God's Wrath
Today we have become a people who see the world as being governed by impersonal forces of nature and physics. Our world has chosen a god of their own imagination, yet it is not a Holy God whose righteous anger must be propitiated.
People today don’t want a god they fear, they want a passive, hand-wringing god who cannot be angered by sin. The problem is that I wouldn’t characterize that as a loving god.
Theological Truth About God
If you are to really know God and love Him, then you must know Him. Paul describes the Creator’s response to sin using the word meaning “upsurging.” When used to describe wrath, it is a passionate expression of outrage against wrongdoing.
God’s wrath is nothing less than a reasonable expression of His righteous character and His unfailing love when confronted with evil.
3 REALITIES OF GOD'S WRATH
1. God’s wrath burns against ungodliness and unrighteousness (18-19)
God is love 1 John 4:8
This is why God will not stand by idly while evil consumes His creation; He burns against ungodliness and unrighteousness.
The standards of conduct, or the law, were given to Moses. These rules for living are an expression of God’s character. His nature as the Supreme Power of the universe defines what is good.
Humans slowly drifted into a lifestyle of irreverence, and it has led us to where we are today: contempt of God Himself.
Ungodliness is not only a violation of certain rules of conduct, but also an utter rejection of God Himself, His deity, His authority, and His very nature.
Paul explains that the reason for this unbridled rebellion against God and His law is because people suppress their innate knowledge of the Creator.
2. God’s wrath burns against those who suppress the truth about Him (v. 20-21)
God has surrounded us with His handiwork. Look into space with a telescope and you can see His size and power. Peer through a microscope and you can see the comprehensiveness of His intellect.
Mankind has suppressed this truth with tragic results.
How do you suppress the truth of God? Do you twist His words to fit your actions?
3. God’s wrath burns against those who twist creation into something wicked (22-23)
This foolish futility doesn’t merely distract us from seeking God, it leads us to twist creation into something it’s not.
The Spiral of Wickedness
The creature is worshipped instead of the Creator. The one that won’t last instead of the Eternal One.
It’s been the habit of mankind to trade the One True God for one of their own making. We look to our paychecks for provision rather than the One who gave us the health to work and the job in the first place.
Our fallen nature prefers a creator who does not hold us accountable for wrongdoing and passively waits for us to reinitiate our relationship with him when we’ve grown tired of our sin.
What is my worldview?
Many in our culture prefer to form their beliefs only after objectively analyzing data, and performing unbiased evaluations and theories. However, a worldview involves a decision, a choice, based upon a presupposition to see the world a certain way. Every person’s worldview is an objective choice rather than a presupposition.
If belief or unbelief begins with a choice, it would logically follow that accepting the reality of God is a moral choice rather than an intellectual conclusion.
How have you chosen to view the universe? Are you willing to put your decision to a real test? Your beliefs may be correct, or they may not. Are you wiling to set them aside?
When you see God for who He really is, you can’t do anything else than love Him and give your life in serving Him.
People today don’t want a god they fear, they want a passive, hand-wringing god who cannot be angered by sin. The problem is that I wouldn’t characterize that as a loving god.
Theological Truth About God
- A God of love must hate anything that harms those that He loves.
- A God of love must take action to protect the innocent.
- A God of love must be serious when declaring certain behavior wrong.
- A God of love must have the capacity for anger.
If you are to really know God and love Him, then you must know Him. Paul describes the Creator’s response to sin using the word meaning “upsurging.” When used to describe wrath, it is a passionate expression of outrage against wrongdoing.
God’s wrath is nothing less than a reasonable expression of His righteous character and His unfailing love when confronted with evil.
3 REALITIES OF GOD'S WRATH
1. God’s wrath burns against ungodliness and unrighteousness (18-19)
God is love 1 John 4:8
This is why God will not stand by idly while evil consumes His creation; He burns against ungodliness and unrighteousness.
The standards of conduct, or the law, were given to Moses. These rules for living are an expression of God’s character. His nature as the Supreme Power of the universe defines what is good.
Humans slowly drifted into a lifestyle of irreverence, and it has led us to where we are today: contempt of God Himself.
Ungodliness is not only a violation of certain rules of conduct, but also an utter rejection of God Himself, His deity, His authority, and His very nature.
Paul explains that the reason for this unbridled rebellion against God and His law is because people suppress their innate knowledge of the Creator.
2. God’s wrath burns against those who suppress the truth about Him (v. 20-21)
God has surrounded us with His handiwork. Look into space with a telescope and you can see His size and power. Peer through a microscope and you can see the comprehensiveness of His intellect.
Mankind has suppressed this truth with tragic results.
How do you suppress the truth of God? Do you twist His words to fit your actions?
3. God’s wrath burns against those who twist creation into something wicked (22-23)
This foolish futility doesn’t merely distract us from seeking God, it leads us to twist creation into something it’s not.
The Spiral of Wickedness
- Willful ignorance of God (21) leads to clever imitation of God (21-22) and ends with wholesale replacement of God (23-25).
The creature is worshipped instead of the Creator. The one that won’t last instead of the Eternal One.
It’s been the habit of mankind to trade the One True God for one of their own making. We look to our paychecks for provision rather than the One who gave us the health to work and the job in the first place.
Our fallen nature prefers a creator who does not hold us accountable for wrongdoing and passively waits for us to reinitiate our relationship with him when we’ve grown tired of our sin.
What is my worldview?
Many in our culture prefer to form their beliefs only after objectively analyzing data, and performing unbiased evaluations and theories. However, a worldview involves a decision, a choice, based upon a presupposition to see the world a certain way. Every person’s worldview is an objective choice rather than a presupposition.
If belief or unbelief begins with a choice, it would logically follow that accepting the reality of God is a moral choice rather than an intellectual conclusion.
How have you chosen to view the universe? Are you willing to put your decision to a real test? Your beliefs may be correct, or they may not. Are you wiling to set them aside?
When you see God for who He really is, you can’t do anything else than love Him and give your life in serving Him.
Pastor Chris Williams
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these biweekly encouragements in your inbox.
To learn more about Pastor Chris and his teaching, visit us on the web at fcfamily.org and make sure you subscribe to receive these biweekly encouragements in your inbox.
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