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God's Gag Reflex
- 12/08/08
- 31
Read an outside view on Calvinists or Calvinism, and you are sure to read something about God's wrath. The God of Calvinism is a wrathful, vengeful God, boiling over in anger against any part of creation that has turned against him. He is no God of love, this. Sure, he may have some love for his elect, but to the rest of the world he is this angry, brooding presence eagerly awaiting the day of judgment in which he will cast the rest of humanity into the flames of hell.
I suppose Calvinists have sometimes given others reason to think that this is what we believe to be true of God. Perhaps Calvinists have at times erred by over-emphasizing God's wrath and have done so at the expense of his love. But this angry, vengeful God is not the true God of the Calvinist.
It is good and useful, though, to consider the relationship of God's love to his wrath. Are they equal characteristics or is one greater than the other? How can God both love and hate? Just recently I read a powerful response. It came from the pen (or more likely, the keyboard) of Michael Wittmer, professor of systematic and historical theology at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary. Do not let the title intimidate you. His new book Don't Stop Believing (his previous book is Heaven Is a Place on Earth--anyone else noticing a pattern here?) is a very good, popular-level look at some of the hard questions facing Christians today. One of those questions concerns the cross and whether, as some have suggested, a traditional Christian understanding of the cross is tantamount to cosmic child abuse.
In this chapter Wittmer explains how we can (and must) reconcile God's wrath with his love. "Scripture says that God is love and that he has wrath. This means that love lies deeper than wrath in the character of God. Love is his essential perfection, without which he would not be who he is. Wrath is love's response to sin. It is God's voluntary gag reflex at anything that destroys his good creation. God is against sin because he is for us, and he will vent his fury on everything that damages us."
Love is at God's very core. 1 John 4:8 says, "Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." Through all of eternity, God has been love; he has existed in a state of love of Father to Son, Son to Spirit, Spirit to Father. There has never been a time that God has not been expressing love; nor will there ever be. But God's wrath is far different. God has not always been wrathful. He has not always had to express anger. His anger is a reaction to a lack of love--a lack of love for him or a lack of love to others. Wrath is a response to sin. Thus wrath did not exist until sin existed. And as sin came to be, God had to respond to it in a way befitting his holy character. God's response to sin is wrath. How could it be otherwise? Sin is cosmic treason against the Creator of the universe. He must respond.
At the cross, God's love met God's wrath. Wittmer says, "Jesus endured God's wrath when he bore the curse of sin, but he also experienced God's love, for the cross was a necessary step in crowning Jesus as Redeemer and Ruler of the world, the Lord whose exalted name forces every knee to the ground. Similarly, though we receive unmerited grace from Jesus' passion, our old self of sin must die in order to rise to his new life of love." And so wrath is closely tied to love. If God did not love, God would not be wrathful. It is because of his love that God has to feel and express his wrath. We cannot neatly separate the two. "Every act of God flows from his love, even--and especially--those that demonstrate his wrath."
Is he a God of love or of wrath? God expresses both love and wrath, but where wrath is demonstrated, love is personified. God is love.
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Comments (31)
Tim,
Great post!!!! I can identify with saying that we have a tendency as Reformed folk to overemphasize God's wrath to the diminishing of His love. We must not let either truth be diminished!
Gives new meaning to "The Gagging of God"...
Tim, that was an excellent post. Thank you.
Gods greatest expression of love was demonstrated in His greatest pouring out of His wrath on Christ.
Thinking more about this, would you say that just as God is love, God also is truth (Titus 1:2; 1 John 1:5-6)? Does Wittmer talk about this as well? If God was not truth, He would not be God either.
Could it be that God's wrath is actually the expression of His love for Himself?
Good post! One of the most helpful ways that I've ever heard this explained was in one of Tim Keller's sermons-- it was one of his sermons from the end of the Gospel of Mark; I'll have to look it up later. But he talked about the way that we feel towards a friend who is struggling with an addiction, an abusive relationship, or something else of that nature-- our love for that person makes us feel angry, and rightfully so! If we were not angry at that person's inability to stop using whatever substance they're addicted, or at the person abusing them, I don't think we would really be loving them.
Or think about how we feel about rape, genocide, cold-blooded murder, injustice: if we're not, on some level, angry about those things, how loving are we towards our neighbors?
