The Gospel Saves—from What?

Romans 1:18 Because the anger of God is revealed from heaven upon every irreverence and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness.

In Romans 1:16, the Apostle Paul writes that the Gospel “is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes”. The word “salvation” means to rescue someone from a negative condition. But what did we need to be saved from in the first place?

Paul answers this question in verse 18: “Because the anger of God is revealed from heaven upon every irreverence and unrighteousness of men.” Many people do not like to think of God as an angry God. However, according to the Bible, it is precisely because God is a God of righteous anger that we need salvation in the first place.

Romans 5:8 says: “While we were still sinners,”—while we were continually under God’s anger because of our irreverence and unrighteousness—“Christ died for us.” What happened as a result of that? The next verse says: “Therefore,”—because Jesus died for us—“much more, ... we shall be saved through [Jesus] from the anger [of God].” (v. 9)

On the cross, Jesus suffered the anger of God and died in our place so that we would not have to die for our own sins. Thus, by dying on the cross, Jesus saved us from God’s righteous anger against our unrighteousness. If God were not a God of anger, then we would have no need for the salvation which Jesus died to bring us.

Do you struggle to appreciate what Jesus did for you on the cross? Take a moment to think about what it would be like to suffer God’s anger if Jesus had not died to save you. This is the only way we can properly understand and truly appreciate the Gospel, and it all begins with acknowledging that God is a God of anger.