The Exchange

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions. For their women exchanged natural relations for those that are contrary to nature; and the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error. And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. Though they know God's righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. - Romans 1:18‭-‬32 ESV

Rev Dwight Yoo

The reality of God's wrath

We often forget the wrath and anger of God. We try to sanitize the Bible of things like hell. We think it is impossible for a loving God to also be angry and full of wrath. But anger can be the fruit of love. If God loves what is good and pure, then it is normal to be angered by evil. God created all things and His fingerprints are found throughout creation. But people do not treat God rightly; they deny Him because they are rebellious and do not wish to submit to God.

The reason and result of His wrath

If we don't worship God, we will worship created things. We will worship all sorts of things: relationships, spouses, career, and sex. We derive our worth from created things instead of God. In rejecting God, we eventually end up rejecting the natural order. God designed sex to happen between men and women in marriage. But society looks at that as unnatural... How constrained and unfulfilling it must be! Humanity just wants sex with anyone and everyone. So what is natural is seen as unnatural.

The Gospel challenges us in our perceptions, our lifestyles, and our very identity. This challenge is for both believer and unbeliever.

So how does God's wrath show? God gives them up to their idolatry. They desire these things rather than God, so God allows them to have their way. That is what God's wrath looks like. He gives us up to these twisted and messed up desires. It is both God's charge against us as well as a punishment. We become slaves to our desires and experience perpetual disappointment as our idols fail to deliver on it's promises.

The remedy for His wrath

God sends his son Jesus, to save these prodigals. Jesus is sent from the heavenly home to retrieve us from a life of sin. He exchanges our lives of idolatry for a life reconciled with God, fulfilled by Jesus' death and a perfectly lived life.