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Christianity Today, May, 2008 |

WRESTLING WITH ANGELS

The Grace of Wrath

Is there any story about God that isn't a love story?

Carolyn Arends | posted 5/12/2008 09:13AM

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My church was right to be concerned that an inadequate understanding of God's righteousness would lead to sin. After all, one of Satan's strategies with Eve was to undermine the reality of God's judgment: "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:4).

But his more sinister tactic was first to get Eve to doubt God's love and character: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" (Gen. 3:1). His strategy worked then, and it works now. Our sin is rooted not only in a lack of reverence for God's holiness, but also in a profoundly insufficient understanding of his love.

God is love, SO God hates sin. We are loved with a holy love that cries "No!" again and again to the things that destroy us. We are part of an epic love story, and what we all need desperately is to know the Author better.

Carolyn Arends is an award-winning singer-songwriter, author, and film critic (for ChristianityTodayMovies.com) who lives in Vancouver with her husband and two children. More at CarolynArends.com.

Related Elsewhere:

Arends's first Christianity Today column was "Carbonated Holiness."

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May 2008, Vol. 52, No. 5

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J. Sharp

Posted: May 16, 2008 12:06 PM

This article expresses the father-son portrait of God and men and there are many other biblical portraits which express the emotion of God's love toward people. No Father desires to show wrath to his son. However, the Bible is not limited to this portrait. It also gives the portrait of God as the potter and us as the clay, God as the vine-keeper and us as the vineyard, God as a man and us as a garment, etc... Each of these latter portraits convey less emotional attachment for a reason. Concerning these portraits there are many places where God is said to despise them, cast them off, dash them in peices, and abhor them. The biblical language and portraits are chosen by each biblical author in particular places in order to express the primary emotion that God is then feeling towards a person/people. We do great damage to ourselves and to the Scripture to limit ourselves to one perception of God toward men as though He were always primarily motivated to act in one emotion.

George T.

Posted: May 15, 2008 7:36 PM


This is what I call a "Usefull" aricle. I will forward it and follow up on it. Thank you for your help.

Anne P.

Posted: May 13, 2008 7:12 PM

I've been pondering this issue since reading Arends' article, because she hits on a topic I struggle with. I've always been troubled by a loving God creating something like hell. It's such a tough reality . . . . one that often keeps me from initiating discussions about my faith with unbelieving friends. It seems almost indefensible. A thought that struck me today, though, is this: God's eternal wrath only comes after people repeatedly refuse His loving advances (He doesn't really jerk people from being squashed by a car and send them directly to hell, does He?). I'm wondering whether it's accurate to say that people choose hell when they decide to refuse God's love and correction. Also, would we believe God really loves those who *do* choose Him if He allowed everyone--even those who continually reject Him--to enjoy eternity in Heaven? Would that be more defensible? Might the existence of hell have something to do with God expressing His love through fair-ness?

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