Category Archives: Wrath

Bible, Consequences, Indignation, Scripture, Sin, Wrath

A WARNING

ROMANS 2:8

“but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation.” 

If-Then statements have been used by parents forever. “If you clean your room, then you can go out and play.” I am sure you heard a few of those growing up. If-Then statements can also be used as motivation in the workplace. “If you meet your sales goal, then you will receive a nice bonus.” But If-Then statements can also be used to give a warning, like in today’s verse. It is not exactly an If-then statement, but you’ll catch my drift when you read the verse.

Paul says if we “are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness,” then “He will give wrath and indignation.” You see what I mean – If-Then! God gives us a clear warning what will happen if we do not obey. If we choose ourselves, don’t obey the truth but obey unrighteousness, He will bring His wrath and indignation on us. Why? Because God can not tolerate deliberate, willful, sinful behavior. Contrary to popular opinion, not everyone will be in heaven. You have to obey the Lord to receive entrance.

APPLICATION

What exactly is this “wrath and indignation”? The Greek word for “wrath” is orge and it is used here to show “the settled, righteous opposition of God to sin,” (Topical Lexicon). Jesus warns us of this wrath in John 3:36. “‘The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.’”

“Indignation” is the Greek word thumos and “is used of God’s perfect, holy wrath in Revelation (Rev 14:10,19,15:1, etc.). This anger is directed against sin with intense opposition and without sin.” (HELPS Word studies) Therein lies the difference between our indignation and God’s – He does it without sinning (which of course He can’t do). We, on the other hand, get caught up in our indignation and can react sinfully.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to face that one day. I want to be welcomed into the bosom of God with the words “Well done, my good and faithful servant.” I have no fear of His wrath and indignation because I know in whom my hope lies. It lies in His Son, Jesus Christ, Who loves me and died for me. How about you?

Thank You, Lord, for the freedom from Your wrath and indignation.

If the Lord should lead you to support our ministry, check out our ministry page at Trans World Radio (www.twr.org/carl-willis). 

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Anger, Behavior, Bible, Scripture, Speech, Wrath

THROW OUT THE TRASH

COLOSSIANS 3:8

“But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth.”

When I come in from working outside, my wife makes me take my clothes off in the garage and then directly to the washing machine. She can’t stand the smell of my sweat and dirt. I have to lay those things aside to distance myself from them in order to cleanse myself.

That’s the picture Paul is painting in today’s verse. Strong’s Lexicon explains this so well. “The Greek verb apotithémi is used in the New Testament to convey the action of putting off or laying aside something, often in a metaphorical sense. It implies a deliberate action of removing or discarding something that is no longer needed or is considered inappropriate. This term is frequently used in the context of moral and spiritual transformation, where believers are encouraged to “put off” sinful behaviors and attitudes.”

APPLICATION

This verb is only used 9 times in the New Testament. In James 1:21 it says, “Therefore, ridding yourselves of all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls.” To truly receive the Word, you have to get rid of all the stuff in your life that seeks to draw you away.

In Hebrews 12:1 the Holy Spirit tells us, “Therefore, since we also have such a great cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let’s rid ourselves of every obstacle and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let’s run with endurance the race that is set before us.” You can’t run and drag this stuff with you. You have to throw it away.

What do you need to rid yourself of today? It may not be “anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech,” but it still needs to go. You need to be unhindered, ready to run. Lay all that stuff aside and pursue the race He has for you.

Oh Lord, give me the strength to lay these things aside and never pick them up again.

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Bible, Disobedience, Scripture, Wrath

SONS OF DISOBEDIENCE

COLOSSIANS 3:6

For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience,”

Have you ever encountered a disobedient child? I have. I worked over thirty years in the Foster Care system and dealt with a lot of children who had never been taught how to obey. They rebelled against any authority figure. It was quite difficult to turn these behaviors around. The secret? Jesus!

