The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Thessalonians — Section 25

WTiting 80 much to thl' Thcssalonians a.bout the seoond coming, he should introduce th,, fut.ure wrath. The full expression in this ple.oe, "the wrath to COilie," had alrt•ady bee" u~ed hy on<' who could preach the tcm>rs of the Le.w. Wh<'n the Baptist saw many ,,1 t~e Phart~t'e.« and Sadducees coming t-0 his baptism, he said unto them," Ye offspring ,,1 vtpen,, who warned .vou to flep from the wrRt.b to come?" Paul, standing after thegreal MessiRnic manifestat.ion, could say more definitely and mildly, "Even Jesus, which deliveretb us lrom the wrnth lo come." (1) The reality of the wrath. By the wrath of God we are to understand the disposition which leads him to inflict. punishment for sin. lt cannot be said of God that he is wrathful, or that wrath is the predominant feature In his chancter. For "be delightetb in mercy;" but "ju<lgment is bis strange work." When m<'n put themselves in opposition to God, while he is displPased, he is abo grieved. \\'e read of the grieving of the Spirit; of Christ, while looking round on his audience with anger, being grieved at the hardening of their hearts. Even when God, from necessities of government., may have to r<"move the reprobate from his presence, there i1 not wanting the tone of indignant rebuke," 08.8t ye out the unprofitable servant into the onter rlark11ess: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of teeth." But with this righteous indignation there is no mingling of malice, but only a feeling of infinite reluctance t.o resort to such a measure with any of bis creatures. It is supposed to be derogatory to the Divine character that there should be wrath in the heart of God at all. But how is he to regard sin? Is sin to be committed under his government, and no notice to be taken of it, especially when it is of the very nature of sin to strike at the Divine government? Such an idea would certainly be repudiated in connection with human govemm<'nt. Or are we to suppose th,u he can become accustomed to the sight of sin, so as not to heed this sin or that sin in the great multitude that a.re committed .-very day upon this earth? But God can nev ..r see sin to be other than it really is. It stands out before him in &II its details and in all its vileness, as that which interferes with his government, thwarts his holy ends among men. And as he has tnn~ht us to flash out in anger a,,,aainst wrong-doing, 80 we must believe that his own soul flashes out in anger against wrong done to his government. But we must exclude from the Divine out- flashing such in .. qna!ity 11s attaches to human outfiashing. The Thrice-holy One never knows the perwruiug influence of passion; sin is not felt more keenly at the firs•, and less keenly when time has exerted its sway-it is ever unchanged before his mind. He coniinues unsatisfied, and the :fire burns within him against it, until it is removed out of his 1i~t. So far from wrath being derogatory to God, it must enter into :i right conception of the Divine character. It is necessary to the consistency of the Divine character. To favour the following of a certain course, and yet to view with indi1ference the following of an opposite course, is simply characterlessness. According to the ardour with which we regard one course must we burn against its opposite. We must think of God as infinitely favouring rig:hteousness; and he would nut be true tu himself if his feelings did not infinitely burn against iniquity. According as he iR attracted to the pole of holiness, so powerfully must he be repelled from the opposit1:: pole of sin. Even under the New Testament economy it is said that" our God is a consuming :fire." More prominence is given to this in the Old Testament, but it is a necessary conception of God, that, as he is consumed with zeal for the cause of truth and love, so he is a consumiug fire to all that is opposed to it. There_ is a certain course which he favours--which be puts forward aH obligatory. He gtves us every encoura.,ement to follow this course· it is the consuming desire of his heart to see i L followed"' by us. This may be said to be the course of humble dependence upon him. U we follow this course, he is pleased, and he marks his pleas~re, by _making 0111 humility return in liberty and happiness upon ourselves: But if we :,v1Ifully e.sse~t our independence and follow our own course, then God will make our w1lfulness recoil in bondaae and misery upon our own souls. Wrath is even necessary to our rising to & proper ~nccption of the Divine compassi<m. We miss what the IJivine compassion is, unless we first apprehenrl ourselves as objects of the Divine wrath. "That heather. antiquity had no idea of God's love is attributable to tile fact _that it had no living conviction of the world being under God'~ wrath. Plato and Aristotle rise only to the be.re representation of God as being a jealous God; aud men who in our day speak ol dispusion&te love rise no highor thau they." (2) The time to which the wrath is r,/,,,.,.._ The wrath to come ia the dispollition of wrath in its future manifestation. ut1. 1. 1-10.] 'l'HE FIRST El'lSTLE TO THE TIIES8ALONIAN8. 21