On two previous occasions it has been our privilege to write on “The Love of God” as it is related to the well meant gospel offer. We would now call attention to the other side of the coin. One of the main reasons that spurred us on to write on “The Gospel Call and the Wrath of God” is that lately (as we see it), a one-sided emphasis has been placed by some of our leaders on God’s love without so much as mentioning God’s wrath.

Scripture definitely speaks of the wrath of God, as well as of the love of God in regard to the gospel call. In fact, the pattern which Jesus and John the Baptist set in gospel preaching is not love and wrath, but wrath and love, in that order. “Repent ye and believe” is the way they phrase their gospel call; not, “Believe and repent.”

It is very evident that the call to repentance paints to sin, and as a result of the sinner’s sin to the wrath of God resting upon him. The command to believe and take God at his word points to the love of God who declares himself willing to lift his wrath and impart his saving grace to anyone who truly repents of his sin and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ.

It has been said that God’s wrath is the other side of his love. I believe this to be correct in a sense. Ultimately the sinner will either share in God’s wrath or in his love. The one will in the end exclude the other. During the day of grace or salvation, however, the wrath of God can be lifted, and his love can be imparted. Man is redeemable; Satan is not. From the human side, this depends on repentance and faith. These are the terms with which man must comply.

In this article, we intend to distinguish four steps or stages in the wrath of God.

1. “The Wrath of God” — as it came upon the human race as a result of the sin of the first Adam.

2. “The Wrath of God” — as it is lifted from all those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam.

3. “The Wrath of God” — as it accumulates upon man during his life-Lime if he rejects the light of the world, Jesus.

4. “The Wrath of God” — as it becomes permanent in the life of the individual, or when the cup of wrath becomes filled in regard to the sinful human race as a whole in the day of wrath.

These four can be characterized by four words which fit these categories, and which in turn distinguish the first two from the last two, both pointing to the final outcome and destiny of man. They are: liftable and lifted—filling and filled.

“The Liftable Wrath of God” — as it came upon the human race in consequence of the sin of the first Adam.

In the beginning of time an eternal loving God created a perfect world and placed upon it the first man Adam, created in his own image, with the purpose that he should dedicate this creation unto him!

God pronounced all that he had made very good. Everything answered the purpose for which it was made. Man however, as a rational creature, was to show that he wanted to serve his Maker willingly. For that reason, God put him to the test. This test (as we know) he failed miserably, and as a result, God cursed the earth and his wrath came upon Adam and all his posterity. Adam sinned as our representative. He was the head of the covenant of works, and as such brought upon us the guilt of sin. He was also our father, and thus brought upon us the pollution of sin. Thus we share equally in the punishment for sin. God had said to Adam that the day he ate of the forbidden tree he would surely die.

This pronouncement of God entailed a threefold death; spiritual, physical and eternal death. This holds true for every descendant of Adam. For that reason our Reformed fathers could state in the liturgy of infant baptism “That we and our children are conceived and born in sin, and therefore, are children of wrath so that we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God except we are born again.” This statement not only points to the wrath of Cod resting upon us, but also to the possibility of its removal and our entering into the kingdom of heaven by rebirth. Thus, both the head of the covenant of works and the head of the covenant of grace are involved. The first Adam through disobedience brought sin, wrath and punishment into this world. The second Adam through obedience bore the wrath of God against sin and established righteousness and justice (Rom. 5:15–21) so that God could remove his wrath and impart his love to hell-bound sinners. On this basis, we conclude that the wrath of God in its first stage is liftable.

“The Lifted Wrath of God” — as it is lifted from all those who repent and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Adam.

As we speak of the lifting of the wrath of God which rests upon man as a result of the sin of the first Adam (original sin), and increases as a result of man’s daily transgressions (personal sin), we acknowledge two parties who are at odds with one another and who must be reconciled to one another. Such a reconciliation has been brought about by Christ, the second Adam, in whom God reconciled all things unto himself (Col. 1:20). The sinner in turn must be reconciled unto God. God from his side has done everything necessary for man’s salvation. If it had pleased God to save all humanity, every individual sinner, he could have done so on the basis of the reconciliation brought about by Christ. It is also on the basis of this reconciliation that the good news of the gospel can be preached to every sinner, namely, that Christ died for the ungodly and now calls sinners and not the righteous to repentance.

If then God, as far as he is concerned, has done his part as the offended party, what is the other party supposed to do? All agree that man is not saved automatically. Does God demand of the sinner that he make good what he has done wrong? Is he requested to pay the debt he owes? No, a thousand times no! Man is never saved on the basis of what he does, but rather on the basis of what he accepts. If man accepts the verdict of God that he is guilty, admits that the wrath of God is justly resting upon him, and for that reason pleads for mercy, he can and may also accept the mercy of the heavenly Father who substituted his own Son to bear the wrath of God for him. It should be plain then that the order established by Christ in preaching, namely, first repentance and then faith, is not only correct and logical, but also meets both the demand of God and the need of the sinner.