Paul warns the Colossian believers and us that God will not tolerate outright rebellion. The Greek word for “disobedience” is apeitheia. “In the New Testament, “apeitheia” primarily refers to a state of disobedience or unbelief, particularly in relation to God’s commands or the gospel message. It denotes a willful refusal to be persuaded by divine truth, often resulting in a hardened heart and rebellion against God.” (Strong’s Lexicon)

APPLICATION

This word is used seven times in the New Testament. Let’s look at a couple of them and see how it applies to us. In Romans 11:32 we read, “For God has shut up all in disobedience, so that He may show mercy to all.” God deals with disobedience so that He may show mercy. What?! Listen, God wants everyone to come to Him. So, He will deal with the disobedient so that they may be drawn to Him.

How about Ephesians 2:1-2? “1 And you were dead in your offenses and sins, 2 in which you previously walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” It is Satan who spurs us towards disobedience. God did not make you that way. He desires obedient children.

How are you obeying today? Is your heart turned toward Him or your own pleasure. Decide today you will obey your King and Master. He longs for fellowship with you. We obey because we love Him, not to get His love.

O Lord, lead me in a way to obey You in all things.

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Bible, Deception, Devil, Disobedience, Evil, Scripture, Wrath

WORLDLY DECEPTION

EPHESIANS 5:6

“See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”

Many years ago, when I was on a trip, I was propositioned by a lady while I was eating my dinner alone in a restaurant. I had seen her and another lady sitting across the restaurant at another table when I was seated. About halfway through my meal she approached and asked if I was interested in some “company.” I proudly raised my left hand, pointed at my wedding band and said, “Sorry, I am happily married.” She said back very quickly, “That’s okay, honey. She won’t know.” I told her again that I was not interested and she walked away.

Worldly deception has been around a long time. Paul warned the Ephesians about it in today’s verse. All the things in which they had been involved (see verse 5) and all the things their unbelieving friends were still practicing were a lure by the evil one. They were probably saying things like, “Oh, come on. You’ve always participated in these things. They are our custom.” These “sons of disobedience” were being used by the evil one to try and drag these new believers right back to their old lifestyles. Paul says, “No, you have a new life now.”

APPLICATION

In Romans 2:7-9, Paul shows us the contrast between being a child of obedience versus a child of disobedience. “7 to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor, and immortality, He will give eternal life; 8 but to those who are self-serving and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, He will give wrath and indignation. 9 There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of mankind who does evil, for the Jew first and also for the Greek,”

We will always have people in our lives who will try to lead us astray. Even other believers who are deceived may try to do this. So, how do you protect yourselves? James 1:22 says it rather simply. “Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” We have to live out the Word of God in our daily lives. We have to walk in truth.

2 Corinthians 11:3 is another verse I have memorized about this worldly deception. “But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray for your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.” Stay sharp. Stay in the Word and set your mind on things above. 

Lord, guard me against any worldly influence as I walk with You

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Abiding, Accountability, Bible, Choices, Desires, Flesh, Lusts, Mind, Scripture, Wrath

WE WERE THERE

EPHESIANS 2:3

“Among them we too all previously lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the rest.” 

It is so easy to get caught up in a mob mentality. One minute you are discussing something calmly and then things get heated. The next thing you know, you are shouting and screaming at each other. The bigger the crowd, the louder it gets. We’ve seen all the protests lately all over the world. People who have no idea what they are protesting are yelling, chanting and doing things behind masks they would have never done a year ago.

But don’t point your fingers. Paul tells us in today’s verse that we were there. We were just like them. He says, “we too all previously lived.” In other words, don’t forget that this is where you came from. Then Paul describes some of our actions in the past. We “lived in the lusts of our flesh.” We indulged “the desires of the flesh and mind.” We “were by nature children of wrath.” Let’s look at these past actions of ours to remind ourselves of where we have come from and to never return there.

APPLICATION

What are “the lusts of our flesh”? Benson says in his commentary, that they are “the base appetites of which we were enslaved” that cause us “to forget the dignity and happiness of rational and immortal spirits.” Did you get that? These lusts drive you to do things. Paul includes himself in this description. He also struggled with these before Christ rescued him.

