John chapter 3 sounds like a flat contradiction.
Verse 16 says:
For God so loved the world…
But by verse 36 we hear:
…the wrath of God remains on him.
Something we say here at Manchester Lutheran Church is:
“God is in a good mood with you!
And you see that when you look at Jesus.”
But some push back:
“Doesn’t John 3:36 say God is angry with people?!”
On the other hand, we preach that after judgment day, some, tragically, will be in hell, a place of eternal conscious torment. Others object:
“But in John 3:16 God loves the world, so how can hell be true?!”
God’s love and wrath appear completely contradictory. That’s why there’s always been people who deny one or the other. But, throughout history, it’s been more common to redefine the Bible’s words.
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In the medieval period, one idea was that God’s love is only for those in a “state of grace.” Sin enough, and you fall out of it, back under God’s wrath. But John 3:16 says
“God so loved the world he sent his only Son…”
God loved the world before his Son was even sent. God’s love doesn’t depend on being in a certain “state.”
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The same move appeared later in the 17th century in a more refined way. The Westminster Confession of Faith teaches that a justified Christian can still “fall under God’s fatherly displeasure” and lose “the light of his countenance” (WCF 11.5) until they are restored. But John 3:36 says
“whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”
This is not frustration within a loving relationship. It’s something different.
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The 16th century reformer John Calvin tried a different solution. He claimed that the Bible’s statements apply to different groups of people. Before the beginning of time, God chose some people for love, others for wrath.
But this isn’t how the Bible speaks. John 3:16 says
“God so loved the world,”
…not a part of it.
And while it’s true that John 3:36 does speak of only some people, other statements about God’s wrath use universal language. Romans 1:18 says
“the wrath of God is revealed… against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men.”
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The Bible says God loves all.
And it says God’s wrath remains.
It doesn’t resolve that tension.
So how can both be true? That’s what we’ll look at in Part 2 tomorrow.
In the meantime, if you want to hear more today, listen to this: Is God Angry With Me?
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