The Wrath of God

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Wrestling with the concept of God's wrath can sometimes be a daunting task. However, Dr. Tkach offers another interpretation of sometimes troubling passages.

Program Transcript

Have you ever heard the
phrase: The Wrath of God? It’s the kind of saying that sends shivers down your
spine and conjures up imagery from Dante’s Inferno.
But when you really think about it, what does “the wrath of God” actually mean?
How can God be fully love and also pour out wrath? It’s a question that has
baffled many scholars for thousands of years.

I want to tell you a story…

More than 20 years ago, my
family and I joined another family for a camping trip to the Arizona desert.
And as you know, out there you need to remember to check your shoes for
scorpions. You usually come up with nothing, but it’s good to be safe. However,
one morning, when my friend’s son picked up his shoe to put it on, we all saw a
scorpion crawling up onto the little boy’s hand. The father jumped up and
slapped the scorpion into the dirt before it could strike – saving the boy’s
life. But the child started crying. Why?

Because from his perspective,
his father had run over and slapped his hand – not the scorpion. He
thought his dad was mad at him. But nothing could be further from the truth. My
friend had acted out of a deep emotion of love. Like every father, he wanted to
protect his child from harm. And you know what? I think we can see God’s wrath
in the same way.

In the Bible, the Apostle John
tells us that God is love. “God is
love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16b). Since the essence of God’s being is love,
it’s inherently contradictory to view his divine anger as an equal and separate
attribute. And there is no place in Scripture that speaks in the same way, declaring
that God is wrath. Rather, God’s anger is an aspect of his love. His anger
arises when the object of his love is being harmed in some way. In fact, if God were not opposed to what is
destructive to us and our relationship with him, God would not really be
loving. The vehemence of his wrath is proportional to the strength of his love.

So the next time you’re
reading your Bible and you come across a passage about God’s wrath, remember to
keep things in perspective – His perspective.

I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of
LIFE.

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Program Transcript

Have you ever heard the
phrase: The Wrath of God? It’s the kind of saying that sends shivers down your
spine and conjures up imagery from Dante’s Inferno.
But when you really think about it, what does “the wrath of God” actually mean?
How can God be fully love and also pour out wrath? It’s a question that has
baffled many scholars for thousands of years.

I want to tell you a story…

More than 20 years ago, my
family and I joined another family for a camping trip to the Arizona desert.
And as you know, out there you need to remember to check your shoes for
scorpions. You usually come up with nothing, but it’s good to be safe. However,
one morning, when my friend’s son picked up his shoe to put it on, we all saw a
scorpion crawling up onto the little boy’s hand. The father jumped up and
slapped the scorpion into the dirt before it could strike – saving the boy’s
life. But the child started crying. Why?

Because from his perspective,
his father had run over and slapped his hand – not the scorpion. He
thought his dad was mad at him. But nothing could be further from the truth. My
friend had acted out of a deep emotion of love. Like every father, he wanted to
protect his child from harm. And you know what? I think we can see God’s wrath
in the same way.

In the Bible, the Apostle John
tells us that God is love. “God is
love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16b). Since the essence of God’s being is love,
it’s inherently contradictory to view his divine anger as an equal and separate
attribute. And there is no place in Scripture that speaks in the same way, declaring
that God is wrath. Rather, God’s anger is an aspect of his love. His anger
arises when the object of his love is being harmed in some way. In fact, if God were not opposed to what is
destructive to us and our relationship with him, God would not really be
loving. The vehemence of his wrath is proportional to the strength of his love.

So the next time you’re
reading your Bible and you come across a passage about God’s wrath, remember to
keep things in perspective – His perspective.

I’m Joseph Tkach, Speaking of
LIFE.

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