The same holds true, Origen says, for mentions of God’s wrath. Even though we love children who have done wrong, and sometimes might not be that angry with them, we put on an angry face to make it clear that what they did was wrong. Likewise, God’s love remains unchanging, but appears as wrath so that we will know the reality and gravity of sin.
Which is funny because this topic came up in an earlier discussion today, in which I used the same analogy in another way: precisely because a parent loves a child, they must do and say things that do not conduce to the child's short term perception of their own interests. "Appears as" is an equivocal formation, and opens up all kinds of theological problems. (Also, does the above imply that God only ever pretends to be angry with people?)
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