The Wrath Of God (2)
Imanner, Jesus was jealous with God’s jealousy. Through Him, the wrath of God was revealed from heaven against unrighteousness of men, who suppressed the truth in unrighteousness, specifically the moneychangers and the hardhearted Pharisees. The reason He was wrathful was that they were suppressing the truth of God’s freely given grace by profiteering and dominating the people in His Father’s house. Jesus told several parables further illustrating the process of God’s patience, as it moves from an expectation of respectful love from His stewards to a corrective response. This response being directed at repeated injus- tices towards the stewarded subjects and disrespect towards Himself as the “landowner” or the “householder.”
It is important to understand that God’s wrath is related to His personal character. He does not want to be misrepresented. He wants us to know Him above all else. This is because
If the stewards He has placed around Himself and among the congregation are not representing His eternal power and divine nature transparently, it would be better for them to have a millstone around their necks and be thrown into the sea. It is required of stewards that they be faithful. What they are to be faithful to is the character and divine nature of the I AM. Moses was faithful in all His houses as a steward, but Jesus is the owner of the house by inheritance. We as co-heirs with Him in the adoption must be representatives, “true ambassadors” of God. That is why the highest testimony of the priesthood of Christ is, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” The second highest is “Take My yoke upon you and learn of me.” The third is “Come, follow me and I will make you fishers of men.”
So, in the new testament, we have received such charges as “Entrust your souls to those who by reason of use (experience) have their senses exercised to know the difference between good and evil” and, “The servant of the Lord must not strive, but be gentle to all, patiently instructing them…” We are taught that, “The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, full of mercy and good fruit, sown in peace by them that make peace.”
These charges and instructions are all based in participation in the divine nature. “Making peace,” means creating the ground of fellowship between men and God. There is a way that we must conduct ourselves in His House. Indeed, held together in the spirit of unity and the bond of peace, fitly joined by the mortar of brotherly love- living stones. He will tabernacle within us if we are “as He is.” If we suppress the truth in unrighteousness, walking in a cloudy mixture of carnality, He will eventually withdraw His manifest presence. Like, when strive and bite as we share the word. When we trumpet our righteousness but ignore the needs of others. When we bite and devour one another, God’s wrath is revealed from heaven- as we consume one another!
When we walk in the fruit of the Spirit - the joy of God is revealed and light fills His house until all the darkness of the world cannot hide it. “By this shall they know that you are My disciples - by your love for one another.” If we abide under His wrath, He is confronting our ways, trying the reins and the hearts in order to lead us back into fellowship with Him. As we fellowship with Him, we become transparent reflections of His character (2 Cor 3:16-18). Then, the world can in turn begin to see how wonderful He is.