Wrath of God

The purpose of the Bible was for God to reveal His nature, particularly how He relates to mankind. The major theme of that relationship between man and God is the problem of sin. Sin creates a chasm, a great divide that, because of God's perfect, holy nature, separates man from God. Sin is the action and the stain created when man does anything abhorrent and contrary to God. An example would be when God told Adam and Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they did and it was a sin. Furthermore, God gave the ten commandments for the purpose of relating to humanity by His perfect moral imperatives.  

God designated His commandments as the scale with which to weigh the actions and hearts of man. When man fails to act in accordance with God's holy requirements, God's wrath is poured out on him. The wrath is a specific term that deals with the meting out of God's perfect justice. Wrath referes to God's righteous anger against the wicked for their iniquity. God's justice requires that for every iniquity, sin, and wickedness, wrath is stored up for the day of judgment (Rom. 2:5; 2 Pet. 3:7).

The wrath of God is the cup of judgment that is filled with every iniquity. For believers, Jesus drank their cup of wrath (Matt. 26:42; John 18:11; Psa. 75:8). For unbelievers, the cup of wrath still stands full, awaiting the day of final judgment. Oftentimes, God's wrath is diminished because of the fallacy that states that for God to be all-good, he must be all-loving. The Scriptural reality is that God loves His children.  

The Bible clearly distinguishes between children of God and children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). Jesus even determines that those who are not with Him (abiding in and by His teaching) are not children of God but are in fact children of Satan (John 8:44). God's love is furthered by His wrath. There is an urgency to falling prostrate in repentance before the Lord.

It is important to state clearly that God hates sin. He definitively and justly hates sin. Because of sin and the wicked that continue haughtily in their sin, God's wrath will be poured out and the wicked shall be smitten in righteous, furious judgment (Psa. 5:5-6; Psa. 11:5; Hos. 9:15). The urgency is clear; God's wrath is only abated when we give ourselves wholly to Jesus in repentance. Unless we give ourselves to God, judgment and wrath will be our fate (John 3:36).  

Once we clearly see that there are only two choices: wrath or mercy, it is clear that there is only one desirable choice. Jesus calls anyone, no matter how abased or desolate, to come to Him and find peace, love, and mercy. The choice is clear.