No Blemish in God

There is one aspect of God’s character that for some reason many see as a blotch or blemish in the divine nature. I refer to the matter of God’s wrath. Though the subject may be missing from many modern-day pulpits, it is not missing from the Bible. If you look up in a Bible concordance all the texts that refer to the wrath, anger, or the severity of God, you will find that there are more references to these than there are to His love, graciousness, or tenderness. A proper study of God can never be complete unless consideration is given to the fact that God is not only a God of love but a God of wrath and anger also.

I remember in the early days of my Christian experience that whenever I heard any reference to the wrath of God, I would feel a deep resentment arise within me, and instead of regarding this aspect of God’s nature with delight, I looked upon it with disdain. Later, however, when I came to understand it and saw it in its proper light—as something to rejoice in rather than to be resented—I found my love for God and my awe of God swell to new proportions.

Arthur W. Pink describes the wrath of God as the “eternal detestation of all unrighteousness … the displeasure and indignation of divine equity against evil … the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin.” Never view the wrath of God as a moral blemish or a blotch on His character. It would be a blemish if wrath were absent from Him.

Further Study

2Kings 22:1-13; Ps 90:11

Why did God’s anger burn?

What did the psalmist say about God’s wrath?