The Wrath of God was Satisfied

Wednesday - February 2nd

Scripture to Read Today: Ephesians 2:1-10

---

All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

Ephesians 2:3

The second stanza of Keith and Kristyn Getty's beautiful song, In Christ Alone, says:

In Christ alone who took on flesh

Fullness of God in helpless babe

This gift of love and righteousness

Scorned by the ones He came to save

Till on that cross as Jesus died

The wrath of God was satisfied

For every sin on Him was laid

Here in the death of Christ I live

I put the line "the wrath of God was satisfied" in bold to draw your attention to it as you read. Many today feel squeamish about the idea that God could have wrath toward human beings. Yet, the Apostle Paul, in describing our spiritual deadness before Christ, said, "Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath" (Ephesians 1:3). Every human being deserves eternal separation from God in unending punishment for our sinfulness. In our spiritual deadness and waywardness, we should be rewarded with the wrath of God almighty.

Some today want to soften what God's wrath means. They even want to deny that God has any anger toward our sinfulness. They do not want God to be a vengeful, holy God of angry judgment. Instead, they emphasize God's love to the detriment of a complete understanding and acknowledgment of His wrath.

The Gettys, over the years, have denied requests by music and hymnal publishers to substitute other words for the phrase "The wrath of God was satisfied." Some, who otherwise love the song, want something more appealing than the concept of God's wrath. I appreciate the Gettys insistence that the line remains a part of the song in all its copyrighted editions.

When we fully grasp how deserving we were of the angry judgment of God because of our sin, we begin to get our minds around how amazing God's grace in Christ truly is. God completely forgiving us, giving us new life, and making us His children stands in stark contrast to the wrath we deserve.

As Jesus became our substitutionary and satisfactory sacrifice on the cross, He removed God's wrath for all who His grace would save. The wrath of God hovers over all of us until God saves us by His grace as we express our faith in Jesus. Paul declared to the Roman church that "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1). How beautiful and wonderful is that!

We are released to live condemnation-free, with no threat of God's wrath, all because of Jesus!

"Till on that cross, as Jesus died, the wrath of God was satisfied!"