The Goodness and Severity of God

D. A. Carson gives this short, balanced recital of the gospel of salvation including the important themes of 'the goodness and severity of God' (Rom 11.22).

There is one God who has made us. He is the Sovereign of all and is our final judge. He finds our rebellion against Him entirely unacceptable. He stands over against us in judgement. We ought to fear Him.

But mercifully He is also a God of love who is prepared to reconcile us to Himself by sending His only Son to bear our sins in His body on the cross.

First, consider the . . . severity of God

Romans 11.22 comes from the important section of Romans 9-11 which deals with the vexing issue of why it is that Israel as a nation has not received Jesus as its Messiah. 

Paul expounds this theme at some length. He also presses home the implications of what he's been saying on the Roman Gentiles to whom he writes. He insists that if God didn't spare the Israelites because of their unbelief then neither will He spare them (Rom 11.21).

As we know, our present age is scandalised generally by the thought of a God Who judges mankind. It wants only a god of indulgent 'love' because then it can escape all thought of accountability for sin.

The truth is mankind doesn't act like this itself in the face of injustice, abuse, and extreme acts of wrongdoing. If an horrendous murder and rape occurs, 'society' demands appropriate retribution; it requires judgement be meted out judicially and woe betide anyone who asks for mercy.

If it can discern injustice so keenly at times, does it suppose that God is any less able to judge not only actions but also the hearts of those made in His image? (Rom 2.1-3).

According to the Scriptures, God judged the world by a giant flood; He judged apostate angels (Jude 6), destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah for their evil perverse ways (Jude 7), punished Egypt for refusing to let Israel go (Jude 5) and afterwards the same God judged and punished Israel for their disobedience (Amos 3.1-6; Isa 45.5-7).

Not long after the inception of the early church at Pentecost (Acts 2.1-39) God the Holy Spirit judged Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5.1-11) with death causing fear to come upon both 'the church and all who heard about these things' (Acts 5.11).

Second, consider the goodness . . . of God

The context of God's goodness in this passage is that Gentiles by confession and belief from the heart that God has raised Jesus from the dead receive salvation (Rom 10.9).  They are saved from the penalty of sin which is the fierce displeasure of God, His severity.

Although we were once those who were 'without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenant of promise, having no hope and without God in the world' (Eph 2.12) we are 'now in Christ Jesus' (Eph 2.13a). Once 'far off' from God Himself and the people of God, they are made 'near by the blood of Christ' (Eph 2.13b).

That being so, we are also the ones who should be mindful of severity of God (1 Cor 10.1-13) as well as his loving-kindness (Ps 103.1-18).