The Wrath of God Revealed and the Cross of Christ | John Owen

Deep Dive into A Dissertation on Divine Justice by John Owen - The third argument — This divine attribute demonstrated in the works of providence — That passage of the apostle to the Romans, chap. i. 18, considered — Anger, what it is — The definitions of the philosophers — The opinion of Lactantius concerning the anger of God — Anger often ascribed to God in the holy Scriptures — In what sense this is done — The divine anger denotes, 1. The effect of anger; 2. The will of punishing — What that will is in God — Why the justice of God is expressed by anger — The manifestation of the divine anger, what it is — How it is “revealed from heaven” — The sum of the argument — The fourth argument — Vindicatory justice revealed in the cross of Christ — The attributes of God, how displayed in Christ — Heads of other arguments — The conclusionJohn Owen argues that God's vindicatory justice is an essential attribute demonstrated through both His providential government of the world and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. In his third argument, Owen examines the concept of God's anger. While philosophers like Aristotle define anger as a desire to punish out of pain, and human anger involves physical commotion and emotional perturbation, divine anger cannot be understood as a turbulent passion. Instead, when Scripture speaks of God's wrath, it refers to the righteous effects of His anger, which is the actual punishment of sin, and His constant, immutable will to avenge transgressions. Therefore, God's anger is ultimately synonymous with His punitory justice. This justice is continuously revealed from heaven through visible judgments and the various miseries that afflict the natural world. While people often falsely attribute these calamities to chance or natural causes, they are actually directed by divine providence. Although wicked individuals may prosper temporarily, God provides enough public examples of His wrath to make His righteous stance against ungodliness undeniably clear to mankind.In his fourth argument, Owen highlights that God's vindicatory justice is most supremely revealed in the work of Christ. While creation offers traces of divine attributes, the absolute necessity of God's punitory justice is displayed by making Christ a propitiation and bruising Him for our sins. If God could simply forgive sin without requiring a sacrifice, the glory of His love in delivering His Son to death would be profoundly obscured.Finally, Owen concludes that justice is a supreme divine perfection. Appealing to the burdened human conscience, he illustrates that an awakened sinner, feeling the terror of God's righteous judgment, cannot find comfort in the idea of arbitrary forgiveness. True peace only comes when the supreme Judge provides a sufficient ransom to satisfy His inherent justice.Reformed Theologian GPT: https://chat.openai.com/g/g-XXwzX1gnv-reformed-theologianYoutube: https://www.youtube.com/@ReformedExplainerSpotify Music: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1t5dz4vEgvHqUknYQfwpRI?si=e-tDRFR2Qf6By1sAcMdkdwhttps://buymeacoffee.com/edi2730