Is God Angry All The Time?

God is Angry viewpoints:
God is mad. God hates me. I’m a failure. If I mess up then God is going to smite me.

Where does this incorrect view of God come from?

Poor Christian Witness – By individuals and Churches
Our parents and other authority figures in your life
Our own guilt and shame
Misunderstanding the Bible

What does the Bible say? Is God angry?
Answer = Yes and No.

Examining this from the perspective of…

Our Head (Logically)
Our Heart (Emotionally)
Our Hands (The way forward)

1. The Head

Theology = the study of God.

Historical Theology
Biblical Theology
Practical Theology
Systematic Theology
and more.

Systematic Theology looks at the whole teaching of the Bible and puts it together to form a system of Christian belief.

Example: The Trinity

What does the whole of Scripture teach us on the anger of God?

God is Holy

“There is no one holy like the LORD; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God.”
1 Samuel 2:2

God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and nothing is hidden from Him. God is infinite and eternal. He is perfect and holy – that is, set apart and completely different from all of Creation.

God is Just

“And the heavens proclaim his righteousness, for he is a God of justice.”
Psalm 50:6

God is a just, righteous God. Our standards of goodness and what it means to be right and wrong, stem from the nature and character of God.

God’s Wrath

The holiness and justice of God in action is called the wrath of God. The essence of evil is rebellion against the holiness of God. The justice of God then takes action to make it right.

“The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and vents his wrath against his enemies. The LORD is slow to anger but great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished.”
Nahum 1:2-3a

“Wrath/anger” in the bible (Greek: “orge”) expresses “the deep-seated anger of God against sin. This anger rises from His holiness and righteousness.”

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.”
James 1:19b-20

God’s Love and Mercy

“And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness.”
Exodus 34:6

What do we deserve
*The wrath of God, or the love and mercy of God?*

“As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.”
Ephesians 2:1-3

“For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God”
Romans 3:23

“For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord”
Romans 6:23

What We Get in Christ

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus
Ephesians 2:4-6

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we -be saved from God’s wrath through him!
Romans 5:8-9

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus”
Romans 8:1

*”Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on them.”
John 3:36

The redemptive work of Jesus on the cross is two fold

He saved us from wrath.
He saved us to a new eternal life, a relationship with God.

As a believer in Jesus, you are no longer condemned-but now embraced by your Heavenly Father.

The Penalty, Power, and Presence of sin

Believers have been freed from the penalty of sin
Believers are progressively freed from the power of sin in their lives
Eventually, believers will be freed from the presence of sin

2. The Heart

Now what do we do with this in our heart? How do we move past this feeling of inadequacy to know God as our Father?

The Lost Son
Luke 15:11-32

3. The Hands

Is God Angry?
Yes.
God as the perfectly holy and righteous God is angry with the evil in this world and His divine wrath will make it right.

As God’s Child, is He angry with you?
No.
He wants the best for you

God is the God of second chances

Reflection Moment

Where is your compass leading you?

Is it pointing to True North or an inaccurate view of God?