Understanding the Wrath of God in Christian Theology: Insights from Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

What does Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones say about the modern church's attitude toward the doctrine of the wrath of God?

According to Dr. Lloyd-Jones, there is "a tendency to avoid it in almost every section of the Christian church, evangelical Christians included." He notes that many people "stumble at this" doctrine and try to avoid dealing with it, despite the fact that it is an essential biblical teaching that appears repeatedly throughout Scripture and Christian history. The doctor emphasizes that all the greatest evangelists throughout church history - "Augustine, Luther, Calvin, Knox, great Puritans, Whitfield, Wesley, Jonathan Edwards, Spurgeon" - laid great emphasis on this central doctrine.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones differentiate between human wrath and God's wrath?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that misunderstandings often arise because people think of God's wrath in terms of human wrath, which suggests "some kind of rage" or "a lack of control, a man almost beside himself." He clarifies that God's wrath is nothing like this, as such lack of control would be "unthinkable" in God's character. Rather, "wrath means God's hatred of sin." God hates sin because it is "abhorrent to God" - everything that "belongs to the realm of darkness and of sin and of Satan is abhorrent to God." God's wrath is simply "God's view of sin, God's hatred of sin, and God in his justice and his righteousness, dealing with sin and punishing sin."

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain that the wrath of God has been "revealed from heaven"?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones explains that, like the righteousness of God (Romans 1:17), the wrath of God has been "revealed from heaven" (Romans 1:18). By "from heaven," Paul means it has been revealed "with all the authority of God." Lloyd-Jones lists several ways this wrath has been revealed:

1. In human conscience - our innate sense of right and wrong
2. In the physical consequences of sin
3. In the state of creation and nature (thorns, thistles, etc.)
4. In the universality of death
5. In biblical history (Adam and Eve's punishment, the Flood, Sodom and Gomorrah, etc.)
6. In general history and the fall of civilizations
7. In the teaching of the Old Testament (Psalms, prophets)
8. Most significantly, in the cross of Christ

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones identify as the ultimate revelation of God's wrath against sin?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones identifies the cross of Christ as the ultimate revelation of God's wrath against sin: "There is nothing in history anywhere which in any way approximates to this as a revelation of the wrath of God against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men." He explains that "God's attitude towards sin is such that he can't pretend he hasn't seen it," and this attitude "demanded the death of his only begotten son." At the cross, Christ was "bearing the wrath of God against sin." Lloyd-Jones points to Christ's agony in Gethsemane and his cry on the cross ("My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?") as evidence that he was experiencing the full wrath of God against sin.

How does Dr. Lloyd-Jones explain the relationship between God's wrath and God's love?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that God's wrath and God's love are inseparable aspects of His character: "The two things are always together, and you can't separate them." He states that "before we see the love of God in the cross, we must see his wrath." In fact, "it's only as you have some conception of the depth of his wrath, that you'll understand the depth of his love."

He explains that at the cross, it was "God himself who found the way whereby his own wrath could express itself against sin. And yet the sinner not be destroyed, but rather justified, because his own son had borne the punishment." This shows both God's wrath against sin and His great love for sinners.

What does Dr. Lloyd-Jones teach about the nature of God's final judgment?

Dr. Lloyd-Jones teaches that God's judgment has several key characteristics:

1. It may be immediate in this life, but not necessarily: "God's wrath may be manifested against sin immediately, here and now... Still is quite frequently, but not always."
2. It can be postponed: "Some men's sins are opened beforehand, going before to judgment. And some men, they follow after."
3. It is absolutely certain: "It may be immediate, not of necessity, but it will come. It's going to come. It is absolutely certain."
4. It will be a final judgment: "There is to be a last judgment, a final judgment, an ultimate, a last assize."
5. It will be eternal: "God's punishment of sin is eternal. If you believe in eternal life, you must believe in eternal destruction."
6. There are no second chances after death: "There's nothing in the scripture about another chance, another hope, another opportunity beyond death."