"Man's Response To Wrath"

Man’s response can be quite fascinating. Frankly, the facial, emotional, and verbal responses one can give can be priceless. The expression and emotion of a mother who just gave birth to her child. A response of relief and jubilation clashing together at the same time can oftentimes be manifest with innumerable tears of joy. Astonishment and amazement form on the face of a brand new father. Words cannot be formed to express the excitement the father experiences; a non-verbal response to a situation that demands such expression is at times a very impactful and endearing response, but in other situations manifests guiltiness and lack of understanding. Responses are experienced each day of our existence. We either provide a response, manufactured by our facial expression and words, or either do or say something that provokes, produces, and even sometimes demands a response from someone else. A response is unique; for in watching someone else respond in some manner or form can result in one’s own response. We truly do impact one another even when we might not even know it. A response is not always a ‘good’ response, but a response can also be ‘bad’. A death glare produced by a bent in the brow, jaws locked, lips closed, and eyes penetrating the soul of someone else is a response we might have experienced at one time or another; either as the glarer or glaree. One to three word responses of rejection are another common ‘bad’ response: whatever, yea right, hhmmmm, are you kidding me, huh, uh huh, NO, etc. A ‘bad’ response can even grow into vicious assaults, stubborn negative responses, physical abuse, emotional and verbal abuse, or simply the cold shoulder. Pride and jealousy often are the root problem for these responses.

Unfortunately, when it comes to man’s response to “the gospel of Christ”, all to often, a ‘bad’ response is given. There are many points within the information provided in “the gospel of Christ” that challenge the heart and mind of an unjustified person and at each of these points a ‘bad’ response can result. It is the genius of our heavenly Father and the design of His glorious Word to make you, as an “ambassador for Christ”, fully equipped for such responses. In fact, it is a truth that with the doctrine provided in the opening chapters of Romans our heavenly Father provides for us to deal with any and all responses an unjustified person can give as we make known “the glorious gospel of the blessed God”.

Wrath of God

It should be noted that responses are often interpretated by the context in which they are given. The same goes for the responses the Apostle Paul deals with in Romans 2:1-3:20. The responses given in this portion of scripture stem from what Paul set forth in Romans 1:18-32; to wit, the wrath of God. As Twin Cities Grace Fellowship’s last quarterly explained Romans 1:18-32 provide the full, complete convincement of God’s wrath because of the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men. It provides for making an unjustified person aware they are fully worthy of God’s wrath. Romans 2:1-3:20 provide us to handle any response an unjustified person might concoct in order to escape the wrath of God. Essentially, this information reveals man’s self-defense pleas as attempts to escape the judgment of God in connection with their sins. Our heavenly Father provides them for the ambassador in advance, so that, the ambassador is aware of man’s response to God’s wrath before they even appeal to them. Our Father “declares the thought of man” for us in Romans 2:1-3:20, so that, one can functionally respond in truth to the vanity of their escape tactics.


Escape Tactics

When it comes to these responses, these escape tactics, there are only 3 common escape tactics that the flesh can manufacture. In Romans 2:1-11, Paul deals with an unjustified “O, man” who in light of being made aware that God’s wrath is against him seeks to escape it by the tactic of, what we can call, relative or comparative righteousness. In Romans 2:12-17, Paul begins to deal with an unjustified Gentile in regards to them being “without law”. This information teaches the “O, man” we might deal with might possibly seek to give some kind of a extenuating circumstance in their defense as they try to escape the wrath of God. There are two kinds of extenuating circumstances the “O, man” can give, 1) a extenuating circumstance of disadvantage; represented by the Gentile who was “without law”, and 2) a extenuating circumstance of advantage, represented by the so-called Jew who was “in the law”. It is this extenuating circumstance of advantage that Paul explains next in Romans 2:17-29 represented by the so-called Jew. The “O, man” might appeal to some advantage like the so-called Jew in an attempt to escape the wrath of God. It should be noted that none of these escape tactics work; in fact, quite the opposite as Paul properly handles each one, the unjustified “O, man” is found in a position where his “mouth is stopped” and he finds himself truly “without strength”.

