Day 25 | Wrath Definition
Read Ephesians 2:1–3
When we think about the wrath of God, we often visualize the fires of Hell, the Second Coming of Christ, or all evil being eternally dealt with. We may also be somewhat triggered because we’ve been falsely communicated the imagery of a vengeful, mean God who longs to find any small mistake to punish us brutally. These things are either grossly taken out of context or just flat-out lies about the wrath of God.
There is a wrath of God that many will experience, both in this life and for eternity. Ephesians 2:1–3 tells us that when we live in disobedience, we are under the “ruler of the power of the air,” Satan. Many unknowingly follow Satan because they are “carrying out the inclinations of [their] flesh and thoughts.” In other words, we don’t have to worship Satan to be under his influence, we just need to worship ourselves.
When we live by our inclinations, desires, and thoughts and not the teachings and principles of God through the Scriptures, we are living as “children under wrath.”
What does it mean to be under God’s wrath?
- There are natural cause-and-effect consequences to living in disobedience. If we are promiscuous, we are likely to get an STD or have psychological damage. If we steal a car or kill someone, we go to jail.
- Because we walk in rebellion against God, we miss out on the blessings of God. Also, there are times God inflicts things on us because of our sin. This is often to get our attention so we will repent.
- There are eternal consequences for living in disobedience to God. Plainly put, we will all spend eternity either with Jesus or eternally separated from Him.
The wrath of God should actually bring the believer comfort because it is assurance that evil will not go unpunished. It is so difficult in our day not to get disheartened by the seemingly unchecked immorality in our world, but God not only sees, He will rightly deal with it eventually.
Pray for 10 minutes