God the Father, Mentor's Guide, MG06

1 3 8 /

G O D T H E F A T H E R

The questions below will facilitate your review of the material you just covered in the second video segment. The wrath of God, although a critically important doctrine of Scripture, is prone to be misunderstood and misapplied, or even worse, completely ignored. Reflect carefully as you provide your answers to the following questions, and support your argument with the Word of God. 1. Explain Packer’s definition of the wrath of God the Father Almighty: “the outgoing of God in retributive action, by whatever means, against those who have defied him.” How important is the wrath of God to a full and biblical understanding of the Father’s person? 2. Why is it important to view God’s wrath as his reaction to those things out of sync with his good, acceptable, and perfect will ? Is God’s wrath ever done in an arbitrary or unjust manner? Explain. 3. What are some of the ways that the Scriptures define the essence and expression of God’s anger? Is it possible to avoid the punishment and experience of God’s wrath and anger? Provide a detailed answer. 4. How are we to understand the relationship between God’s mercy and his justice, his wrath and his love? What precisely is the conflict between these attributes which appear to be out of sync with one another? 5. How does the fact that God is one help us to solve these kinds of questions regarding apparent conflicts within the nature of God? 6. In what way is Calvary (Jesus’ death on the cross) a perfect image of the display of God’s wrath and his love, simultaneously? 7. What is the final heart of the matter in reflecting upon the wrath of God? What should a biblical understanding of the wrath of God produce in our lives? God expresses his goodness through his moral attributes of perfect moral purity, absolute integrity, and unbounded love. An understanding of the wrath of God is critical to fully appreciate the glory of God the Father Almighty. We can only understand God’s wrath in connection to his goodness, and while we may logically find it difficult to resolve the tension in our minds between the two, no tension exists in the infinitely lovely nature of the one true God.

Segue 2

Student Questions and Response

page 292 5

4

Summary of Key Concepts