So while I totally agree with your assessment of God's character and His response to cosmic treason against His goodness totally requiring just wrath, I wanted to quickly share another aspect of understanding God's love and His wrath that has helped me appreciate His nature all the more.
This is great stuff! This is why Romans 1:24 freaks me out so much: "Therefore, God gave them up...". "It is God’s voluntary gag reflex at anything that destroys his good creation." So when people insist on having their sin over God he gives them up to the downward spiral of creation-destruction.
"Scripture says that God is love and that he has wrath. This means that love lies deeper than wrath in the character of God."
To say this is rather short-sighted, given the fact that Hebrews 12:9 says that "our God is a consuming fire."
I prefer R.C. Sproul's approach, grounding all of God's attributes in his holiness.
He makes some good points, although I don't care much for the analogy of a "gag-reflex", which makes God's wrath sound entirely reactionary, involuntary, and uncontrollable instead of the measured and controlled frame of mind of an eternally self-controlled and stable Being toward events ordained from before the beginning of time to display His glory.
I'm not sure.....although I hate to even start thinking about it because it will take up my whole day and I've got other things to do.
I think wrath is not fundamental like love is, but only because wrath is simply an expression of God's justice—his righteousness. God's justice, then, is the fundamental attribute that wrath expresses.
It's similar, I'd think, with grace. Grace is an expression of God's love. Without creation, neither wrath or grace would be expressed, although the fundamental perfection from which they come would exist within God with or without creation.
I don't have a problem with the term "gag reflex" if we remember it is VOLUNTARY...
Yes, God is in Heaven and does whatever He pleases (Job 23:13; Psalm 135:6)
But God does not always do what He does as from the heart:
"For He does not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men." (Lam. 3:33)
"My people are bent on backsliding from Me. Though they call to the Most High, none at all exalt Him. How can I give you up, Ephraim? How can I hand you over, Israel? How can I make you like Admah? How can I set you like Zeboiim? My heart churns within Me; My sympathy is stirred. I will not execute the fierceness of My anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim. For I am God, and not man, the Holy One in your midst" (Hosea 11:7-9)
"Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live? For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed best to them, but He for our profit, that we may be partakers of His holiness. Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. (Hebrews 12:9-11)
"Indeed we count them blessed who endure. You have heard of the perseverance of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord—that the Lord is very compassionate and merciful." (James 5:11)
'' '...God is against sin because he is for us, and he will vent his fury on everything that damages us' ''
If this is the case then why do people suffer God's fury? Sorry if I am missing something here.
Laurie, I didn't even consider that, but you make a good point.
A misinterpretation and/or misunderstanding of God's wrath vs His love is not limited to interpretations of Calvinism. I realize that that's where you probably see the issue most, but it's a lot wider than that.
Oh, and good article! I just meant that the applications are even wider.
"I suppose Calvinists have sometimes given others reason to think that this is what we believe to be true of God. "
And Arminians as well.
This is an excellent post. Thanks.
Michael Wittmer is a fine teacher, and has some great things for the Body of Christ.
My niece was reading Proverbs, and asked me,"Where does knowledge begin?"I said with fearing the Lord. She said, "I thought we were to love the Lord, and love and fear don't go together?"
I asked her if she went home tonight and was a bad girl, and broke something in the house, and was mean to your sister, then would you be looking forward to see your Dad when he got home?She said, "No, not really." Yet you know your Dad loves you?
Our heavenly Father needs to be feared in this way, not for His all consuming wrath.Before I was a Christian, and was a child of wrath, then I needed to come to see this truth. And yet God with His great love and mercy....
I told my niece that God loved her more than her Dad did. She said, "I think they have the same amount of love for me."
It's so graea to talk with 7 year old children who believe in Christ.
One of my favorite J. I. Packer quotes:
"If you want to see God's love, look at the cross. If you want to see God's wrath, look at the cross."
I agree with the statement our God is a consuming fire. Love is not the essential nature of God, though that has become the popular view. Love is a part of the essential nature of God. God said my name is Jealous. Name is a signatory for nature. Wrath, i.e. jealousy is part of the essential nature of God. So it is incorrect to say that wrath came about in God with the advent of sin. Far from that, wrath, as an expression of perfect justice as the defender of the perfect holiness of God is part of his eternality.
