Rejection

11/28/2015

1 Thessalonians 5.9 9 For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ… - St. Paul

Wrath is mentioned 209 times in the English Standard Version, 173 in the Old Testament and 36 in the New. The Apostle Paul mentions wrath 3 times in 1 Thessalonians. Paul said, “…Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come.” (1.10); he said, “…wrath has come upon them (2.16); and he said, “… God has not destined us for wrath…” (5.9). The ancients understood the concept of wrath.

Biblical wrath is intended to convey anger, or more specifically, indignation. Were we to allow our hands to come in to contact with feces, we would quickly remove and vigorously cleanse our hands in disgust and indignation (probably preceded by the expletive: aaauggghhh!).

I have long struggled with the concept of wrath; not really understanding it. (Wrath isn’t a concept but a reality.) Wrath is real. Wrath is coming, has come, and is not destined for the children of God. I have misunderstood what wrath is until today.

Today, I think I came to the conclusion that wrath, in whatever form it appears, is simply, the rejection of certain people by God. Jesus said, “…but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven." (Matthew 10.33) This is a picture of wrath: Jesus denying someone before God. If Jesus rejects you, there isn’t a remedy. That’s scary.

Rejection is twofold here: the rejection of God results in the rejection of God. If I reject the Almighty, He rejects me. Simple math. That is wrath. Wrath is being rejected by God and all that comes with it. It’s one thing to not understand God; it’s another thing entirely to slam the door in His face.

Wrath is depicted as anger, but it really is more than that. Yes, our Lord gets angry but He never gets out of control. He is as perfect in His wrath as He is in His love. It’s hard to reconcile the two for us but it’s true. The consequences of wrath are devastating and irrevocable. It one is under the wrath of God, he is without remedy. (That sure makes the election of God appear different, doesn’t it?)

A good friend of mine held this view of God’s answering our prayer: Yes, No, Wait, and, if you insist. The insistence of men toward God that He cave to them is, to me, a good indicator of the invitation of wrath. God is not fooled by our attempts to manipulate Him, nor is He unaware of those who reject Him, His authority, His leadership, and His love.

Lord God, today I have new thoughts about You. I have new thoughts about wrath and its unfortunate but deserved and irrevocable consequences. May I work alongside You as You reach out to men to save them from Your wrath. Thank You for sparing Your children from its reach – Amen.