Without repentance, the sinner does not feel the need of salvation. Without repentance, the sinner docs not desire salvation. Without repentance, the preaching of the gospel is fruitless. Without repentance, there is no promise of salvation.

It has been said when a preacher tells the sinner that God loves him, the preaching will be more successful and fruitful than when he neglects this. But how are we to judge the true and proper results of gospel preaching? Surely, not by their quantity, but by their quality. What I mean is this: When the gospel is preached and many respond to this call, must we take for granted that everyone who comes forward is genuinely converted? Or should we inquire into the motives and fruits of this response? No one can judge the heart, to be sure. Yet when analyzing true conversion, we find that two elements are involved. First, there is present in the sinner a consciousness of sin which creates the sense of need for a Savior. Second, the sinner takes God at his word and puts his trust in Jesus Christ and accepts him as his Savior and Lord.

Now, psychologically speaking, the convicted sinner may be convinced that he needs Christ, but he may be unconvinced that Christ wants him, and for that reason may hesitate to accept him. However, when the gospel is preached to such people (and none will not be saved unless they are such) they should take hold of the promise of Jesus, “Him that cometh unto me, I will in no wise cast out.”

This again demonstrates that repentance precedes active faith, and that active faith follows upon repentance, although both are the work and gift of God (Lam. 5:21, Eph. 2:8) or, if you will, true conviction of sin will sooner or later lead to acceptance of Christ. I am sure we all agree that response to an altar-call is in itself no proof of true conversion. Allow me to use a Scriptural illustration to prove the point. In the parable of the king who made a marriage feast for his son (Matt. 22), a certain man heeded the call and accepted the invitation. Yet he was found without the proper wedding garment. In our judgment, this man would have passed as a real convert, but the king cast him out. This man wanted to go to heaven rather than to go to hell; he would rather be saved than lost. However, he made the fatal mistake of refusing to be saved on God’s terms. True conversion was lacking. For that reason he felt no need for the garment of righteousness of Jesus Christ. If a sinner is to be saved, he must be saved on God’s terms. These terms are plainly stated in Psalm 34:18, “Jehovah is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as are of a contrite spirit.” From such the wrath of God is lifted.

“The Filling Wrath of God” — as it accumulates upon man during his lifetime when he rejects either the light of the world, Jesus, or the light of nature in Gods’ revelation.

The opposite of those described above are those who reject Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Upon them the wrath of God will abide (John 3:36). All who continue to reject him, Spurn his love, and make themselves guilty of those other sins mentioned in Ephesians 5, will experience that upon them cometh the wrath of God as “children of disobedience.” This is also taught in Romans 2:5, “But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up for thyself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God.”

We observe here that as the wrath of God came upon men as a result of the sin of Adam (original sin), the wrath of God now comes upon them in increasing measure on account of their personal sin. It is, indeed, not for us to judge who they are or when they have arrived at such a stage. On the basis of Scripture, however, we can safely say that this happens in the life of the individual as well as in the life of groups of people. I refer to I Thessalonians 2:15, 16, “Who both killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and drove out us, and pleased not God, and are contrary to all men; forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles (nations) that they may be saved; to fill up their sins always; but the wrath of God is come upon them to the uttermost.”

When one reads this, he cannot but think of the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Of them Jesus said that their eyes were closed, their ears dull, and their hearts waxed gross; in order that they might not sec, hear, and understand. All this was in order that the prophecy of Isaiah might be fulfilled. Likewise the parables, plain in themselves, were not understood by them and testified against them.

Here we note that Jesus neither extends the invitation to them nor gives the command to repent and believe. This is for the simple reason that the day of grace for them has passed. God’s love has been withdrawn and his wrath has come upon them. Read what Jesus had to say to them in Matthew 23:32, “Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers,” and in verse 35, “That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias’ son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the sanctuary and the altar.” It is worth of note that John the Baptist treated them in the same manner. We read in Matthew 3:7, “But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said unto them: Ye offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruit worthy of repentance.”

The writer of the letter to the Hebrews speaks in a similar vein of a certain class of people who were once enlightened and then fell away. Of them he says, “It is impossible to renew them again unto repentance” (Heb. 6:6). For further proof that the day of grace can be passed and repentance is no longer commanded or desired on God’s part, and that his wrath is filling up, we may refer to such passages as Isaiah 5:1–7, Luke 13:6–9, and I John 5:16b. Each in its own way teaches us the same truth.

