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Faith

Righteous anger

Anger is an emotion that never feels quite right. Everyone experiences anger, but we usually try to suppress it because it usually stems from selfishness, jealousy or some other self-serving and sinful motive. Expressing anger is embarrassing because it reveals to others that we lack self-discipline and control over our emotions. So it seems strange to hear about God getting angry, as exemplified in chapter 15 of the Revelation:

I saw another significant and amazing omen in heaven: seven angels with the seven plagues. These are the final plagues, because after them God’s wrath is finished… One of the four living animals gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the anger of God, who lives forevermore. The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power. No one was able to enter the temple, until the seven plagues of the seven angels were finished.

So where does God’s anger or “wrath” come from, and is this the same God who loved the world so much that he sent his only son so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life? If you love someone deeply, you will inevitably feel anger towards anything that harms the object of your love. So yes, God loves us, but he is angry towards the sin that harms us.