Angry God

I must admit that I tend to focus my heart on my God who loves me, my God who cherishes me as His own, my savior, my redeemer, my friend...I would guess that most everyone else does too. I was reminded this morning that both the beautiful thing and the scary thing about my God is that He is multi-faceted and not unidimensional.

I think every one of us likes the idea of the forgiving God who looks past our idiocracy. In fact anything to the contrary might "offend" someone, however as caring as my God is there is another side of Him that is just as real, but often overlooked (most of the time intentionally) and that is the side of His "anger" or "displeasure" with man kind.

Ok, now you're thinking....Lance is going OT on us and I suppose your assumption would be correct because these thoughts spawned from my study this morning in Jeremiah 25. For me, verse 27-28 were almost poetic (I suppose anytime you mention the word vomit in connection with something scriptural, it seems poetic for me because of the metaphor it creates), "Then the Lord said to me, "Now tell them, 'This is what the Lord of Heaven's Armies, the God of Israel, says: Drink from this cup of my anger. Get drunk and vomit; fall to rise no more, for I am sending terrible wards against you.' And if they refuse to accept the cup, tell them, 'The Lord of Heaven's Armies says: You have no choice but to drink from it..."

That's a pretty vivid picture for me that even though a person might refuse to acknowledge God's anger or displeasure, it doesn't negate the fact that it is real and can have serious consequences.

So, is the idea of God's anger "Old Testament"? According to scripture it is both New Testament and beyond...

Romans 2:7-9, "He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who live for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives for wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil - for the Jew first and also for the Gentile."

Ephesians 5:6, "Don't be fooled by those who try to excuse these sins, for the anger of God will fall on all who disobey him."

Revelation 14:9-10, "Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand must drink the wine of God's anger. It has been poured full strength into God's cup of wrath."

Wow, that's harsh!!! But it is His Word. Don't get me wrong, I am a GRACE guy, but scripturally one can not ignore the anger of God and the consequences of such. In my opinion, those of us who ignore this characteristic of God (myself included at times) are those people mentioned by the apostle Paul in the Roman epistle at chapter 6. "Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of his wonderful grace? Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it?...."

Granted, there can be much debate over the consequences as one weighs out God's anger vs. grace. There are many opinions to this matter. The purpose of this blog is not to stir up that debate, but only to challenge all of us to take greater consideration for God's anger. Do we anger God?

I don't know how many times I have heard people talk about how our country "angers" God, but think on this...Shouldn't it begin with me....you....our churches....then maybe our country? Does my life please God or does it anger God? Does my family please God or anger God? Does my church please God or anger God?.....etc, etc.

Regardless of whether you can answer yes or no to any of those questions, they are questions worth asking. Before we cast blame or accusation anywhere, is it not fitting to first assess from the inside out. I believe it is.

Maybe you will ask yourself those questions, maybe you won't....if you do, please keep in mind the following because it ultimately rests in this fact because God's wrath is always detoured with repentance and Grace.... 2 Corinthians 12:9, "My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness." So now I am glad to boast about my weakness, so that the power of Christ can work through me." Repentance + Grace = The Power To Change The World.