God’s Wrath

1) Who is Paul addressing in this passage and how do they relate to the “disobedient” ones being described? (verses 1-2)
Paul is writing his letter to the house churches in the city of Ephesus. Paul had visited Ephesus several times on his missionary journeys throughout Asia, and had worked hard to plant and develop the churches in that area. Paul had left a husband and wife team, Priscilla and Aquila, in charge of shepherding and leading the Ephesian believers. (Acts 18:18-21) This letter would have been circulated to all the homes where churches were gathered and would have been read aloud many times. Ephesus was an epicenter for worship of Greek gods and goddesses, even businesses thrived on the worship of these false deities. (Acts 19:21-41) Paul countered false worship by pointing people to Christ, the only One worthy of worship, as he preached the gospel to the Ephesians. As he writes this letter, Paul is reminding the now-believing Christians in Ephesus to remember their own story of coming to Christ. Once, before hearing of Jesus and surrendering to Him as Lord and Savior, they were dead in their sin. Pau writes how they once lived “according the ways of this world” (verse 2), which would have quickly reminded them of the empty belief system they had once held onto as they followed the popular culture crowd of worshipping statues. Paul reminds them of their personal history in order to refresh their eyesight in how they viewed the people the living around them in Ephesus. Worship of Greek gods and goddesses was still the popular norm for their neighbors and friends (the disobedient ones). Instead of looking at them with condemnation, Paul urges them to remember they were all enslaved to Sin before Christ.

2) What does it mean to be “under God’s wrath”? Isn’t God love? (verse 3)
Yes! God is love. Verse 4 describes God has having rich mercy and great love. It is His essence, His core. In fact, Scripture defines God as love. (1 John 4:19) The writer of 1 John goes on to describe how, for those who have trusted Christ, they now are given the magnificent grace of continuously abiding (think: living every moment) within that wonderful, rich love of God. (1 John 4:16) They never need to fear being removed from that sweet, all-encompassing love of God, because every believer is embraced in God’s love precisely because God is love. We aren’t wrapped in love because of any good deed or perfect strategies we have devised. Yet, to be loving necessitates wrath. At first, you’re curious, as it seems counterintuitive. However, consider the relationship between parent and child. Anyone who threatens the life and happiness of a child, is at great risk of experiencing the passionate wrath of that parent. The child molester, the murderer, the kidnapper. Each of these titles make our insides angry, as they should. To love perfectly, requires wrath to be present to keep out evildoers. John writes in his letter that it’s because of this great love of God wrapping endlessly around His rescued ones that they can have supreme confidence on the day of judgement. (1 John 4:17) Those who have trusted Christ, know they are safe in the love of God. Those who haven’t, are the objects of God’s wrath. (verse 3) His wrath is purposely necessitated because He so radically loves. There must be a distinct line drawn. For God to create a haven where no sin would mar it, and no evil would invade it, and no pride would arise, there must be magnificent love to create this safety, but there also must be significant wrath vehemently raging against all evil to keep it out. This is the love, and the wrath, of God.

3) What are the benefits of being saved by grace? (verses 7-10)
The benefit of being saved, rescued from the wrath of God because it was poured out on Jesus Christ instead of us, is obvious. Everyone who calls on the Name of Jesus (Romans 10:13), now has the opportunity to be made alive in Christ and saved for eternity, forever enjoying the sweetness of relationship with God as He originally intended. Death for eternity is now banished for the these who trust Christ fully. The wrath of God has forever been removed, and in its place, Christ’s righteousness now covers us where ugly sin once stained us. The sweetest part, however, of being “saved by grace through faith” is that while we couldn’t manufacture our own righteousness in order for God to extend His grace to us, neither are we expected to maintain a certain level of righteousness for God’s grace to remain upon us. There is nothing we can do to earn our salvation, and there is nothing we can do to keep it. Salvation begins and ends with the triune God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit without a single performing act on our part. As Paul writes, “no one can boast”. (verse 9) We are saved from death, we are raised to life, and we our eternity is secured because in the grand timeline of God Almighty, we are already seated with Christ in the heavenlies. Nothing can steal away our inheritance, not even ourselves! (verses 5-6) This! This is just the beginning! More grace, boundless and free, will define our new reality as we live out eternity with Christ, as He forever displays His loving kindness towards us! (verse 7)