When we think about the attributes of God, we seem to focus on His goodness rather than His wrath. Many church pastors seem to avoid the subject of God’s wrath when preaching, as those are not the words that fill the seats. Yet we need to understand that God is perfectly good at the same time that He is perfectly wrathful. The two may seem like opposites, but they do not conflict. The best news for us is that God doesn’t have a short fuse.
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious,
Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy.
9 He will not always strive with us,
Nor will He keep His anger forever.
10 He has not dealt with us according to our sins,
Nor punished us according to our iniquities.
Psalm 103:8-10
By our actions, we deserve God’s wrath all of the time, yet through His mercy, He does not give us what we deserve. What is the difference between wrath and anger? Anger is the evoked emotion, while wrath is the action. Anger is the whistle on the boiling tea kettle, while wrath is the scalding steam. Though God demonstrates His wrath throughout the Bible, the culmination of that wrath is in the Book of Revelation, where God pours out His wrath upon a sinful earth. Don’t forget, however, that in the midst of that time, there will be more people who come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior than ever before. That demonstrates His abounding mercy and grace along with His wrath. Because God is love, He can never be anything other than love.
As we grow as Christians, we are to become more like God each day. Similar to looking in a mirror, our image should be a reflection of the image of God. The reflection will never become the image being reflected, and in the same way, we will never become God. Anger is one of our greatest difficulties, yet we need to understand that anger is not a sin. How could it be, as God demonstrates anger without sinning? Paul instructs us:
26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.
Ephesians 4:26
Righteous anger is not blowing up at a driver who cuts you off in traffic. Neither is it insulting someone who has insulted you. Anger should be directed at sin, not the sinner. It is the example of hating the sin and loving the sinner. Understand that just as God’s anger doesn’t conflict His love, our anger needs to be based in love. The Bible reminds us to love our enemies; to love our neighbors as ourselves; and to lay down our lives for our friends to demonstrate the greatest love! As you step out into the world today, be reminded of the fine line that we walk when we venture into the element of anger!
He who is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
And he who rules his spirit than he who takes a city.
Proverbs 16:32
The discretion of a man makes him slow to anger,
And his glory is to overlook a transgression.
Proverbs 19:11
Slow that anger down!
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