Series: The Judged
Message: You Idiot
Preacher: Damian Chandler
Reflection: Sam Millen
Live Wonder: Zan Long
Live Adventure: Zan Long
Live Purpose: Jessyka Albert
Editor: Becky De Oliveira
Refresh: Begin with prayer. Ask for the Holy Spirit to open your heart to new understanding and for God’s character to be revealed.
Read: Romans 2:1-11in the English Standard Version (ESV). Note 1–3 insights or questions.
Reflect: In his book, Jesus the King: Understanding the Life and Death of the Son of God, Tim Keller refers to God's wrath as "The Wrath of Love." Keller challenges those who say, "I don't like the idea of the wrath of God. I want a God of love." He writes, "The problem is that if you want a loving God, you have to have an angry God. Please think about it. Loving people can get angry, not in spite of their love but because of it. In fact, the more closely and deeply you love people in your life, the angrier you can get. . . . If you see people destroying themselves or destroying other people and you don'tget mad, it's because you don't care" (p. 193).
However, there are limits to comparing God’s wrath with human emotions. When we think about God, we are reduced to analogies and the constraints of human language. As much as I agree with Keller’s view on God’s wrath as a "Wrath of Love," I also want to balance this perspective with Greg Boyd’s helpful insights. In the end, is it God who punishes and destroys those He loves—the depraved heathen in Romans 1, along with the self-righteous moralists in this passage, or is there another way to see it?
Greg Boyd has written numerous books on these questions and I have had the privilege of meeting him and listening to several of his presentations. His view on God’s wrath can perhaps be summed up by one line: “Sin is innately self-destructive, and when God allows that to happen (evil to do what it does)—that is the wrath of God.” So Paul’s warning is clear to those who continue rejecting God’s love. There will come a day when they will be destroyed by God’s wrath—which means God will allow evil to run its course. The good news is you and I don’t have to fear that sad day because God has already absorbed the results of evil on our behalf.
Recalibrate: Are you troubled by the concept of God's wrath, even if assured it doesn't apply to you?
Respond: Pray for those who are hurting themselves and others.
Research: Listen to Greg Boyd's podcast.
Remember: "For God judges all people in the same way" (Romans 2:11, ICB).
Sam Millen is an Australian whose self-imposed exile in North America started 20 years ago. He has been a school chaplain, Bible teacher, youth pastor, associate pastor, and district pastor in conferences across the United States and Canada. As the current pastor at Anacortes Adventist Fellowship, Sam is utilizing the Washington State Ferry system to commute between Orcas Island (where he lives with his wife, Angie, and their three kids) and Anacortes.
The Bible says in The Message version of our Words to Remember, “God makes up his own mind.” Put a selection of food out for your child to sample. Include different textures and tastes; sweet, savory, and sour. Take note of the expressions of your little one as you explore taste together. Note what types of food your child is drawn to. They will make up their mind on what they like and don’t like. God’s plan for us is to live on love—that love would be our staple favorite.
The Bible says that when we criticize someone else we condemn ourselves.That’s like punching ourselves in the nose—imagine doing that! When we pick on someone else we are picking ourselves apart. Let’s stop doing that. If you don’t think you can, remember . . . all things are possible through Jesus. Amen.
Paul tells us that God judges all people in the same way. How does that make you feel? If you have brothers or sisters, do you think it would be fair if your parents always punished you but never your siblings? Sometimes we might feel like that with God. We sometimes feel like we have to pay the consequences but some people don't and that's just not fair. We can't always see how our parents or God discipline justly, but we have to trust that they know what is best and in the end they will always be fair. Paul also tells us that God will give glory, honor, and peace to everyone who does good. Do you think that's true? How can you put your faith in that today?