Colossians 3:6

For which things' sake cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.

Wrath of God ... At a time in history when the most extravagant claims are being made with regard to God's love, it is wise to take into account Scriptures such as this where the other side of the divine nature is in view. As Ellis put it, "Far from negating God's love, his wrath confirms it. For without justice, mercy loses its meaning?[24] A God in whom no settled wrath against wickedness resided would be like an executive without any authority. The New Testament is full of teaching to the effect that God has a score to settle with evil and that one day he will settle it.

Upon the sons of disobedience ... Special attention should be focused upon the object of God's wrath. Both here and in 2 Thessalonians 1:8, it is the "disobedient" who shall bear the full weight of the wrath of God. Theologies which seek to eliminate "obedience" as being in any way connected with salvation should be rejected. Regardless of how vigorously one may protest that he has "faith in Christ," unless there is on his part at least some movement to obey the teaching of the New Testament, his doom is certain. Until he has, in his Christian baptism, been buried with Christ and raised to walk in newness of life, as had these Colossians, he cannot even belong to the company recognized in the New Testament as the family of God.

Wrath must not be confused with a vindictive reaction. It is rather the negative side of holiness, the revulsion of righteousness toward all unrighteousness.[25]

Disobedience ... is eliminated in some versions. "But the phrase logically fits here, for it stands in the parallel in Ephesians 5:6.[26]

[24] E. Earle Ellis, op. cit., p. 797.

[25] Donald Guthrie, op. cit., p. 1149.

[26] John B. Nielson, op. cit., p. 413.