Once again last Sunday, we were prompted to consider that as
believers we are called to allow gospel truth to shape our thinking about our
lives and circumstances. It was
another reminder to me how needful is this series of articles, in which we are discovering
what it means to be gospel-minded, slowly looking at the bullet points of the
gospel to see how each component can help us think rightly about the world around
us.
Having previously covered the truths that God is holy and
man is sinful, we are ready to move on to the next component of the gospel: God
is wrathful. This idea is not a
popular one in our world. People
prefer to think of God as the gentle candy man in the sky who makes no demands
and only wants to make us happy.
However, God’s holiness does make demands. And our sinfulness indicates
that without exception we all fail to meet those standards. The wrath of God flows naturally from
these first two truths of the gospel.
The principle of God’s wrath for sin is expressed in Romans
1:18: For the wrath of God is revealed
from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their
unrighteousness suppress the truth.
We like to rank sins in such a way that some sins are worse than other
sins. And while there is biblical
support for some sins being more grievous than others, when it comes to
ultimate consequences, all sin receives the wrath of God. The wrath of God is revealed against all ungodliness.
A complementary truth is found in Romans 3:10-12: As it is written: "None is righteous,
no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside;
together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." More succinct is Romans 3:23: All have sinned… Not a single person is free from the
guilt of sin. We all do it as
naturally as we exhale. And since
all ungodliness receives the wrath of God, all people find themselves in the
same predicament – they are objects of God’s wrath.
The wrath of God is described in the Bible the most
frightening of terms. God’s wrath
against sinners is manifested in a literal, physical hell. Hell is a place of utter darkness,
unquenchable fire, and perpetual torment (Matt 5:29-30; Jude 7, 12; Rev14:11). It is the just payment for
all sin and the rightful destination of all sinners (Rom 6:23).
So how might the doctrine of God’s wrath help us to think
rightly about our own lives? With
the benefit of a couple examples, hopefully we’ll be able to tailor a response
to our unique situations.
A man with a chronic illness is dejected about his constant
suffering. He is tempted toward
self-pity. He finds himself
questioning God, “why me?” The
doctrine of God’s wrath for sin could shape his thinking in following way: “What
I truly deserve is to suffer far worse than I could ever suffer in this life. I deserve the wrath of God for all
eternity, yet by God’s grace I’ve been spared that. I’m so thankful that the greatest suffering I’ll ever know
is in this temporary life. My
present suffering is achieving for me an eternal weight of glory far beyond
compare.” (2 Cor 4:16-18)
A woman laments injustice, as the man who victimized her
young son has not been held accountable.
She is tempted to question God and to find some way to bring about
justice on her own. God’s wrath in
the gospel could help to view this situation from an eternal perspective: “No sin will go unpunished. Though it seems there are lapses of
justice in this life, there are none in the next. I must leave this to the Lord, as He has said, ‘Vengeance is
mine; I will repay.’ No justice I
could bring could compare to the justice that He will bring on the last. I must also remember that I am a
sinner, deserving of justice, but saved by His grace alone.”
I challenge you to take your current circumstances or an
issue that is on your mind, and consider how the truth of God’s wrath for sin
might help you to view that issue from a gospel-centered perspective. No one will develop a gospel-centered
view of all things without intentionally making time to do this kind of
reflection.
May the Lord continue to use His truth to shape our minds
as we think on these things!
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