The Calvinistic balance does not exalt one attribute of God's nature above the other. And, the fulfilling of God's purpose will always be met in the fulness of the Godhead and that expressed in the Son. For this is the testimony that he has come in the flesh the fulness of the God head in bodily form and for judgement he came. Often what people do is bifurcate Christ as the expression of the love of God and diminish his rightful rule as Judge of souls. Jesus is the same yesterday today and forever and will express in finality that which he has always been, the Hammer of the Lord. When he returns he will return with a sword of vengence. This is who God is, both the God of love and the God of wrath, reconciled in One, the Christ.
Oh divine simplicity and essentialism, what a boon to bear . . .
To say that God's essential nature is not love, seems rather monadic to say thus vitiating any notion of perichoretic unity between the Father, Son, and Spirit. In other words, to deny love as the "essential" of God's ousia presupposes a "God behind the back of God."
Thanks for posting that. I've been thinking about that area of theology a bit lately and that helps it make more sense.
Amen, Rebecca. You wrote what I was thinking. ]and now i don't have to think about it all night :-) ]Thanks
Your blog is wonderful and you are a gifted writer.
I understand that we use the term 'wrath', but I've always had trouble with it's definition in relation to what it really means to God.Furthermore, do you think God has ever truly felt hatred? Maybe toward him in his persecution, but do you think he has ever felt hatred towards a person? I don't think so. But what does your knowledge tell us about this?I don't think the anger of hatred should be confused with 'the wrath of God.'
I think people use the term 'hate' too loosely. It's always been a pet peeve of mine.Do people really know what it is to 'hate' someone or something? I don't. And I don't think I ever will.
In Judaism, we believe in a loving God. Expressions in the bible of God's "wrath" are only considered manifestations of His dissatisfaction with OUR behavior and OUR treatment of our bond together. And even these expressions are only meant to inspire us to change our ways. The idea of a god being vengeful for the sake of vengeance is completely foreign.
"Do people really know what it is to ‘hate’ someone or something? I don’t. And I don’t think I ever will."
Jesus tells us to hate ourselves. It's good to detest one's own love of sin, and love of self.Job said, "I abhor myself". And God commended him that he was speaking rightly.
Surely we love ourselves, that's a given. That's why Christ said we need to deny ourself, and even hate ourselves.
It's our sinful nature that we need to hate, and so then we will love Christ, our family, our neighbor, and even our enemy.
"Hate that which is evil; hold fast to that which is good." Rom. 12:9
Christian Jewelry, Gods wrath is as much a part of Gods nature as His love, God could not shown mercy if it were not for His angry and just nature, likewise He could not be wrathful if He was not holy and just. If you reject these truths, you do not know the God described in scripture. I only say it this way because you said it "is completely foreign". and that may be more true than you realize.
Regarding the widows mite. Worth a read as to the real meaning behind this often misused scripture.http://www.gty.org/Resources/Sermons/42-252
A very thought provoking post Tim!
Mr. Twitchell wrote: "Wrath, i.e. jealousy is part of the essential nature of God. So it is incorrect to say that wrath came about in God with the advent of sin."
But for the very existence of sin, what need would our Lord have for wrath?
In Christ,
Dan...
Dan, We know God exists outside of time and is immutable. Thus it would appear scriptural to say that He has been angry with sin from all eternity. Has He always been a merciful God? Likewise, yes, even when in time there were not as yet creatures on whom to display mercy. I think we need to be careful about seeing Him securing characteristics on an as-needed basis. He reveals His attributes in the course of human events, but does not derive essence nor characteristics from human sources or actions.
All, as others have touched on here, we need to be wary of attributing Him with only the traits we prefer. Either He is all that He has revealed in His word, or an idol of our own fabrication.
Reply: Christian Jewelry & donsands Good points to both of you and thank you for your explanations.I guess I'm still a little unclear with this whole subject because it seems these answers would suffice then to say that it is human nature or inherent to hate because God reminds us to "hate" that which is evil and hate ourselves; then are we saying that though since we have the ability to 'hate' we are supposed to abide by these rules God has laid out for us, i.e.: “Hate that which is evil; hold fast to that which is good.” Rom. 12:9"? So is it when people mistreat their ability to hate per-se, that this is when God exercises his wrath? For example committing a crime or doing someone harm? I suppose I can understand that, but then why would God really grant us the ability to be able to feel hatred? Why would a loving God want us to know that emotion, doesn't it make us susceptible to commit sin? Did he do this so that we can use this definite against evil? I'm not trying to be controversial, I'm just trying to make clarity out of this topic. Thanks all.
