Wrath, unlike love, is not one of the intrinsic perfections of God. Rather, it is a function of God's holiness against sin. Where there is no sin, there is no wrath-but there will always be love in God. Where God in His holiness confronts His image-bearers in their rebellion, there must be wrath, or God is not the jealous God He claims to be, and His holiness is impugned. The price of diluting God's wrath is diminishing God's holiness.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that God's wrath is a response to sin, distinct from His everlasting love. It asserts that true holiness involves a reaction against rebellion, supporting the concept of divine justice.
D. A. Carson articulates a theological perspective where God's wrath is not an inherent quality but a reaction to sin that arises from His holiness. He argues that where sin exists, God's holiness necessitates a response of wrath, which affirms His moral standard. The quote contrasts God's love, which is constant and unchanging, with His wrath, which is contingent upon human rebellion. By stating that diminishing God's wrath compromises His holiness, Carson underscores the importance of recognizing both aspects of God's nature in understanding the divine character and justice.
In practice
During a sermon discussing God's nature and attributes, one might quote this to illustrate the balance between love and justice.
Both God's love and God's wrath are ratcheted up in the move from the old covenant to the new, from the Old Testament to the New. These themes barrel along through redemptive history, unresolved, until they come to a resounding climax - in the cross.
It is a cheap zeal that reserves its passions to combat only the sins and temptations of others.
Many of us in our praying are like nasty little boys who ring front door bells and run away before anyone answers.
There is a certain kind of maturity that can be attained only through the discipline of suffering.
The kingdom of heaven is worth infinitely more than the cost of discipleship, and those who know where the treasure lies joyfully abandon everything else to secure it.
Failure to believe stems from moral failure to recognize the truth, not from want of evidence, but from willful neglect or distortion of the evidence.
Human models are more vivid and more persuasive than explicit moral commands.
Because he is a living divinity, when he acts, the universe acts.
A great fortune is a great slavery.
The pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts, and the great art of life is to have as many of them as possible.
Don't compete with me: firstly, I have more experience, and secondly, I have chosen the weapons.
Do this. Don't do that. Stay back in line. Where's tax receipt? Fill out form. Let's see license. Submit six copies. Exit only. No left turn. No right turn. Queue up and pay fine. Take back and get stamped. Drop dead— but first get permit.
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