Thursday, April 15, 2010

Romans 1:18-32; Giving up

The section starts out talking about the wrath of God. Not a popular concept. Somewhere along the way, God followers accepted the cultural mandate that wrath is always bad. If wrath is bad and God has it, then God is bad or so goes the logic. Yet I raise two questions.

First, is it always bad? Is it appropriate in the right circumstances? Is it appropriate for a father to be wrathful when he learns that his child has been molested? Is it appropriate for a mother to express wrath when she learns that her son was killed by a drunk driver? Is it proper for anyone to feel wrath when they are robbed of years of work and savings? I think we would all agree that it is appropriate; so why do we believe a God who has been wronged should never experience or express the same?

Second, I raise the question of what is God's wrath anyway? We envision the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah or tidal waves and lightning bolts. Yet, that is not what is said in these verses. Here, the wrath of God is pulling back his aid to let humanity do what it wanted anyway. It is "giving them over" or "giving up on" his creation. It is the father saying to his child, "OK, if that's what you want, I'll let you go do it but the consequences are all yours."

I think C. S. Lewis was write in the Great Divorce when he said, "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, "Thy will be done," and those to whom God says, in the end, "Thy will be done." All that are in Hell, choose it."

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