Synopsis: It is frequently said that the God of wrath belongs in the
Old Testament and the God of love belongs in thee New. How
true iss this? Is it possible, in any case, for God at one and the
samee time to be a Godd of wrath and love?
In the Old Testament the thiings that make God angry include:
Mistreatment of widows and orphans; idolatry; ingratitude;
disobedience; rebellion; sexual immorality; breaking an oath;
occult involvement; pride; helping the wicked; mocking God’s
messengers; desecrating the sabbath; syncretism in religion….
Overall there will be a Day of Wrath.
In the NT wrath is mentioned in Jn 3:36; Rom 1:18, 2:5,2:8, 5:9,
9:22; Eph 2:3, Col 3:5; 1 Thess 1:10, 5:9….
There are also references in Revelation but, by its very nature,
apocalyptic literature is not literal history or reporting: it is
full of picturesque language, symbols etc..
The only use of “wrath” in Jesus’ reported speech occurs in
Lk 21:23 but this again is in the context of apocalyptic language.
The parallel passages in Mt and Mk do not use the word.
Fundamentalist preachers are prone to represent Jesus’ death
as God venting His wrath on the victim on the cross. There
is nothing in Jesus’ speech or in the New Testament as a
whole to warrant this interpretation.
There are various metaphors in the NT covering Jesus’ death:
Love, sacrifice, ransom, justification, an example, death to sin,
death to the Law…..
Different gospels emphasise different aspects of Jesus’ death:
In Mt Jesus is crucified as a messianic pretender
In Mk Jesus’ death is a revelation ( the centurion at the cross)
In Lk Jesus’ death is a martyrdom
In Jn Jesus’ death is seen as exaltation.
The Johannine writings are full of love; for example,
The love of the Father for the disciples moves Him to adopt them
as His children. Jesus loves His disciples to the extreme and
lays down His life for them. The Father loves the Son. God is
love. When love is perfect, there is no longer room for fear: the
potential hostility which fear implies is annihilated in perfect
love, which unites totallly.