It’s quite obvious from the last couple of posts that I am reading through the book of Revelation right now. This is always a challenging book for me, because in many places it speaks of a part of God’s character that I would like to forget some times. God is holy (no concern here) and His holiness does produce wrath at times. Wrath is a reality when we walk against God’s holiness and justice.
I’d rather speak about grace than wrath. Still, it is the reality of God’s wrath that gives grace it’s meaning. When any of us compare ourselves to God’s holiness we will always fall greatly short and find ourselves worthy of His wrath. This is the wonder of grace. God offers shelter from His own wrath to anyone who is willing to accept it and trust Him for the power to live a new kind of life.
The broader testimony of Scripture tells me that God’s preference is to lavish His grace on people. His wrath is a necessary reality in light of His character and ultimately limits the scope and consequences of our own evil. So, I can trust in God’s grace even as I am made aware of the reality of His wrath.