Holy Wrath

by John Comer

Holy wrath. An oxymoron? Can holiness be associated with wrath? The Apostle John tells us, “God is love.” Can a God of love also be a God of wrath?

It’s said that Confederate General Robert E. Lee would occasionally describe General “Stonewall” Jack-son by saying, “Jackson is a little wrathy this morning.” Lee’s old-fashioned term somehow seems to fit a Civil War general in a cranky mood, even a stern Presbyterian one such as Jackson. On these mornings even the commanding general might walk a bit softly lest he raise the ire of old “Stonewall.”

But can it be that such a thing as divine wrath can exist? After all, wrath is one of the evils the Bible says we humans should avoid.

There’s no doubt about it. There is a “wrathy” side to God. How could there not be? How is a God of love, grace, mercy, purity, and holiness, to respond to anyone who purposely chooses to reject all that God is, and prefers godless evil instead? God could hardly be neutral and say it doesn’t really matter. If one chooses to reject the cross, he has elected to distance himself from a loving, gracious God. We’re warned, “But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger” (Romans 2:8).

But we Christians don’t live under the ominous, dark cloud of God’s approaching wrath. We live in the sunshine of his grace. The Bible says God presented Christ Jesus as a propitiation for our sins (see Romans 3:25 and Hebrews 2:17). Some translations use the word “sacrifice” instead of “propitiation” in these two verses, which is an unfortunate substitution. Propitiation is the actual word, and carries with it the idea of turning aside God’s wrath.

Divine wrath is not a topic we’re likely to enjoy. The word “propitiation” probably never crosses our minds, and if some Bible translators substitute the word “sacrifice,” we might not even notice the difference. But the fact that God has provided for our salvation blesses us beyond measure.

“Stonewall” was sometimes “wrathy.” That’s no way to be, and we want to avoid that kind of behavior. God himself, through his Son, delivers us from divine wrath. When we see God in the hereafter there’ll be no wrathful frown upon his face. We’ll all be smiling.