Sinners in the Hands of an ‘Unangry God’
By David Faust
American preacher Jonathan Edwards delivered a famous message in 1741 called “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God.” Don’t expect to hear a sermon like that anytime soon from a pulpit near you. Today, people prefer “an Unangry God”—an easygoing deity who makes no demands—a benign Grandpa in the Sky who judges no one and keeps smiling no matter what. Unangry God is a jolly Santa-like figure who treats every day like Christmas morning and always gives us what we want.
The trouble is, that’s not the God described in Scripture. In the Bible, wrath is a real attribute of God. Thankfully, it’s not his only quality or his dominant characteristic. And no, I’m not suggesting a steady diet of hellfire-and-brimstone sermons. But the truth is, if God had no capacity for righteous anger, it would create some difficult dilemmas.
An Unangry God creates a justice problem. The prophet speaks for many of us when he asks God, “Why do you tolerate wrongdoing?” (Habakkuk 1:3). The martyred saints wonder, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?” (Revelation 6:10). How can the “holy and true” Lord ignore evil and wave off injustice with a dismissive shrug?
An Unangry God creates a psychological dilemma. Anger is a natural response to wrongdoing. If someone hacked into your bank account and stole your life savings, how would you feel? Our revulsion toward evil and injustice reflects the fact that we are created in the image of God. If child abuse and Taliban brutality stir our emotions, why wouldn’t they move the heart of God?
An Unangry God presents a theological and biblical problem. If God has no wrath, why does the Bible say he does? Nahum 1:2; John 3:36; Romans 2:5; Ephesians 5:6; Revelation 14:10; and other verses speak plainly about this. Jesus never sinned, but he expressed righteous indignation.
Romans 1 reveals God’s displeasure toward sinful behaviors that our current culture asks us to tolerate and even celebrate, including homosexual acts. But if the only sin you notice is the homosexual kind, I challenge you to read this chapter again. God’s judgment falls on “every kind of wickedness” (v. 29). The catalog of evil in Romans 1 includes idolatry—serving created things instead of the Creator. And truth-twisting—replacing God’s wisdom with human opinions. The list includes all-too-familiar transgressions like greed, envy, gossip, slander, arrogance, boastfulness, and disobedience toward parents. On the list of offenders are those who “invent ways of doing evil” (v. 30)—like taking information technology with all its positive potential and misusing it to spread lies and disseminate pornography. Who deserves God’s wrath? Those who show “no fidelity, no love, no mercy” (v. 31).
Romans 1 debunks the myth of the Unangry God. God is holy, and sin deserves punishment. But we all sin, so is there any hope? That’s what the rest of Romans is about. Our holy God cannot tolerate sin, but as a loving, merciful Father he doesn’t want to treat us as our sins deserve. The solution? He sent Jesus to save us “from the coming wrath” (1 Thessalonians 1:10).
We shouldn’t deny God’s wrath, but we should appreciate his grace and say, as Jesus did, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit” (Luke 23:46).
Personal Challenge: Discuss God’s righteous anger with a trusted friend or with your small group. Since “God is love” (1 John 4:16), how can he also be a God of wrath? How does his anger toward sin fit with his love for sinners? As an added challenge, write a worship prayer that praises God for both his holy anger and his amazing grace.
Amen!