Does God Get Mad at us Today? | thelighthousejournal

Does God Get Mad at us Today??
by Rick Campione

A dear friend of mine asked a very good question some time ago and I hear it being brought up of late as this country goes through a very difficult time. What does scripture have to say about God being mad at us today?

Astute bible students can certainly refer back to pages and pages of God meting out His wrath against people. For starters, we could look at the flood account in Genesis chapters 6 and 7. Due to man's rebellion and sin against God, a heavy driving rain flooded this plane we call earth. In addition, the fountains from beneath sprung up:
"...And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened. 12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights...." - Genesis 7:10-12

This was not a local flood as some scholars would teach, but instead the bible tells us that: And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark. And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days. - Genesis 7:17-24

The next renowned judgment of God involves the immorality and debauchery of Sodom and Gomorrah and the destruction that followed shortly thereafter: Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground. - Genesis 19:24,25

We could go on and read about how the nation of Israel kindled the wrath of God against them. In fact starting in Leviticus 26, God gave this disobedient nation explicit instructions of how His wrath would even increase based upon their rebellion. It is a biblical and scriptural fact that God did indeed get angry with mankind and He did pour out His wrath on many occasions and threatened to do more at other times. However, as stated earlier one must be biblical, scriptural and dispensational (or understand how God was dealing with mankind at that time of the scripture is referenced). The word "wrath" is used roughly 207 times in the entire bible with a good majority of it in the old testament. However, the good news today friend is that all at once, God the Father placed His full and unwavering wrath upon His Son at Calvary for our sins and on our behalf so that through His death, burial and glorious resurrection we can boldly say:

Romans 5:9 - Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him
1 Thessalonians 1:10 - And to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, even Jesus, which delivered us from the wrath to come.
1 Thessalonians 5:9 - For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

God is no longer mad at us! He does not allow things to happen in the world "to get our attention". To suggest so is not only out of context and disregards that He has graciously changed His dealings with the human race, it is not what the risen Lord Jesus Christ told our apostle Paul. I also find it very convenient how frequently people talk on God's behalf for justice in order to motivate them in some "spiritual" or political fashion...or as a means to control someone's view on a particular topic. But how about that God is just not in the judgment business…..

I would like to confess of a time when I gave an individual some of "my infinite wisdom" concerning a tragedy in a young man's life. My idiotic, legalistic response: "Maybe God was trying to get your attention." If I could only tell that person how wrong I was and that He, under this wonderful dispensing of grace is not in the "lightening throwing business". If there is a pastor or leader out there that I can encourage not to make the same mistake I did, please listen! For the last 2,000 years, God has withheld His wrath so that all may respond to the glorious message of salvation through the finished work of Jesus Christ. That we, through simple faith in His death, burial and resurrection would not only be saved from the debt and penalty of our sins but be made as righteous as God Himself (justified) through Christ if we'd only accept that gift! He, under this age of grace, does not motivate by fear. We know this to be true as we read the old testament. Mankind (even Noah) himself fell immediately into sin, right after the flood. The nation of Israel continued to belly-ache and long for the "cucumbers and leeks" of Egypt shortly after God delivered them by the parting of the Red Sea through Moses. God would show His power, mercy and goodness and mankind would rebel in his response. Fear deep down, never motivated man to serve God and it never will. However, for some reason, it is the main motivator for believers today as many wait for "God to drop the other shoe"! Worse, "helping" God appeals to our fleshy desires and is further propagated through many ministries today in order to gain "faithful attendance" and needed dollars. In other instances, this self-affliction (the belief that God is waiting to zap us...) that believers instill on themselves flies directly in the face of what Jesus Christ revealed to Paul on our behalf! Paul starts each of his letters to us with "grace and peace" from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. If we were under the watchful eye of a God waiting to pounce on us when we stepped out of line, how then could we have grace and peace? Shortly after the attack on 9/11, a well-known bible teacher and scholar boldly stated that the attacks on the United States were a direct result of God's judgment due to the immoral conduct of this country (if I could paraphrase a bit...). If this were true, then God would not be stopping there my friend! He should just keep it coming because we are all morally bankrupt and corrupt. However, those of us that have trusted in the completed and finished work of Jesus Christ for our salvation and accepted His right standing, have now been placed in Christ (Ephesians 1:4, Romans 12:5)! So then, if God the Father has a problem with me, He would then have to have a problem with Jesus Christ which we know is impossible!:

Romans 5:1 - Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
2 Corinthians 5:17 - Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
Ephesians 2:19 - Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

So then, if God the Father has a problem with me, He would then have to have a problem with Jesus Christ which we know is impossible!"

For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. - 2 Corinthians 5:14-21

This article does not deal with the consequence of sin from a social or horizontal perspective (man to man) or what would be approved of by God when we have to give an account to Him (1 Cor. 4). However, all sin: past present and future has been dealt with at the cross so that when believers sin today, God sees the righteousness of His Son! Let this fact, as well as further study of the love of God under this dispensing of grace, be the motivator to change our conduct for "we are complete in Him"!