Then Paul further defines these lusts. He says they are “the desires of the flesh and mind.” These desires affect both the body and the mind. They are our actions and our thoughts. I have been reading a book lately that says our thoughts lead to words. Our words lead to actions. And our actions lead to habits. (Take Captive Every Thought by Jeff Rowe) How true that is. When we give in to our thoughts, things can progress very quickly.

Paul finishes this thought by saying we, “were by nature children of wrath.” Boy, that sounds harsh, doesn’t it? Listen to what Barnes says about this phrase. “I do not know a more strong or positive declaration that can be made to show that people are by nature destitute of holiness and exposed to perdition.” Wow! But that was us BEFORE Jesus. Praise be to God we are no longer there. Sin no longer has a grip on us. We are free to do as God wills. Amen!

Father, thank You for freeing me from these lusts of the flesh and my tendency to sin. I have Your Holy Spirit living in me.

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Asking, Belief, Bible, Blasphemy, Choices, Confession, Heart, Judgment, Salvation, Scripture, Wrath

HARD-HEARTED

ZECHARIAH 7:12

“‘They also made their hearts as hard as a diamond so that they could not hear the Law and the words which the LORD of armies had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets; therefore great wrath came from the LORD of armies.’”

I’ve known some pretty hard-hearted people in my days. They cared for no one but themselves and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted. I later learned how damaged these people actually were. They had all been hurt by someone, so they decided to hurt before they got hurt again. It’s very sad.

The Lord refers to some individuals who “made their hearts as hard as a diamond.” The Hebrew word translated diamond can also be called adamant or flint. It was a hard rock or gem that could not be scratched or engraved. It was impervious to change. These people God is referring to had rejected the Holy Spirit’s leading through the prophets and were now destined for wrath.

APPLICATION

In Acts 7:51 Stephen gives us a good picture of this. “‘You men who are stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears are always resisting the Holy Spirit; you are doing just as your fathers did.’” One of the most dangerous things you can do is resist the Holy Spirit. He is the One who draws us to the Father. He is the One who shows us the way to salvation and is the seal of that salvation.

Matthew 12:31 Jesus tells us, “‘Therefore I say to you, any sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven people, but blasphemy against the Spirit shall not be forgiven.’” The unpardonable sin! Rejecting the Holy Spirit. We don’t know how many “chances” we have to respond. There may be a breaking point when the Holy Spirit stops wooing you if you continually reject Him. Just like those “hard as diamond” people in today’s verse, you refuse to be affected by the Spirit.

I am so grateful that I did respond on that day back in 1977. I heard the Holy Spirit loud and clear. I continue to hear Him as He directs me each day. I pray if you are believer that you are hearing Him. And if you are not a believer, stop and listen. Ask the Spirit of God to speak to you. He will. Then you must decide how hard your heart really is.

Thank You, Lord, for sending Your Holy Spirit to woo me and win me. I am so glad He lives within me.

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Anger, Belief, Bible, Grace, Salvation, Wrath

AN ANGRY GOD

ZECHARIAH 1:2

“‘The LORD was very angry with your fathers.’” 

Let me tell you – I knew when my dad was angry. There was no doubt about it. I did not want to make him angry. I would do just about anything to not do that. Did I ever do that? I have to admit that I did. I won’t go into what I did. Just suffice it say it went against his expectations of my behavior.

Zechariah begins his book with this short but pointed sentence. Jehovah God said He was very angry with their fathers. What an opening salvo. Pull the pin and toss the grenade. Boom! What do you think they expected after that statement? Well, we will see in the next verse what happened. These Israelites knew the sins of their fathers. They had been judged by God and taken into exile because of them. So, this opening by the Lord was a known fact.

APPLICATION

The Hebrew word for “angry” means to crack off, burst out in rage, be displeased, be provoked to wrath. When we are outside of Christ, we face that anger of God. God’s wrath had to be appeased, which it was in His Son, Jesus. Because we have accepted His Son as our Savior, and only because of that, we no longer face that wrath.