The third and final escape tactic that our Apostle Paul deals with is given last in the packet of three, because it is the final desperate attempts of the unjustified “O, man”. In his desperation he seeks to save face by opposing the message (the gospel of Christ) and/or the messenger. This is represented by the Jew to whom “the oracles of God ” were committed. The final escape of the unjustified “O,man” who negatively responds to wrath-consciousness consists of charging God with unrighteousness. The negative responses’ climax is when it takes on the form of blasphemy and slanders the grace of God. Notice this response as Paul actually and practically shares the doctrine of Romans 1-3 in the book of Acts to certain groups of people.

“And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, SOME MOCKED: and others said, ‘We will hear thee again of this matter.”
Acts17:32

“And when they OPPOSED THEMSELVES, AND BLASPHEMED, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, ‘Your blood be upon your own head; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.”
Acts 18:6


Reality & Our Final Response

The ambassador for Christ needs to acknowledge the reality, before he/she sets out to share the gospel of Christ in truth, of facing one of these negative escape tactics. Oftentimes, the ambassador will seek to ‘win one for Christ’ not realizing the potential stubbornness they might face and become real discouraged and be used by the Adversary resulting in he/she ‘throwing in the towel’ or ‘faint’ becoming a dysfunctional weak ambassador. The Adversary will also use these negative responses of an unjustified “O, man” to have the ambassador change the message and make it more palatable, so that, they won’t experience the harshness of the gospel of Christ working effectually in a unjustified person. The result of one changing the message leaves an unjustified person with a false or perverted gospel wherein there is no salvation at all.

When the escape tactics from the wrath of God reach the pinnacle of their negativity by blaspheming God and slandering His grace, the ambassador has reached the end of their ambassadorship and there is one final response to give to have work effectually in the opposer for the ambassador is no longer obligated to continue to share the gospel of Christ with them. The response is given by the Apostle Paul in the doctrine in Romans 3:8. He writes,

“And not rather, (as we be slanderously reported, and as some affirm that we say,) let us do evil, that good may come? WHOSE DAMNATION IS JUST.”

It is these last four words that make-up the final response of the ambassador toward the unjustified person who is negatively opposing “the gospel of Christ” and “the ambassador for Christ”. It is at this point in their negative response, that in view of it “the goodness” of God’s appeal has reached its limit. It is the final proclamation of the damnation spoken of throughout Romans 1-2 which will be their final lot if they do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their all-sufficient Saviour. Again, this final response from the ambassador is designed to alert the unjustified person one last time that they are in real jeopardy of receiving the very wrath, judgment, and damnation they are so forcefully denying. This strong statement by the ambassador is designed to shut the mouth of the blasphemer who slanders the grace of God.


Full Prosecution

The Apostle Paul concludes his prosecution of the defenses escape tactics with his closing statement. This statement begins in Romans 3:9 and ends in Romans 3:20. He starts by concluding all men “under sin”. Romans 3:9,
“What then? are we better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin;”
He ends his statement in Romans 3:19-20 saying,

“Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in His sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin.”

This form of doctrine doesn’t describe the unjustified persons response, but does provide the full prosecution in light of all of the self-defense pleas and escape tactics given. Paul declares they are “under sin” with their “mouth…stopped” and “guilty before God”. The effectual working of God’s Word in Romans 1-3 is designed to accomplish this very end; so that, the need of salvation from the debt and penalty of one’s sins is properly realized and the effectually working of Romans 3:21-26 can do its job.



One Response

When all is said and done, no matter what facial expression is given: glare, stare, frown, or smile; no matter what verbal expression is given: slander, blasphemy, acceptance, or any other negative or positive response, there is only one response that matters. It is a response that the ambassador can not see or feel, because it is the inward response of faith in the gospel of Christ. It can be manifested by someones profession to you; however, the moment one responds to the gospel of Christ God sees it and will forgive that person all their sins , impute Christ’s righteousness to them, and give them eternal life. Although we might face and experience many responses as we preach the gospel, the only response that matters is the one you are not immediately aware of or might never know took place. Our role as ambassadors isn’t to worry about the result or the response, but about co-labouring with our heavenly Father by beseeching others on His behalf to be reconciled unto Him (2 Cor. 5:18-21). We are to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). May we be instant in season and out of season to preach the Word, not change it because of the potential negative responses we might experience, and know that the Word of God effectually works in those we preach the gospel to. The best response one can have is of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as one’s all-sufficient Savior. It is an honor and privilege to share the message that can work such a response, and icing on the cake if those who respond positively to the gospel of Christ through faith in Christ actually share their positive response with us.

Look Up,
Pastor Josh Strelecki