The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Panorama City, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed from the tape, GC 45-21, titled "Bible Questions and Answers." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE.
Question
"What is God's purpose for judgment and wrath?"
Answer
I think that I can just answer that just very simply.
1. It is to punish those who reject Him, and that is simply what the Bible
says. God's wrath is set to punish. Romans 1:18, "The wrath of God is
revealed from heaven against all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
who hold the truth in unrighteousness." God will punish them for that.
There is a price to pay for the rejection of the truth. So, the first
purpose of God's judgment and wrath is punishment.
2. I would add a second purpose. I really believe that secondly (and this
is in a large theological framework) I believe that God's purpose for
punishment is the ultimate elimination of evil from His kingdom, once and for
all, and forever. In other words, I think God, throughout the history of
man, in allowing sin, allowed it in order that He might destroy it. Do you
understand what I am saying?
If there is an up--there is a down, and if there is an in--there is an out,
if there is a left--there is a right. In other words, we live in a world of
opposites. And if there is a good--there was always potentially an evil, and
eventually that evil was made manifest. It was as if God had allowed it to
happen so that He could once and for all destroy it. He allowed it to run
its full course, with its full power, and its full impact, and shows in the
end that He can utterly destroy and eliminate it from His eternal kingdom.
All of this is happening in a brief span, in the mists of eternity. Once
evil has finally run it course and God has finally set it aside, it will
never again exist throughout all of forever. And so I believe that there is
a sense in which there is an individual perspective that God is angry because
He is punishing individuals for rejection, and on a broader scale God is
exhibiting His wrath for the purpose of ultimately destroying evil and
setting it in the place it belongs--outside His kingdom forever and ever.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur’s Questions and Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
Box 119
Columbus, New Jersey, USA, 08022
Websites: www.biblebb.com and www.gospelgems.com
Email: tony@biblebb.com
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