Day of Wrath
Lesson Aim: To show that the person who appears to be “getting away with sin” will be judged.
Scripture: Rom. 2:1-11.
Word definitions from the New American Standard Bible:
- Wrath-(Greek, Thumos) hot anger, an outburst of wrath from inward indignation.
- Indignation- (Orge) an abiding condition of the mind with a view to taking revenge – an abiding anger.
- Tribulation- (Thlipsis) Primarily means a pressing, anything that burdens the spirit.
- Distress-(Stenochoria) anguish, strait place, distress arising from that condition.
Lesson
There is a day coming called the “Day of Wrath.” This is the same day God’s righteous judgment will be revealed. God’s wrath and indignation will be upon those who practice evil deeds. God’s rewards will be revealed for those who practice good deeds. There will be no favors done for anyone. There will be no favored groups – no castes. It will not matter what claims people may present, judgment will be based on one’s deeds.
Most of the people who live in this world today have suppressed the truth about God and His plan for mankind. It may appear from the “eye of man” they are getting away with something. They are able to enjoy the riches of this world and gain the praises of their fellowman. However, these scriptures assure us the apparent absence of God’s immediate wrath is, in reality, being stored up for the “Day of Wrath.”
God’s wrath is now upon anyone who does not accept His new covenant because God has given him over to the lust of his or her heart. This present wrath of God is sometimes overlooked because of the worldly riches and honors attained by some of these people. However, this is viewing life from the eye of lustful flesh and not from God’s view (I John 2:15-17). His present wrath is upon the ungodly and the result is weak character. God’s present manifestation of wrath will be nothing in comparison to His wrath and indignation on “that Day.”
These two words, thumus and orge, mean God is now storing up wrath with a view to taking revenge and this revenge will be rendered in hot anger toward all who practice evil deeds. Can you imagine standing before God and having Him become furiously angry with you? The result will be eternal tribulation and distress. This is what it means to be in Hell. Study the meaning of the four words in our word definitions to understand how terrifying the Day of Wrath will be for the evil doer. No one will get away with anything. It will not matter of who they are, or what they intended to be, but whether their deeds were evil or good (I Tim. 5:24).
Now let us consider the rewards given “to those who by perseverance in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality.” V. 7. They will have eternal life with glory, honor and peace (V 10). Verse ten is a description of eternal life. Christians get what we now seek. Please note the change of only one word from what we seek in verse 7 and what we get in verse 10. We seek immortality now and then we get peace then.
The knowledge of good and evil inherent in mankind starts to give tension in our adolescent years. The tension will develop between our spirit and the desires of our flesh (Gal. 5:16). Peace will come for Christians when our spirit is housed in our immortal body (II Cor. 5:1-5). We will need to fight to keep our tendency to lust in a dormant stage as long as we live in our physical bodies. If we make provisions to provide for our tendency to lust we will most likely sin (Jas. 1:13-15). If we sin we will use our knowledge of good and evil in conjunction with our conscience to condemn ourselves. We must live with this tension as long as we live in our bodies “in Adam.”
According to our scripture text, there are only two groups: Those who are steadfast in doing good and those who are selfishly ambitious. The philosophy of this world, generally, is to bestow the highest honors on those who are selfishly ambitious. We can understand this and would go along with it, if this world were all there is to life. The person who has suppressed the truth about his or her Creator thinks this world is everything. They seek mortality, at all cost. However, they accept the revealed truth in the Bible about God, they also learn the truth about our purpose for living.
Mankind’s purpose is to develop personalities like Jesus Christ and live eternally with God. In God’s discipline by tribulation exercises to develop sons for His kingdom they have moments of honor and glory (Heb. 12:4-13). Glory may come immediately after they have met a challenge in life and became equal to it. The goal is to enjoy glory, honor and peace in Christians’ new immortal bodies. This will be with God. This is eternal life.
What is happening at this present time? The answer: Christians are in training now. We are steadfastly doing good deeds so we can develop like Jesus. The practice of good deeds now is God’s training exercise to develop personalities for sons in glory. The only way to develop strong character is to practice good deeds. We do love (the verb) to be love (the noun). God is love (I John 4:16).
Christians know the truth about God; however, His wrath and indignation will be on some Christians on Judgment Day because they did not practice good deeds (Luke 8:14). Good deeds come from healthy emotional attitudes. They reveal the condition of the heart. Doing good deeds also helps to develop healthy passions (hearts).
We should note the absence of the word grace in the scriptures when the subject is the Day of Judgment. Mercy will be there for those who have shown mercy (James. 2:13).
Questions for Discussion
- Describe the Day of Wrath.
- What will be the topic of discussion on Judgment Day, grace or deeds?
- Why does it appear some people are “getting away with something” today?
- Explain what is happening in God’s mind toward those who appear to be “getting away with something.”
- Today, how is God’s wrath expressed upon the people who suppress the truth?
- What will be the results of God’s wrath on an evil doer at Judgment?
- Will it matter who we are according to culture or what we aim to be on Judgment Day?
- How are the two groups of people categorized in this lesson in regard to their motives in this life?
- What are the rewards for those who do good?
- What is the goal for those who accept the truth?