Wrath and the Gospel

If you don't understand something of the wrath of God, you don't understand the gospel. As Christians, we tend to focus on the immanence of the Lord and on attributes like mercy, love, and grace. These are incredible realities that demand our attention.

But think about the back story of the cross. If we remove God's wrath, why was the cross necessary? Yes, focus on the love shown at Calvary, but remember why Calvary had to be. His mercy is only meaningful when we understand what He's withholding.

God required blood to forgive (Heb 9.22). The whole of the OT sacrificial system points us to the ultimate sacrifice that would be made (Heb 10.14). The sacrifice was necessary because God in His wisdom set up a system that required atonement. His wrath must be satisfied, or propitiated.  

We tend to ignore or discount the stories of God's wrath, particularly in the Old Testament. But in reality, the work of Christ in the New Testament is the story of ultimate wrath being poured out on Christ. As Isaiah 53.10 says: It pleased the Lord to crush Him. We also must remember that this Jesus who exercised the ultimate humility and meekness will come back to display a wrath of his own. Read Rev 19. This "meek and mild" Jesus comes back with a robe dipped in blood, swords coming out of his mouth, and promises to treat the earth as His winepress. The promise of His coming wrath is just as outstanding and fantastic as any display of wrath we've ever seen before.

Allow your mind to be drawn again to the work of Christ today. And remember God has saved you not simply from yourself; He has saved you from Himself.