Wrath is more of a theological term than an emotion. Not that wrath doesn’t have an emotional connotation—it does—but it also carries a sense of a king’s or a “god’s” appropriate position to deal with and mete out justice that allows a land to prosper and be at peace. At first glance, it is similar to a divine attribute, but not like love or joy, which flow from God’s person. Wrath is more like a tool, and anger is the common emotion we attach to it.
To assume hastily that anger catalyzes wrath is to forget that God is always in love with people and seldom angry with them. In other words, God’s attributes of love and goodness are stronger drivers than anger ever is. What if there was a Being so perfect, that he could choose to be angry only when his anger would increase things like peace and joy? You could call this God’s big-picture perspective. It is similar to the story of evil entering the world in Eden: creation was a stupendously good act of God that powerfully displayed a simple truth: that a good act is always more powerful than an evil one. God allowed evil, knowing that at the end of history, Jesus’ wisdom and grace would infinitely supersede sin (evil). So, as tragic as evil’s entry into the human race was, evil has a negative ability to compete with the power and far-reaching effects of God’s goodness, which we will know in all its fullness someday.
Ok, back to anger. We know that anger is not sin. Anger can be godly when it is applied with the golden rule and is focused on wholesome relationships, not self-promotion or self-preservation. When God is angry and he chooses to unleash his governmental wrath, it is far more focused on removing obstacles that blockade justice than on punishing sinners. Wrath is more intent on finding goodness and rescuing it from evil than destroying evil itself. While evil is awful, it is nonetheless finite. The human race has been poisoned with evil, so we erroneously perceive that evil is huge. It is similar to the poison of a scorpion sting: it is only a small sting, but the poison immobilizes our larger body with pain. So, while evil is significant enough to rouse God’s anger, the real driving force of his wrath is exponentially larger than anger and infinitely greater than evil.
Judgment, or God’s wrath, is concerned with three things: righteousness, peace and joy. According to Paul, these three things signify the kingdom rule of God. Jesus experienced the wrath of God on the cross because of the “joy set before him.” Because his faith latched onto future joy, he was able to endure a cross in that context. When God’s wrath comes, it is to establish his kingdom. When his kingdom is established, it ”sets right” injustice. Peace governs the land. Joy is in every relationship.
God, being the ultra-visionary creator and author of human destiny, sees beyond the terror of His wrath to the incredible fruit it brings. Remember: his love lasts through eternity, and his anger is “but for a moment.” Wrath is not God’s daily bread; it only comes in short, strategic and specific moments in history. God’s daily bread is his divine will, which is that we would be one with him and be free to enjoy and care for his creation. He desires that we be fully alive in the same amazing, free and pure love that Father, Son and Holy Spirit experience infinitely.
Awesome!! I think this is such an insightful understanding of God's anger.
ReplyDeleteI once preached on this at an Anglican Theological College where I was studying and at that time I came to understand that God's anger isn't an expression of the desire to punish, but rather an expression of the grief of God when his children cannot access his Heart of love! In fact anger and grief are often the two sides of the one coin.
What you write here only goes to confirm that but also it expands my understanding as well.
Thank you!
Thanks for your comment Maureen. Your insight on the connection between grief and anger is worth pondering!
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