"Did he do this so that we can use this definite against evil? "
Love is the rule for the child of God. We are to love even our enemies.
But there is "A time to love and a time to hate;A time of war, And a time of peace (Ecc. 3:8)."
Hating should be rare for the disciple of Christ. And it should be for the sin which brings shame to our Lord. And for the hurt and damage evil does in this world. As abortion does, for instance. We legally kill innocent babies in the name of freedom. I hate abortion, because it kills the image of God for selfish reasons.
Do I hate Obama because he wants to make it concretely legal, and so killing babies will become permanently constitutional--(which it isn't to begin with). No, I don't hate him, but I hate what he wants to do.If I do find hate in my heart for him, then I need to repent, and ask the Lord to bless him, and forgive me.
That's how I see it. It is a deep subject.
#26 - Darrin,
I have a tendency to be verbose when I comment on Tim's blog and I was trying to be polite, respectful, and succinct. I believe that you and I are on the exact same page as to the immutability (unchanging nature) of our Creator. Perhaps a better way to say what I was trying to say is this: Without the existence of sin, what reason would God have to be wrathful? In my attempt at brevity, I obviously didn't communicate my meaning very well did I? Perhaps I also miss-interpreted Mr. Twitchell's comment. If so, I apologize. I put no limits on God's emotions. But God's wrath is in response to sin, and what I was trying to say is that without the existence of human sin (the fall), we would know nothing of God's wrath.
Also, there seems to be the tendency here for some to use the words wrath and anger somewhat synonymously. Sin angers God. God abhors (hates) sin as it is the very antithesis of His Holy nature. However, God's wrath is a response to sin and has multiple forms. For example God's wrath can be exercised in the form of a direct action against a foe, and can also be found in His wrathful removal of His divine protection, as was done to Israel when they repeatedly turned away.
Thanks for your correction as I'm sure that many others read my note in a likewise manner.
In Christ,
Dan...
P.S. So much for my attempt at brevity.... ;--)
"But God’s wrath is in response to sin, and what I was trying to say is that without the existence of human sin (the fall), we would know nothing of God’s wrath."
There is a difference between the expression of a trait and the existence of the trait; the difference between the phenotype and the genotype, one might say. I would take exception to the claim that without sin we would know nothing of God's wrath as an attribute of God, for God said to Adam that in the day he did eat he would die. God's wrathful nature is eternal with his nature of love, just as his holiness. As creator, he has always been creator even before the in the beginning.
Anyway, the idea of a divine simplicity (non-neo-Platonic) in God is bastardized by those who do not comprehend that God is not divided into compartmentalized attributes. Despite the fact that we speak of God as this or that, what he is he is in all ways eternally and no attribute is alone without the others. That does not mean that there are no true relationships within or external to God. Quite the contrary. The incarnation is the primary example that God has true relaltional expression. Christ came as Godman, savior, judge and high-priest familiar with and able to sympatiize with man and he is the expressed image of the Godhead bodily. Beyond that we are informed that God as trinity is eternally in relationship. We tend to think anthopomorphically as creatures with boundaried relationships, isolate from but relating to others. God though is both the God without and the God immanent. An impossibility for us, essential to God. We likewise, the imago dei, are not merely love and not wrath. We are not, or were not intended to be merely, I without other. For infact man and woman were taken from one and for the expressed purpose tha two should become one. The fact is, we act out both love and wrath, and they by nature are not sinful. It is proper, Ephesians states to be angry without sin, and to do what is right by our wrath. And Paul expressed godly jealousy. It is quite contrary to both human nature and the nature of God to say that one becomes their nature by opportunity. As Edwards expressed, the action "is" by the nature of the actor, virtue. Wrath did not become in God in reaction to external forces, God is immutable. God's wrath, is eternal, one with his love, so he says My Name is Jealous.
Dan, thanks for your gracious response. I actually thought I might be misreading you, but as you observed, it's good to be sure even if for the sake of other readers.Thomas, good thoughts. Sometimes the metaphysics can get a little heavy for some of us, but I appreciate that you are striving for biblical precision on this topic as on others.