This process of the filling up of God’s wrath will eventually lead to the full measure, namely, that the cup of wrath is filled.

“The Filled Wrath of God” — as it becomes permanent in the life of the individual, or when the cup of wrath becomes filled with respect to the sinful human race as a whole in the day of wrath.

Coming now to the climax of God’s wrath as it proceeds from filling to being filled, we would call attention to the fact that if God’s wrath is the other side of his love, then these two divine characteristics must be very closely related. Here a threefold distinction may be made.

As to the order in which these two divine characteristics are manifested, we may say that God’s love precedes his wrath. God at first loved all the creatures which he made, for he had made them good. But when that creature (man) which he loved sinned and became evil, God poured upon man his wrath and indignation. This happened in Paradise when God also cursed the earth for Adam’s sin (Gen. 3:17-19). A similar divine reaction was revealed when God brought upon the earth the flood in which he destroyed all but Noah and his family (Gen. 6:5–7).

As to the basis of the manifestation of these two divine characteristics, we may say that their common basis is justice. With respect to his love, God is said to redeem Zion on the basis of justice (Isaiah 1:27 ). He thus justifies and saves his people on the basis of the merits of Christ (Rom. 5:9). With respect to his wrath, God did not destroy the inhabitants of the promised land until the measure of their unrighteousness was full (Gen. 15:16). Cod did not destroy Sodom until its sins cried out to heaven (Gen. 19:13). God did not destroy the Jewish nation and Jerusalem until the measure of their iniquity was filled (Matt. 23:31–35). Thus the Bible teaches that, whether God exercises his love or his wrath, both manifestations of these divine characteristics have as their common basis, justice.

As to the origin or cause of the manifestation of these divine characteristics, we may say that they differ. God is love, and the source of that love is found in God himself. God as triune, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, lived from eternity a life of love within his own being. And God, loving himself, decided sovereignly to create man in his own image, in order that he might see in him a reflection of his own perfect and lovely being for his own glory. This holds true for both creation and re-creation. Not so with his wrath, even though God’s justice will triumph in those that are lost. The cause of wrath is found in sin. God loves justice and righteousness because he is such himself, but God hates sin and iniquity because these are the contradiction of his holiness. He therefore causes his wrath to come upon those who commit such sins. As for man, sin originated with him in Paradise, and so did God’s wrath upon him.

To substantiate the truth that the cup of God’s wrath is finally filled, we call attention to what the last book of the Bible has to say about the time when the day of God’s grace is past and the day of his wrath is ushered in. In the book of Revelation all things come to a climax. The development of sin and grace run parallel through history. As the Bride of Christ prepares and makes herself ready to meet the Bridegroom, so the sinful world fills up the measure of unrighteousness to drink the cup of God’s wrath unmixed. We limit ourselves to a few quotations.

“Hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb.” (Rev. 6:16b)

“For the great day of their wrath is come.” (Rev. 6:17a)

“And the nations were wroth, and thy wrath came, and the time of the dead to be judged.” (Rev. 11:18a)

“And Babylon the great was remembered in the sight of God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath.” (Rev. 16:19b)

“And he (Christ) treadeth the winepress of the fierceness of the wrath of God Almighty.” (Rev. 19:15b)

From these Scriptures we learn that when the cup of God’s wrath against sin is completely filled by man’s filling up the measure of unrighteousness, it is poured out in full force upon sinful humanity.

God’s love cannot and will not be imparted without the lifting of his wrath. Also no sinner will ever feel the need of a Savior unless he has come under the conviction of sin. The basic lesson of the Bible is that “Salvation is of the Lord.” This is what Jonah said when he was in the belly of the fish and none but God could save him. Any sinner with that confession upon his lips will surely be saved from the wrath of God. He will forever share in the blessed love of God which is in Christ Jesus, from which no one and nothing shall be able to separate him. Both God’s love in the second Adam (or if you will, God’s love in its final stage) and his wrath (which is now become also the wrath of the Lamb (Rev. 6:16b) and reaches its final stage) are abiding and eternal in character. All true gospel preaching must and will proclaim both sides of the coin.

Upon several occasions brethren “untrained in theological science” have contributed unusually worthwhile articles to our pages, for which we give thanks to our God. Mr. Issac De Mey, long an elder in the Grandville Ave. Christian Reformed Church of Grand Rapids, MI, discusses the reality of God’s wrath against sin when speaking of his great love in Christ Jesus. It will interest our readers to know that this writer has never had one day of formal education in his life! From these pages you will learn to know him as a “self-made man” and, even more, “a man taught of the Lord.”