Does Wrath Come From Love Or Holiness?

I recently heard it suggested that the reason for God’s wrath is that He hates sin because it separates people from Him. Wait a minute. I thought God’s holiness was the reason for His wrath. The context in which I heard this statement was a message about God’s love, such as in John 3:16, "for God so loved the world." I think there are even more misunderstandings concerning this statement, but let’s stick to this one for now. The idea is that God loves the world so much that He hates sin and has wrath towards sin (and maybe even towards us when we sin) because that sin separates us from Him. I’m sure God hates sin, and that He hates the separation it causes, and even that His hatred for it arises in part out of loving concern for His creation. But I am even more sure that the primary reason why God hates sin is because He is holy. God is love, but He is holy, holy, holy (1 John 4:8; Isaiah 6:3). This other notion smacks of man-centeredness. It is God-centered theology that concludes that God's wrath abides on the sinner because in His holiness He cannot tolerate sin. D.A. Carson says of God’s wrath, in The Difficult Doctrine Of The Love Of God, "it is a function of God’s holiness against sin" (67). He does not say that it is a function of God’s love, but of His holiness, and he is right. Wayne Grudem in his Systematic Theology writes, "God’s holiness means that he is separated from sin and devoted to seeking his own honor" (201). Later in this section on God’s attributes he says of God’s wrath, "if God loves all that is right and good, and all that conforms to his moral character, then it should not be surprising that he would hate everything that is opposed to his moral character. God’s wrath directed against sin is therefore closely related to God’s holiness and justice" (205-206).