John 3:36 tells us, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” One of the most well-known verses is Romans 6:23. “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That’s pretty clear, isn’t it? So, how do you share this to others before it is too late?

Sharing your faith is not hard. You just have to ask the Lord to give you the opportunity and then be watchful for that. When the opening comes, step out and do it. Just share what the Lord has done for you. He has taken away His wrath from you. Everyone wants that. Help someone today to experience it. You won’t regret it.

I am so thankful for the blood of Jesus which satisfied Your wrath, O God.

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Anger, Battles, Bible, Confession, Repentance, Scripture, Sin, Wrath

BURNING ANGER

ZEPHANIAH 3:8

“‘Therefore wait for Me,’ declares the LORD, ‘For the day when I rise up as a witness. Indeed, My decision is to gather nations, to assemble kingdoms, to pour out on them My indignation, all My burning anger; for all the earth will be devoured by the fire of My zeal.’”

Have you ever been so mad you could spit flames? I have a few times. I am reading a book right now about anger. It’s entitled “Unoffendable.” The author is Brant Hansen. He has some pretty good ideas in the book, but it really is about us allowing Christ to transform us more into His image and living like that. I really don’t have a reason to get angry, according to Brant.

That does not apply to God. He says in today’s verse that His “burning anger” will devour the earth. God’s wrath on the nations and kingdoms that opposed Him will be made known. They will not be able to stand against Him. This is not the place you want to be. They did not understand that. God’s anger is always directed at sin.

APPLICATION

Do you get angry? Why? Think about it for a minute. There is no one or nothing that can really make you angry. We all make the decision to get angry. Saying someone or something made you angry gives all the power to them. You don’t want to do that, do you? James 1:20 tells us “The anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.” So, all that talk about having a righteous anger is just that – talk.

We need to let go of the anger that is in. We are not God. We do not have the right. Only God has that right. Paul says in Ephesians 4:26-27 that our anger, if allowed to become sin, only gives the devil a foothold in our lives. That is certainly something we want to avoid. You can’t give him an inch.

So, what’s the answer for our “burning anger”? Confession! Repentance! Yielding to God’s authority. That’s the only way. Today, if you start to feel anger rising up, stop it and confess that as sin. Allow the Lord to purge that anger from you. He can do it. Do it today.

Father, I admit my sin of anger. I confess that as sin. Forgive me.

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Accountability, Accused, Belief, Bible, Forgiveness, Justice, Love, Redemption, Repentance, Salvation, Scripture, Wrath

SHOT ACROSS THE BOW 

NAHUM 1:2 

“A jealous and avenging God is the LORD; the LORD is avenging and wrathful. The LORD takes vengeance on His adversaries, and He reserves wrath for His enemies.” 

I love an old warship movie. Watching two goliaths battle it out on the open sea is incredible. Some of the battles the French and English had were historic. They would come up broadside to each other and let the canons roar. One or both ships were probably going down. One may limp away but would be seriously damaged. There were no warning shots across the bow. 

Nahum lets loose with all the canons. God is jealous and avenging. He is avenging and wrathful. He takes vengeance on His enemies. He gives wrath to His enemies. Wow! There was no doubt that Nineveh was in trouble this time. No more Mr. Nice Guy. They had their chance and blew it. 

APPLICATION 

Aren’t you glad our God and Father does not treat us that way? I would be a “dead duck.” No! Our God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. He cares for the wounded and bleeding. He reaches down and brings us up through the healing power of the blood. 

Don’t get me wrong. If you are not a believer, God is wrathful. He will hold you accountable for your sins. But He has given a warning shot across the bow of your life. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die for you. He is offering you a way of escape from the wrath to come for all unbelievers. 

I am so thankful God gave me that warning shot. I am thankful He pulled me into His family and made me whole. I am so, so thankful for His Word which guides me daily. I do not have to worry about God’s wrath. I have His peace. Do you? 

Father, I know You demand justice. But Hallelujah! You rescued me that day and gave me a new lease on life. 

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