our Maker. We were all without excuse. We have all exchanged His eternal glory for trivial trinkets that fade away. None of us were worthy of God and none of us were looking for Him (Romans 3:10-12), oh, but for His grace!! He stepped in at just the right time. His Spirit enlightened our hearts and drew us unto Himself. He brought sight to the blind eyes of our soul. He gave life to that which was dead. May we be reminded that He saves and restores, and that through the cross of Christ there is hope, both now and forever!!

Like most people, I’d like to comprehend all that the Lord is up to. I confess that I often try to figure out the day-to-day specifics of His plan. However, there is a grace-driven gratitude in my heart for the mystery of the Gospel that is far greater (Ephesians 6:19). I came across this quote by D.A. Carson this morning and felt like sharing it here: “There are some things you will not understand, for you are not God." Might we not wrestle those concepts beyond our grasp, but find encouragement and rest in knowing the One in control. Finally, I pray we will walk, talk, and proclaim the hope of Christ in every facet of our lives so that others might also be engaged with this Good News. May God’s grace and goodness be found as sweeter, more precious, farther reaching, and simply better than anything we could've ever imagined.

matt@nbchurch.info     Twitter: @FattMowler     Facebook: TheFattMowler