Reading the post from Jerry Mitchell https://social.ttn.place/post/....54841_people-plan-go just made me wonder and I did a quick search for ironclad evidence either way.
When I think of Father, is He mostly a loving Father or an angry Judge? I actually looked for verses where a description (not from a Psalmist) is given by a prophet or witness saying that Father laughs and I couldn't find any. We do see it is poem form, but not as an eyewitness seeing and writing it down.
The Bible doesn’t shy away from either description.
Scripture tells us clearly: “God is love” (1 John 4:8). His mercy is rich (Ephesians 2:4), and He is “gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love” (Psalm 103:8). Time and again, He shows patience even in the face of rebellion (Nehemiah 9:17).
But His anger is also very real. When Israel worshiped idols or oppressed the poor, “the anger of the Lord was kindled against them” (Judges 2:14). He judged sin in the wilderness (Numbers 11:1), wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), and drove out money changers from the temple in righteous indignation (John 2:15–16).
His wrath is not impulsive—it is just. “The wrath of God is revealed... against all ungodliness” (Romans 1:18). He doesn’t delight in punishment, but in restoration (Ezekiel 18:23). Even His judgments are rooted in His deep desire to bring His people back.
And while His anger lasts a moment, “His favor is for a lifetime” (Psalm 30:5). Ultimately, it was His love that led Him to pour out His own wrath upon His Son—for our sake (Isaiah 53:5).
So is Father a God of love or anger; and should we even ascribe these attributes to Him?
Yes, I do see that His anger is never separate from His love—it flows from it; a God who loves righteousness must hate evil. And a Father who deeply loves His children will correct them when they stray (Hebrews 12:6).
But does the Bible give evidence more that Father is a Judge and that comes first or a loving Father who cares more for His creation than what we see as justice?
How do you bring this together?
#judge #love #anger
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Jerry Mitchell
There are examples of people making the Father angry and receiving His judgement and there are examples of people pleasing Him and receiving His blessings.
If we, being made in His image are able to be angry with our own children (when they do knowingly reject our instruction) we still love them -- then how much more is the Father able to do the same for us? If we have the ability to hide a smile when our children make poor choices and learn from their mistakes, wouldn't the Father also be so loving?
And just as human parents are angry when a young person completely rebels and sever punishment is necessary, so the Father does the same for us. Yet all the while He never stops loving us.
The Father lays out in the covenant confirmed at Mount Sinai, (Exodus 20 -- 23) He demands payment for payment. eye for eye, tooth for tooth, bruise for bruise. He will never violate that covenant, so the punishment will fit the crime.
I like to think of our perfect Father as one who is able to judge us fairly because He does love us, but that doesn't mean we get a free pass to sin.
Of course, I also have an image in my mind of the Father on His throne shaking his head at some of the things I've done and wondering how He's going to deal with what I've done this time.
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raphaelmalachi
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Caleb Lussier
So no He’s not a God at all. He’s an Elohim which is an unrelated type of entity. We don’t let our Catholic cousins do our thinking for us on any other aspect of our religious lives so why would we do so with the wrong term they chose for us, all to accommodate the converts?
He is a Mighty One, our Mighty One and if we are going to ask questions about other aspects of His nature and identity this must be rectified first.
It’s not about using English as opposed to using Hebrew. But though we speak English, we are trying to understand the Mighty One of Israel, not Great Britain.
Seeing Him as loving as opposed to seeing him as vengeful is also adopting British notions of love and of rage. It is also assuming that when it says he is loving that he is addressing all people everywhere and every time. Yet that is not the case when we stop making the Bible about ourselves. While YHWH sometimes acts on behalf of other people, he is only ever mainly concerned with his own people.
Psalm 136 says he killed king for His love endures forever. How does that work? Cuz it’s only for Israel that He cares. If others are wanting to become Israel they join His love. If not He acts with rage. And if they don’t do His will they are not Israel any more and He acts with rage.
God is fluffy love for all. YHWH is live for His own people, Israel.
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Patrick Lauser
One difference would be that love is foundational, because it is the reason for anger - similarly Christ is equal to the Father, but the Father is greater because it is the Father who made him equal, giving of himself without limit into the Son, thus making him the same as himself.
The wrath of God exists, and the greatness and fierceness of it, are all purely an emotion of his love.
Having read your thoughts, it seems you're on the same track.
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