Topical Bible: The Anger of God is Righteous

Bible > Topical > The Anger of God is Righteous

◄ The Anger of God is Righteous ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of God's anger is a significant theme throughout the Bible, reflecting His holiness, justice, and love. Unlike human anger, which can be capricious and sinful, the anger of God is always righteous and purposeful. It is an expression of His perfect nature and His response to sin and injustice.

Biblical Foundation

The anger of God is depicted in various passages throughout the Scriptures. In the Old Testament, God's anger is often associated with His covenant relationship with Israel. When the Israelites turned to idolatry and disobedience, God's anger was kindled against them. For instance, in Deuteronomy 9:8, Moses recounts, "At Horeb you provoked the LORD, and He was angry enough to destroy you." Here, God's anger is a response to the people's rebellion and serves as a call to repentance and return to His ways.

In the New Testament, the anger of God is also evident, particularly in the context of divine judgment. Romans 1:18 states, "The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people who suppress the truth by their wickedness." This passage highlights that God's anger is directed towards sin and unrighteousness, underscoring His commitment to truth and justice.

Attributes of God's Righteous Anger

1. Holiness: God's anger is rooted in His holiness. As a holy God, He cannot tolerate sin and evil. Habakkuk 1:13 declares, "Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; You cannot tolerate wrongdoing." His anger is a reflection of His pure and unblemished nature, which demands justice and righteousness.

2. Justice: God's anger is an expression of His justice. He is a just judge who cannot overlook sin. Psalm 7:11 affirms, "God is a righteous judge and a God who feels indignation every day." His anger ensures that justice is upheld and that evil does not go unpunished.

3. Love: Paradoxically, God's anger is also an expression of His love. Hebrews 12:6 states, "For the Lord disciplines the one He loves, and He chastises every son He receives." His anger leads to discipline and correction, aiming to bring His people back to a right relationship with Him.

Purpose of God's Anger

The anger of God serves several purposes in the biblical narrative:

· Judgment: God's anger results in judgment against sin and rebellion. This is seen in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19) and the Babylonian exile of Judah (2 Kings 25). These acts of judgment demonstrate God's intolerance for sin and His commitment to justice.

· Repentance: God's anger is intended to lead people to repentance. In the book of Jonah, God's anger towards Nineveh's wickedness prompts Jonah's mission, resulting in the city's repentance and God's relenting from disaster (Jonah 3:10).

· Restoration: Ultimately, God's anger aims at restoration. Through His righteous anger, God seeks to restore His creation to its intended order. In the eschatological vision of Revelation, God's final judgment leads to the establishment of a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells (Revelation 21:1-4).

Conclusion

The anger of God, as depicted in the Bible, is a profound aspect of His character. It is always righteous, reflecting His holiness, justice, and love. Through His anger, God judges sin, calls for repentance, and seeks the ultimate restoration of His creation.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

Psalm 58:10,11
The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance: he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Lamentations 1:18
The LORD is righteous; for I have rebelled against his commandment: hear, I pray you, all people, and behold my sorrow: my virgins and my young men are gone into captivity.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 2:6,8
Who will render to every man according to his deeds:
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Romans 3:5,6
But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous who takes vengeance? (I speak as a man)
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Revelation 16:6,7
For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and you have given them blood to drink; for they are worthy.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

Righteous Anger.
... Is not the fire of most righteous indignation kindled within you for all ... upon you;
and does not the flame of that anger which is pleasing to God rise within ...
/.../unknown/recognitions of clement /chapter iii righteous anger.htm

Of Sins, and the Verses of the Sibyls Respecting them Recited.
... All the prophets, being filled with the Divine Spirit, speak nothing else than of
the favour of God towards the righteous, and His anger against the ungodly. ...
/.../chap xxii of sins and the.htm

The Likeness of God
... I find there that he is righteous, just, loving, merciful, and forgiving; and that
he is angry too, and ... When you read of God's love, justice, anger, and so ...
/.../kingsley/the gospel of the pentateuch/sermon ii the likeness of.htm

The Opinion of the Stoics Concerning God; of his Anger and ...
... For if God is not angry with the impious and the ... that He does not love the pious
and the righteous. ... consistent who take away at once both anger and kindness. ...
/.../chap v the opinion of the.htm

Christians are the Holy People Promised to Abraham they have Been ...
... Me to jealousy with that which is not God, they have ... For a fire is kindled from Mine
anger, and it ... mischief on them.' [2401] And after that Righteous One was ...
/.../chapter cxix christians are the holy.htm

Of the Loosing of the Devil, and of the Second and Greatest ...
... days shall be concealed under caves of the earth, until the anger of God against
the nations and the last judgment shall be ended. Then the righteous shall go ...
/.../lactantius/the divine institutes/chap xxvi of the loosing of.htm

Of Offences, and the Mercy of God.
... clothed liable to sin, that unless God were indulgent ... He is most patient, and restrains
His anger. ... been sinners, have afterwards become righteous; from being ...
/.../chap xx of offences and the.htm

The Pelagians Argue that God Sometimes Closes the Womb in Anger ...
... Argue that God Sometimes Closes the Womb in Anger, and Opens ... But God, who had the
holy woman's honour in His ... thou, O Lord, slay an innocent and righteous nation ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 27 the pelagians argue that.htm

The Anger and Grief of Jesus
... the thing which in the sight of God makes the ... and never to look round in anger,
unsoftened by ... in pity, enfeebled by being separated from righteous indignation. ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture d/the anger and grief of.htm

Psalm II.
... anger of God. This then they ought to say to themselves, let us "lay hold of discipline,
lest at any time the Lord be angry, and we perish from the righteous ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/augustine/exposition on the book of psalms/psalm ii.htm