Should We Speak of An Angry God?

[Revmitchell]

I agreed with the second half of your post.

While I agreed with the gist of the first half of your post that we should teach about God's wrath and anger, I disagreed with your interpretation of that particular verse that Paul is saying that preaching the gospel is about using God's wrath and anger as motivation for others to believe.

We cannot get to slavation without going through the cross. You cannot get past the cross without addressing God's wrath which is a result of our sin debt. Moving past that we get to the substitution of Christ to take care of our sin debt and suffering God's wrath on our behalf. Anything less is another gospel.

 

[TCGreek]

Here is a question I have: Are we required to preach about the wrath of God to get sinners to repent and put faith in Jesus for salvation?

 

[Gold Dragon]

We cannot get to slavation without going through the cross. You cannot get past the cross without addressing God's wrath which is a result of our sin debt. Moving past that we get to the substitution of Christ to take care of our sin debt and suffering God's wrath on our behalf. Anything less is another gospel.

Ok.

I'm not sure what I said to make you feel that I disagreed with any of that. Like I said, we should teach about God's wrath and anger. But that should not be taught as the motivation for belief.

 

[nunatak]

Here is a question I have: Are we required to preach about the wrath of God to get sinners to repent and put faith in Jesus for salvation?

I say yes, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And, Paul determined to know nothing save Christ and Him crucified. How can I preach the Cross w/o preaching God's wrath? In my limited understanding, I can't.

 

[tinytim]

As you said Revmitchell, this is a no brainer.

But I think we need to understand that God's anger is not man's anger:

"for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God" (James 1:20).

Thank you TC, this is what I was trying to say in my previous post.

When the Bible talks about God being angry, it is a whole different anger from us...

We get angry when we don't get our way... (at least I do!)
God always gets his way.. .so his anger cannot be based in that.

I believe when the Bible speaks of God's anger, it is dealing with God's wrath.. that is not poured out on a whim...
God has a purpose for pouring out his wrath.. it is to enact justice.

Yes, we should speak of God being angry, but make sure when we do, the listener knows it is not our type of angry... but a much deeper, and more meaningful anger...

Maybe I am looking at this too deep...
I like PastorSBC's answer... Let God be God...

And while I am at it ... if God says he is angry, he is angry!

Who would look at him and say, "nah, you're not angry... Your just emotionally disturbed!"????

 

[TCGreek]

I say yes, because faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. And, Paul determined to know nothing save Christ and Him crucified. How can I preach the Cross w/o preaching God's wrath? In my limited understanding, I can't.

When Peter preached on Pentecost, where about 3000 came to faith and were baptized, Did he preach about the wrath of God?

 

[tinytim]

Here is a question I have: Are we required to preach about the wrath of God to get sinners to repent and put faith in Jesus for salvation?

It takes both the wrath, and the love to be preached to have a balanced message.

The sinner must understand God's wrath...before they can understand his Grace and mercy...

 

[TCGreek]

Thank you TC, this is what I was trying to say in my previous post.

When the Bible talks about God being angry, it is a whole different anger from us...

We get angry when we don't get our way... (at least I do!)
God always gets his way.. .so his anger cannot be based in that.

I believe when the Bible speaks of God's anger, it is dealing with God's wrath.. that is not poured out on a whim...
God has a purpose for pouring out his wrath.. it is to enact justice.

Yes, we should speak of God being angry, but make sure when we do, the listener knows it is not our type of angry... but a much deeper, and more meaningful anger...

Maybe I am looking at this too deep...
I like PastorSBC's answer... Let God be God...

And while I am at it ... if God says he is angry, he is angry!

Who would look at him and say, "nah, you're not angry... Your just emotionally disturbed!"????

Tim, I'm in essential agreement with your theology on the wrath of God.

 

[Rippon]

Likewise TT , when the Word of God informs us that He hates , loathes and dispises some people -- it really means that . But as with His wrath there is no sin involved . He hates with perfect hatred . To say the least it is "meaningful hatred" .

 

[Amy.G]

Here is a question I have: Are we required to preach about the wrath of God to get sinners to repent and put faith in Jesus for salvation?

Don't you need to know the bad news before you can appreciate the good news?

 

[Amy.G]

Tim I agree with your post but just wanted to comment on this part.

We get angry when we don't get our way... (at least I do!)
God always gets his way.. .so his anger cannot be based in that.

Sometimes we get angry for good and righteous reasons, like abortion or abuse. Anger is not a bad thing in itself. It's what you do with your anger that becomes sin. If you were to never get angry about anything, it would be because you didn't care about anything.

 

[TCGreek]

It takes both the wrath, and the love to be preached to have a balanced message.

The sinner must understand God's wrath...before they can understand his Grace and mercy...

But can you show me from Acts 2 where Peter preached the wrath of God to have a "balanced" message?

 

[Revmitchell]

Ok.

I'm not sure what I said to make you feel that I disagreed with any of that. Like I said, we should teach about God's wrath and anger. But that should not be taught as the motivation for belief.

It is an equal part of it.

 

[nunatak]

When Peter preached on Pentecost, where about 3000 came to faith and were baptized, Did he preach about the wrath of God?

Again, in my foolish understanding of Scripture, I say YES. Christ was nailed to a cross, or tree. Anything hung on a tree is accursed.

 

[TCGreek]

Again, in my foolish understanding of Scripture, I say YES. Christ was nailed to a cross, or tree. Anything hung on a tree is accursed.

How is Christ nailed to the cross the same thing as the wrath of God?

 

[nunatak]

How is Christ nailed to the cross the same thing as the wrath of God?

Are you serious? Or are you getting to a point you would like to show?

 

[TCGreek]

Are you serious? Or are you getting to a point you would like to show?

We know the theology behind Messiah hanging on a cross for our sins and that it involves the satisfaction of the righteous wrath of God,

but

Preaching that Christ was nailed to the cross for my sins is not the same as saying someone MUST tell me about the wrath of God in the Gospel presentation.

So, yes, I am serious.

 

[TCGreek]

When asked what must I do to be saved, the jailer was told by two seasoned missionaries, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved" (Acts 16:30, 31).

I see nothing about a verbalized wrath of God. Do you?

 

[nunatak]

We know the theology behind Messiah hanging on a cross for our sins and that it involves the satisfaction of the righteous wrath of God,

but

Preaching that Christ was nailed to the cross for my sins is not the same as saying someone MUST tell me about the wrath of God in the Gospel presentation.

So, yes, I am serious.

Okay. To me, it is the same thing. It is clearly not the same to you. But for me, a country boy, to preach Christ crucified for the penalty of my sins, is the same as preaching God's wrath. Interesting to consider this though.

 

[Revmitchell]

When asked what must I do to be saved, the jailer was told by two seasoned missionaries, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you and your household will be saved" (Acts 16:30, 31).

I see nothing about a verbalized wrath of God. Do you?

Act 16:31 And they said, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household."
Act 16:32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house.


While Paul gave him a quick answer it was certainly not all Paul had to say on the matter. Paul did not just say v.31 and that was the end of it. It is certainly recorded that Jesus preached the wrath of God:

Luk 21:23 Alas for women who are pregnant and for those who are nursing infants in those days! For there will be great distress upon the earth and wrath against this people.

Joh 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.

Mat 8:12 while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Mat 13:42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth


I could go on. Which did Christ preach on more heaven or hell?