Eph 2: 3b

2:3 b Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.

No matter how moral or how “good,” every human being is by nature, like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. God hates what is bad for me!

We were the object of God’s penetrating scrutiny, if I may rephrase the word “wrath,” at this point. This sounds strange to modern ears, including mine. We live in an age when “good” means helpful, kind, altruistic, and so forth. Every human being knows he or she should live like that.

So it is commonly understood that we should pursue our own happiness and prosperity first, and then share what we have, including our time and substance, to do good. We could rightfully ask. “Does this not please God? Is this not the purpose of life?” The answer is, God is pleased when we do good, certainly, but God does not judge us on the basis of how much or how little we do along the line of good works. Good works please him greatly, but it seems, as we read this text, that God pays little attention to human good works when it comes to what truly pleases God.

What God actually sees is “why” we do good, or do bad, for that matter. Do we do good to please our natural desire to be doing good or because doing good is the unconscious overflowing of our life in God and his life in me?

Paul insists that, in eternal terms, it makes little difference how much “good” we do. God always penetrates to the heart of the issue, “Why be good?”

Further, whose wrath is Paul referring to? God’s wrath, of course. A person who does good is usually applauded by society. That is why it is so shocking to know that if we do good for natural, selfish reasons, the good deeds elicit God’s wrath. God's wrath rests on reasons that self spins.

Wesley sings his lament; #362

“Withhold whate’er my flesh requires,
Poison my pleasant food;
Spoil my delights, my vain desires
My all of creature good.”

Wesley was keenly aware of the need, before God, to have the right motivation in doing good.