WHERE DO I STAND ON THE WRATH ISSUE?

But because of your heart and impenitent heart, you are storing up wrath for yourself for the day of wrath when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.  Romans 2:5

            Wrath is not a palatable subject.  No one likes to think of someone being angry with them.  Children who have angry parents do everything in their power to over- perform in order to fix the relationship.  When we hear that the One who is storing up wrath against us is God, that is enough to undo us.  If we ignore the issue, it is to our peril.

            God is absolutely pure.  Our sin and rebellion must be judged.  Down through the centuries, God’s wrath was stored up as men and women perpetrated evil upon the earth.  His judgment spilled out now and then on occasions like the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.  But overall, His wrath accumulated, like a dam about to burst.  The full measure of His wrath was poured out on Jesus. 

            The reason Jesus sweat drops of blood in the garden was not because He faced a death by crucifixion.  It was because He was about to experience the full measure of God’s wrath, poured out upon Him, for the sins of all mankind.  The dam broke and the accumulated weight of God’s fury fell on Jesus.  This is the essence of the Gospel ~ that I can do nothing good to undo God’s wrath against me.  Only putting every ounce of trust in Christ, who took all my punishment upon Himself, will save me. 

            Every person alive must deal with the reality that their sin is recorded, and is accumulating, in heaven’s bank, and with it, wrath is being stored up incrementally.  Our future depends on how we deal with this issue.  Accept Christ’s substitutionary death and all God’s wrath against me goes to Him.  Reject Christ and I will have to bear my own wrath. 

            Martin Luther said, “The Last Day is called the day of wrath and of mercy, the day of trouble and of peace, the day of destruction and of glory.”  If I open up my heart wide to Christ, painfully acknowledge my need of a Savior who bore all my wrath, then mercy, peace, and glory is mine.  It’s all because of Him.  Nothing because of me.  It’s all because of what He did.  Not because of anything good I do to compensate for my bad side.  Unearned favor.  This is the joy of my salvation. 

Who bears the full wrath of God’s fury for an enemy?  No one I know.  Only You.  Don’t let this story grow cold in my heart.  Amen