My earliest memories of wrath are of my mom. She was a great mom, but she wouldn’t put up with nonsense or misbehavior. When I grew up, discipline meant spanking, so my mom would sometimes spank me if I had done something to seriously displease her. My earliest crime, maybe at the age of three, was to unroll an entire roll of toilet paper into the toilet. And flush it. I don’t actually remember this incident, but it lived on in family lore. I was duly punished, and my mom unclogged the toilet and cleaned up the mess.

When I did something I supposed was forbidden, especially when I disobeyed a direct instruction, I was subject to a whole cocktail of feelings. I dreaded my mom finding out, but part of me wanted to confess and get it over with. I also felt a kind of anticipatory shame at having displeased her even though she wasn’t yet displeased. I knew she would be when she knew.

In this context, punishment served several purposes. It served as a deterrent against future misbehavior. It provided much needed catharsis for my own feelings of guilt and shame. It allowed my mom to express her displeasure without harming me¹. It taught me to regulate my own behavior with both fear and love². It also taught me that my mom’s wrath was not personal; she never punished me because she didn’t like me. In fact, after a spanking, she would always pull me in for a comforting hug and dry my tears. I knew very well that I was loved unreservedly and unconditionally.

I think we can become confused about what God is like when we consider his wrath. We might either deny his wrath altogether because his very nature is love. Or we might question his love, thinking that he has some personal vendetta because we have offended his honor. God’s wrath isn’t personal. It is meant to make us examine our ways and amend them where needed. Our criminal justice system is based on the same principles. It would be unjust if judges decided cases based on whether they liked the defendants. Likewise, the aim of the justice system is reform (although we tend to hear much more nowadays about the ways our system has become corrupted by racism, classism, power, and wealth). Ideally judges pass sentence with a view to encouraging offenders to reconsider the path they’re on and make changes that will ultimately benefit themselves. Only in the most egregious cases, where offenders display a pattern of violent behavior or show no remorse over an especially heinous crime do judges impose the maximum sentences: life in prison without parole or in many states execution. In such cases, the aim is no longer reform but isolation from society.

In the same way, God’s wrath is a warning to us because, no matter how loving and kind he is, if there is no force behind his precepts, they can’t produce the changes he intends in order to bring about the kingdom of heaven. His is a kingdom where everyone is devoted to doing what is good and right at all times, not through fear of his wrath, but through love of his goodness and beauty. Such a kingdom cannot be obtained by violence or force. It can only be obtained through patient persuasion, kindness, and self-sacrificing love.

But what of those who refuse every overture of his love and kindness? What of those who would rather pursue their own way regardless the cost to anyone else? For even divine patience must have its limit. Those who continue to insist that what God calls evil is good or good evil cannot be left to wreak havoc in his kingdom throughout eternity. For such people there can only be the maximum sentence: life in prison without parole or ultimate destruction³. So if we have any hope or expectation of ultimate justice⁴, God’s wrath is essential to it.

1. Nowadays spanking is widely regarded as intrinsically harmful. Of course, there are no doubt many parents who continue to rely on it as a method of discipline. My own view is that when properly wielded in unquestionable love, it can be effective without doing significant harm. However, there is a whole range of disciplinary techniques that can be used without striking a child. These appear to be just as effective as spanking, perhaps even more so. Physical discipline is occasionally appropriate when there is no time for a nonviolent approach or when the objectionable behavior is exceptionally destructive or dangerous. ↩︎
2. I have written before about how both love and fear can motivate good behavior. My son Chad has also contributed, and my niece Raine added her thoughts. ↩︎
3. Christians are still divided about whether the damned endure eternal conscious suffering or are annihilated. I think the difference is not very important. Neither end is desirable, and I’m really not certain which is more merciful. ↩︎
4. By “justice” I mean that everything is put right. I don’t mean a vindictive pleasure in the suffering of offenders. ↩︎