“Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed”
Romans 2:3-5 (NIV).
The day of God’s wrath. God’s wrath is something that I have definitely deconstructed over the past few years. I know what I used to think about it, and I’m pretty sure that picture is totally wrong. The God I know personally is not angry, vengeful, or resentful like an immature human. He doesn’t look forward to punishing us with curses and lightening bolts. That sounds more like one of the narcissistic, power-hungry pastors we’ve experienced lately—and I could name more than one.
As I’ve reconstructed my view of God’s wrath, I wanted to make sure that I didn’t discount it as a mistake from ancient writers. Too often I find that while conservative Christians take literal English phrases at face value, assume they know what they mean, and create rules around them, progressive Christians can also take literal English phrases at face value and reject them. It seems easy for us Western Gentiles to make prideful assumptions about an ancient text from an unfamiliar culture. I didn’t want to do that; I wanted the Eastern perspective. I wanted to know what Jewish people think about God’s wrath. So I did some digging.
“The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse”
Romans 1:18-20 (NIV).
I came across Dr. Eitan Bar, a Messianic Jewish man from Tel Aviv who has been deconstructing his legalistic, reformed faith and is working to reconstruct an authentic, historical faith. He is fascinating and I’d encourage you to read his writings. I’m going to quote part of an article he wrote on God’s wrath and also link it. Read the whole thing when you have time.
“When many Westerners hear the word “wrath,” they picture a storming deity with clenched fists, ready to smite. For centuries, this image has haunted pulpits and darkened the gospel. But the Hebrew Scriptures offer a very different vision—one far more tragic, far more loving, far more relational, and far more profound.
In biblical terms, God’s wrath is not divine fury but divine absence.
It is what happens when the Giver of life and protection steps back. When the presence of God—the very thing that holds all things together—is withdrawn, creation begins to collapse under its own weight. The bible doesn’t use the term wrath to describe an act of violence, but the silence after divine love has been ignored too long.”
In biblical terms, God’s wrath is not divine fury but divine absence.
Wrath is what happens when God steps back. When creation begins to collapse under it’s own broken weight. Wow. This is why we can’t stop at just tearing down our screwed-up, evangelical faith; we have to search, seek, and then rebuild it with better information. This understanding of God’s wrath changes everything!
“Wrath is the cold of the sun being covered. The silence of the beloved no longer speaking. It is God saying, “If you will not have Me, then I will not force Myself upon you.” It is not a tantrum—it is the ache of rejected love.”
According to another article by Dr. Bar, “Wrath serves as a descriptor for God’s deep commitment to justice, righteousness, and the welfare of His creation. It embodies the divine reaction that aims to rectify unjust or oppressive human behaviors, striving to reinstate harmony and prosperity in God’s creation.”
I already knew from previous study that the Hebrew words we translate as justice and righteousness have different meanings than we usually give them in the Western world. Righteousness is tied with generosity and justice is about restoring honor to someone stuck in shame. God’s justice is all about his desire for our restoration from a place of shame to a place of honor. He is bringing us back into connection to himself. And he is doing it generously. Lavishly. Scandalously. Because he loves us.
God has a deep passion for justice and righteousness. I feel that. I sense His passion and intensity but not fueled with unhinged anger—like often is imagined—but rather sadness. God’s passion, and his deep love, allows us to face the consequences of our actions because he is committed to our flourishing. He will let us go if that’s what we want, but it will break his heart.
“It is not a tantrum—it is the ache of rejected love.” ~ Dr. Eitan Bar
This is a totally different picture than the one we often get in the Western evangelical church. Too often we create a god in our own image, forgetting that the Real God is nothing like us. He just made us to be a little bit like him.
I am deeply committed to rediscovering the truth about Scripture rather than writing it off as outdated or mistaken. We can’t read every verse literally at face value in English, but neither should we discard it. Let’s dig to find truth. One more gem from Dr. Eitan Bar.
“The story of the Prodigal Son beautifully illustrates the Hebrew understanding of “God’s wrath.” Rather than an act of vengeful punishment, God’s wrath is His removal of protection, allowing individuals to experience the natural consequences of their sins. Yet, this same story is also a profound illustration of His love because even in His wrath, God’s ultimate goal is restoration, not damnation.
When the prodigal son returns, the father does not chase after him with anger nor punish him. Instead, he embraces him with love and celebration. This reveals the true nature of God’s wrath—it is not about vengeance but about awakening the sinner to repentance to avoid further suffering.
The prodigal son “suffered hell”—not as an act of divine cruelty, but as an opportunity for transformation, ultimately leading him back to the love that had always been waiting for him.”
Oh my goodness, this brings tears to my eyes! Read the rest of Dr. Bar’s article here: What is God’s Wrath? Hebrew Old Testament perspective. I think you will love it.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts, questions, or comments. You can find me on Threads, Instagram, Facebook, in the Substack app, and on my website. I’d love to connect with you on any of these places.
My podcasts, Religious Rebels and Looking for the Real God can be found here on Substack, and on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart Radio, and anywhere you listen to podcasts.
Order an autographed copy of Religious Rebels: Finding Jesus in the Awkward Middle Way by clicking on the button below.
by Dr. Eitan Bar 5 minutes read
I love this. Wrath has been one of those things that bothered me...seemed inconsistent and out of place. This makes so much sense.
Great insights! I’ve never heard that perspective on God’s wrath before. It makes so much sense given what we know about the Father through Christ.