By Pastor Dr. Aggrey Soyekwo
Romans 1:18-20 “The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse.” – NIV
Does God get angry? Yes. Paul in the portion stated and following gives the reasons why. Some know God only as so good and loving even to hurt anyone or send people to hell in eternal torment. Others only know the angry part of God waiting to whip whoever doesn’t do right. They live in constant fear. These two extremes need to be balanced by a holistic biblical teaching on God’s character. God placed all the anger and punishment we deserved for sin on Jesus. Accepting Jesus releases us from God’s wrath.
God’s anger is directed against the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness. This is not in ignorance, but deliberately since whatever may be known about God has been revealed, through the preaching of the gospel and through nature which teaches about God. The magnificence of creation itself teaches even the dullest person about the nature of a great God who made these things. But men reject God despite knowing all these!
And Paul says men are without excuse for continuing in their rejection of God, practicing godlessness and all sorts of evil he mentions later. They even promote evil and legislate it! Whoever incurs God’s wrath has done it deliberately, by choosing wickedness even with the full knowledge of God and His character. Suck knowledge of God is meant to draw us to put our faith in Christ, and be saved from our sins and God’s wrath. And there is still opportunity to mend our ways with God.
John 3:17-18 “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”
Shalom children of God.