This small group season runs from January 15 – March 5.
- God is good, love, healer, provider, but also…wrathful. What attributes of God’s character do you find easiest to praise and elevate? Why those specific character traits?
- Wrath is defined as righteous anger, particularly at sin. Concerning the wrathful character of God, take a look at Nahum 1:2-8. What does this passage reveal about God’s wrath?
According to J. I. Packer, “God’s wrath in the Bible is always judicial – that is, it is the wrath of a Judge, administering justice…[and] God’s wrath in the Bible is something which people choose for themselves. Before hell is an experience inflicted by God, it is a state for which a person himself opts by retreating from the light which God shines in his heart to lead him to himself.” (see John 3:18-19)
J. I. Packer, Knowing God
- What do you think of Packer’s assertions? Have you seen what he says revealed in Scripture? Where?
- How have you seen the reality of humans choosing to retreat from God play out in the real lives of people you know (or even at times, in you)? What are the effects of retreating from God?
- So, where’s the good news here? Read Romans 5:9-11. How does the work of Jesus change our relationship with God’s wrath?
- What practical steps have you effectively taken to allow the Holy Spirit to continue the work of Christ’s reconciliation in you?
