“…and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others,” (Eph. 2:3)

Is there any sense in which it may be said that those whom God has purposed to save, and Christ did save by His death on the cross, were at one time children of wrath? The answer is, ‘No!’ First of all, the Scripture says that we were ‘by nature’ children of wrath, but that is different than stating that we are children of wrath. ‘By nature,’ we all deserve God’s wrath, and certainly share the same sin nature inherited from our father Adam. However, it is clear that those whom God has chosen, redeemed, and therefore saved, were always objects of mercy and not wrath.

1. Romans 9:22-23 makes a clear distinction between those who are vessels of wrath and vessels of mercy. Just as tares never become wheat, and goats don’t become sheep, so vessels of wrath are forever so, and vessels of mercy have always been such, by God’s eternal sovereign grace.

2. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 states, “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our LORD Jesus Christ” It wasn’t in order to make God merciful that Christ died on the cross. Rather, it was because, in love, God elected and predestinated a people to salvation, Eph. 1:4-5, and Christ came and paid the required ransom in His death, that God might be just (justified) in loving, saving, and showing mercy to His elect, Rom. 3:26.

This is what the LORD Jesus accomplished! Although the elect are all born into this world deserving of God’s wrath, and until the cross, were under the legal condemnation of God’s law, the Bible declares that the LORD Jesus Christ so met all of the requirement’s of God’s law and justice that His forbearance of those in the Old Testament is now ratified in the death of the LORD Jesus, and His full forgiveness, grace and love toward the elect since the cross is justified, even before they are brought by His Spirit to Christ in faith, Romans 3:25. As one old writer so plainly puts it, “So, all the elect were considered in Christ, Who by His death, did free all the elect from this fall of sin and death; so as never since Christ’s death, none of the elect were under that state of wrath or curse, nor indeed could possibly be.” Because then “Christ redeemed them from under the law,” Gal. 4:4, 5.

Some may object citing John 3:36- ‘he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.’ However, this verse does not support the notion of God’s wrath being on someone until they believe. If you consider the entire verse together, it is contrasting those who do believe because they have been given everlasting life in Christ, versus those who will never believe, because they have been and will always be under God’s wrath. They never were objects of mercy.