I received a vicious note from a professing believer who told me publicly and colorfully to shut my mouth and repent of my heresies. Normally, I'd find that kind of assault from a fellow Christian fairly wounding, but on this rare occasion, I did something I hope God found refreshing.

I rolled my eyes and trashed it. I got up the nerve to dismiss the whole paragraph because of the last sentence: "God hates you."

"God Proves His Own Love for Us"

Christianity 101: "For God so loved the world" (John 3:16, ESV). According to Romans 5:8, God didn't even hate us in our unredeemed condition: "But God proves His own love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us!" At times He disapproves, disciplines, and redirects us ... but hates us? No, not on His Son's life. In the folds and shadows of our misshapen hearts, however, most of us have entertained that bleak prospect.

"For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:9).

The Greek term translated "wrath" in 1 Thessalonians 5:9 and in Colossians 3:6, where it is qualified as "God's wrath" is orgé (pronounced or-GAY). Read the definition carefully: "anger as a state of mind. Contrast thumos, [meaning] 'indignation, wrath as the outburst of a vengeful mind.'

Aristotle once said that orgé anger is desire with grief (see also Mark 3:5; Rom. 12:19; Eph. 4:31; Col. 3:8)." 1

Another definition of the Greek term exhibits a similar concept. "The word 'wrath' (orgé) means anger, but it is not the outburst of anger that quickly blazes up, not the anger that arises solely from emotion. Rather, it is a decisive and a deliberate anger." 2

God Is Steadfast and Blameless

I don't know if these definitions taste differently in your mouth from our English connotations of "wrath," but they carry a distinct flavor in mine. I think of "wrath" as the explosive unleashing of a fury so feverish that it cannot help exceeding its target.

You too, perchance? If so, no wonder we can hardly fathom God in this context.

Though the wrath of God is described at times as a fury, He is not like man. God never whirls out of control. His wrath is tempered by the steadfastness and blamelessness of His character. Mark 3:1-5 sets a perfect stage for a dramatic interpretation of Aristotle's explanation:

"Now He entered the synagogue again, and a man was there who had a paralyzed hand. In order to accuse Him, they were watching Him closely to see whether He would heal him on the Sabbath. He told the man with the paralyzed hand, 'Stand before us.' Then He said to them, 'Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do what is good or to do what is evil, to save life or to kill?' But they were silent. After looking around at them with anger and sorrow at the hardness of their hearts, He told the man, 'Stretch out your hand.' So he stretched it out, and his hand was restored". 

Mark 3:1-5.

The Greek word orgé is translated "anger" in verse 5 in virtually all formal translations and is used, as you can see, in reference to Christ. The coupling of words in both the Greek and the English wrestles the concept of divine wrath into something a human can more capably grasp.

God cannot set aside His love to render His wrath. In anthropomorphic terms, He cannot detach the arteries in His outstretched arms from the chambers of His heart. God is holistic in His holiness. Unlike ours, His soundness of mind cannot be trampled by a stampede of emotions.

How God's Wrath Differs from Ours

In Scriptures like Romans 12:19-21, we clearly see that God's wrath is altogether different from ours.

"Friends, do not avenge yourselves; instead, leave room for His wrath. For it is written: Vengeance belongs to Me; I will repay, says the Lord. But if your enemy is hungry, feed him. If he is thirsty, give him something to drink. For in so doing you will be heaping fiery coals on his head. Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good".

Rom. 12:19-21

Would God expect us to exceed Him in mercy? Would He apply the scriptural maxim "mercy triumphs over judgment" (Jas. 2:13) to us while judgment triumphs over mercy to Him? He would not.

A Great Salvation

Just in case we're tempted to picture God seated on His throne, licking His chops in wrath, these verses jump off the page in the Book of Ezekiel:

"'Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked?' This is the declaration of the Lord God. 'Instead, don't I take pleasure when he turns from his ways and lives?'".

Ezek.18:23

"'Tell them: As I live'"—the declaration of the Lord God—'I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked person should turn from his way and live'".

Ezek. 33:11

If we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are not destined for wrath. Based on many of the verses we've seen today, our relief could be palpable. Hebrews 2:3, however, keeps interrupting like a persistent student, waving her hand wildly with a question: "How will we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?"

2 Actions that Prevent Wrath

Let's take two crucial actions to halt that waving hand.

First, let's confirm that we are each in Christ.

Do you know to your core that your salvation has been secured through the acceptance of Christ as your Savior? As faithful as our parents may have been, we cannot be born from our mother's womb into Christianity. Christ teaches that we must be reborn into eternal life with Him. This rebirth happens when we repent of our sins, confess with our mouths that "Jesus is Lord," and believe in our hearts "that God raised Him from the dead" (Rom. 10:9-13; see 2 Tim. 2:19).

We cannot earn it. Our good works cannot attract it.

These brush strokes from the apostle Paul are to the New Testament what the central frame of Michelangelo's masterpiece is to the Sistine Chapel. This is the portrait of salvation as clearly as we can see it painted:

"We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. ... For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift—not from works, so that no one can boast".

Eph. 2:3-5,8-9

The entire trajectory of our lives changes the moment we receive this gift of God's grace. If you do not know for certain that you are in Christ, would you right now accept this glorious salvation by faith and confess Jesus as Lord and Savior?

Once we make this deliberate decision, we don't ever need to doubt it again. All the angst of uncertainty can vanish because nothing can snatch us out of God's hand (John 10:28). Even when we think we've let go of Him, His grip holds us fast. Settle the matter this very moment, and then walk forward with Jesus in full assurance, come what may, until you see His face. Hear Christ's straightforward approach in John 20:27 to stop doubting and believe.

"Then He said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here and observe My hands. Reach out your hand and put it into My side. Don't be an unbeliever, but a believer'" (John 20:27).

Absorb Paul's words to "put on a helmet of the hope of salvation. For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep, we will live together with Him" (1 Thess. 5:8-10).

The second crucial action is to earnestly pray together for many more to miss the wrath to come.

I'm not talking about exercising our faith toward hundreds or even thousands. I am asking you to partner with me in prayer for the power of the gospel to explode all over this globe in our generation, so that millions of people will experience salvation. As I get on my knees, I wonder if you'd consider bowing right where you are? Intercede spontaneously as the Holy Spirit leads you.

Excerpted from Children of the Day by Beth Moore.

Is family life a challenge? Is work driving you crazy? Do you know God has a purpose for your life, but you can't figure out what it is?

Know that your circumstances are not coincidental. And God's timing is impeccable.

Join Beth Moore on the Thessalonian shores as she walks you through the truth of each verse of 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In this study, you'll face crises, afflictions, relationships, doubts, concerns, and fears. Find encouragement for living the Christian life now and hope for when Christ returns.

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More Excerpts from Children of the Day

Children of the Day: You Are Called to Serve from Session 6

Children of the Day: Beth Moore Teaching Clip from Session 8


Endnotes:1 The Outline Bible Five Translation, "L-Z," Practical Word Studies in the New Testament,vol. 2 (Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide, 1998), s.v. "wrath."2 Zodhiates, Dictionary, s.v. "noutheteo."

Best-selling book and Bible study author Beth Moore is a dynamic teacher whose conferences take her across the globe. She is a dedicated wife, and mother of two adult daughters and three delightful grandchildren. Beth lives in Houston, Texas, where she leads Living Proof Ministries with the purpose of encouraging and teaching women to know and love Jesus through the study of Scripture.