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Do you ever think about what God is like? Most of the time we talk about God's love and kindness, His grace and mercy. But do you think of God as having wrath? In the Old Testament there are nearly six hundred places where we are told about the wrath of God. The biblical writers viewed God's wrath as one of God's great "perfections" alongside His other attributes. When we talk about God's wrath, we are not describing God as suddenly getting angry or losing His temper. Rather, the Bible is speaking of God's wrath as the firm, fearful hatred that God has for all wickedness. This wrath is building up and one day will result in eternal condemnation for everyone who is not made right in God's sight by a personal belief in the Lord Jesus Christ as his or her Savior. The reason for God's wrath is seen in verses 18-20. Paul explains that the wrath of God is justified for two reasons: man's rejection of the revelation of God to mankind in nature, and, the suppression of the truth about God by human beings. Because of God's clear revelation, human beings have no excuse for failing to acknowledge God. Verse 18 says that people, by their wickedness, suppress the truth. But you might ask, "How can they know the truth?" First of all, in this study, we will always take the "high view" of God, meaning that we can be sure God is fair, just, righteous, and holy. If He is going to judge someone, He lets them know the right answers before the test. He wants people to know Him. He doesn't try to be sneaky or obscure. God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, can be seen and understood from what has been made. Nature tells us that there is a God who has specific attributes. The revelation of God in nature is called "general revelation" because it is available to everyone. General revelation does not tell us everything we need to know about God. It does not tell us how to be saved from our sin, but it is still a true revelation for which all human beings are responsible. Not only has God given us evidence of His existence, He also has given us the capacity to comprehend or receive it, though we may refuse to do so. (There is also "special revelation" which goes beyond "general revelation." Special revelation is understanding the truth of Jesus Christ based on the Bible which can lead to a personal relationship with Him.) The second reason God is displaying His wrath against mankind is mankind's suppression of the truth God has given. Why do we reject what God has given? It is because we prefer sin to God's way. God is sovereign, but we dislike Him for His sovereignty. We want to be sovereign. God is holy, but we dislike Him for His holiness. We want to be free to practice sin. God is omniscient, and we dislike Him for His omniscience. We think it is intrusive and offensive for God to know everything, and we try to hide from Him. Above all we dislike God for His nature which does not change with the times to fit our human perception. If we are totally honest with ourselves, we not only dislike God for these attributes, we actually hate Him and want nothing to do with Him because of them. Fallen man tries to rationalize away the obvious fact that this universe and our physical bodies are not here by random chance or accident. We try to make excuses for our lack of faith in God. Our first excuse is that we do not know if God exists. It is the argument that science either has disproved God or else has been unable to give adequate evidence for His existence. Science is supposed to base its finding upon facts. The fact is there is no scientific evidence that nothing can produce something, as the random chance theory of evolution suggests. The sheer lack of probability that nothing could create a complex, thinking, creative, emotional being like yourself is ludicrous. The second way we try to excuse unbelief is by claiming we have too many unanswered questions about Christianity. People who raise that objection seldom investigate their questions seriously. The weakest excuse for lack of faith is the statement, "I just don't think it's important." That reasoning is obviously faulty. If God exists and we are all destined to meet Him to give an account of our actions some day, nothing can be as important as getting the most basic of our relationships right. People who reject the truth about God claim to be wise, but they are easily deceived. They take God's attributes and assign them to themselves. That is why in the Bible a "fool" is often connected with one who denies of the existence of God. Psalm 14:1 reads, "The fool says in his heart, 'There is no God.'" How does God reveal His wrath against people who choose to suppress the truth and who refuse to glorify and thank Him? He lets them continue in the way they have chosen. God gives wicked people over to their wickedness. God lets them make this choice; He lets them pursue the sinful desires of their hearts. These wicked choices result in people's misuse of their bodies and the bodies of other people. They refuse God's standard of one man for one woman; they choose and pursue whomever they desire. Consequently, God gives them over to depraved minds which are morally unstable and corrupt. When man does not retain the knowledge of God, he becomes filled with every kind of wickedness. Look at the word 'approve' in verse 32. It is not only that people do what is sinful. A person can sin, be ashamed of his or her actions, and ask for forgiveness. But here, at the very end of this terrible downhill path of our own sinful desire. The people involved come to a point of acceptance and even approval of what is evil. Our culture is a dramatic example of this insane inversion. We live in a time when society says there are no rights or wrongs, no absolutes. The Bible speaks of a similar period of history in Judges 17:6 and 21:25, "In those days Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit." What is the solution to this
horrible, dark and devastating picture? There is only one solution.
Jesus Christ is mankind's only hope. But God allows us to have a
choice. You and I can receive the truth of God by faith, embrace it,
take it into our minds and hearts, and order our lives according to
God's revelation through nature, His Word, and His Son Jesus. Or, you
can refuse the truth of God. You can push it down and refuse to glorify
and thank God, deciding on the downward trail to destruction. The Bible
tells us every person, each one, is a sinner, so we, in our sinful
nature choose against God. We must ask God, in the faith that comes
from Him, to give us a new nature, His nature. When you receive Jesus
Christ as your Savior, you receive this new nature. God's Holy Spirit
comes to live in you. He helps you to choose to honor God and to obey
Him. Have you made God ruler of your life? If you have, how often do
you express your gratitude to Him? Do you submit your thoughts,
desires, and actions to His will? Do you give up thoughts, emotions,
and actions which are displeasing to God? King David, desiring a pure
life before God, prayed, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me
and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me,
and lead me in the way everlasting." (Psalm 139:23-24)
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