This week's Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passages: Nahum 1:2-3,5-8; Romans 2:5-11,3:5-8,5:9; 1 Thessalonians 5:5-11
Discussion Question: Why are Christians reluctant to consider wrath an attribute of God?
Food for Thought:
Don't we tend to think of God as a loving, doting Father who cares for and watches over us like little children instead of thinking of Him as an angry Father who seeks to punish us for our misdeeds? Let's be honest. We like to think of Him as loving and caring rather than One who seeks retribution for our wrongdoings, because it makes us feel better.
The truth is that there are more references in Scripture to His wrath than there are to His love (A.W. Pink, The Attributes of God, p. 75). We can see His wrath as early as Adam and Eve's banishment from the Garden. Though we may think of wrath as an attribute of someone who has lost control, God's wrath is always judicial, that is, He is the judge handing down justice and is entirely in control.
For the Christian, however, this is the good news about God's wrath: Jesus Christ, through His death on the cross, stood between God's wrath and us. "If we are Christ's, through faith, then we are justified through His cross, and the wrath will never touch us, neither here nor hereafter. Jesus 'rescues us from the coming wrath.'"(1 Thessalonians 1:10, HCSB)
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at LifeWay.com/MasterWork.
Other ongoing Bible study options for all ages offered by LifeWay can be found at LifeWay.com/SundaySchool.
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