The Goodness and Severity of God

As I talk with people who don't know the Lord, I find they ask the same question over and over in different ways, but essentially they are saying, "If there is a God, why does He allow people to suffer?" Unbelievers tend to blame God for all the inhumane, tragic, and sorrowful things that happen in the world, but they fail to give Him credit for the abundance of good things we enjoy.

Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God. Romans 11:22a


In his book, The Attributes of God (Vol. 1), A. W. Tozer teaches an interesting principle. He states that "history shows that no tribe or nation has ever risen morally above its religion" and furthermore, "no religion has ever risen above its conception of God".

I remember learning in school about a nation that worshiped violent, angry, unpredictable gods, so they regularly sacrificed people by cutting out their hearts while the victims were still alive and awake! That civilization was decimated about a thousand years ago, yet to this day, the thought horrifies me.

On the other hand, there are other pagan religions that worship holy, good, noble gods, so they seek to also be holy, good, and noble through meditation, prayer, and good deeds, even though they know nothing of redemption.

Tozer continues, "Christianity at any given time is strong or weak depending upon her concept of God... Our religion is little because our god is little. Our religion is weak because our god is weak. Our religion is ignoble because our god is ignoble. We do not see God as He is."

"A local church will only be as great as its conception of God."

"An individual Christian will only be a success or failure depending upon what he or she thinks of God."

I think it is evident that what we think about God is critically important. While "the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1), nature provides a rather fuzzy picture of God's attributes, while the Word of God is crystal clear.

How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. Psalm 36:7

But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight,” says the LORD. Jeremiah 9:24

The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth. Exodus 34:6b

Oh, that men would give thanks to the LORD for His goodness, And for His wonderful works to the children of men! Psalm 107:8

Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8

God is full of lovingkindness, goodness, graciousness and mercy, patience, and benevolence, and he is infinitely so. Sometimes I get up on the wrong side of the bed and am rather cranky, but our God is consistently, eternally Himself, so his heart is infinitely kind and good, and this attribute never changes. My Dad was a good man, but like all of us, he had good days and frustrating days. I knew when I could joke around and be silly, and when to stay out of his way! But with our heavenly Father, we need never be concerned about his moods. God never changes. He is faithful to always act toward us in accordance with his personal characteristics of lovingkindness, goodness, and benevolence.

Scientists imagine that all of the universe, including we humans who are running around on a little blue ball called Earth, are subject to the laws of nature, which occur systematically, like clockwork. If you wind up a clock and walk away, it operates just fine whether you are there or not. But this is not a scriptural viewpoint of how God runs his creation. He is enthusiastically, joyfully, actively involved in every detail, year after year and even moment by moment, "upholding all things by the word of His power" (Heb. 1:3). "How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (Psalm 139:17)

What evidence do we have of God's goodness?

1. We did not earn the right to exist! The goodness of God is the reason that we exist. "For in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28)

2. God did not destroy us in our sinfulness. "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. 6:23)

3. Jesus Christ died to save us. "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8)

4. Upon our salvation, the Holy Spirit filled us. "Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Rom. 5:5)

5. God forgives us again and again! "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life." I Tim. 1:15-16

This is just the tip of the iceberg. God's lovingkindness and goodness are seen in his answers to our prayers, his protection in times of trouble, his acceptance of us into the family of God, the continual training He provides so we become more Christ-like, his tender chastisement (the mark of any decent parent), the gifts and blessings He bestows, his peace, the working-out of his plan and purpose for our lives, and the promise of a future with Him in eternity "exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20a).

God came to us as a man, so He knows how we feel and understands our pain. He is not a distant God. He experienced the human condition.

Yet God's attributes include not only lovingkindness and goodness, but also justice. God is good toward all who accept his goodness, but for those who reject Him, there is nothing God can do without violating his own provision for man's free will. Tozer explains, "If man will not take God's goodness, then he must have God's severity toward all who continue in moral revolt against the throne of God and in rebellion against the virtuous laws of God."

Anyone can belong to the "fellowship of the burning heart", those people who continually seek to please, to know, to emulate, and to serve the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Each of us must make his or her own choice. We must decide if we want to trust God and actively take hold of the Lord's goodness, forgiveness, and acceptance, and be part of an eternal love relationship by declaring our deepest, truest selves to be completely dedicated to Him.

Cry Out to Jesus (Third Day, from the album Wherever You Are, 2005)

To everyone who's lost someone they love
Long before it was their time
You feel like the days you had were not enough
when you said goodbye

And to all of the people with burdens and pains
Keeping you back from your life
You believe that there's nothing and there is no one
Who can make it right

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus

For the marriage that's struggling just to hang on
They lost all of their faith in love
They've done all they can to make it right again
Still it's not enough

For the ones who can't break the addictions and chains
You try to give up but you come back again
Just remember that you're not alone in your shame
And your suffering

When you're lonely
And it feels like the whole world is falling on you
You just reach out, you just cry out to Jesus
Cry to Jesus

To the widow who suffers from being alone
Wiping the tears from her eyes
For the children around the world without a home
Say a prayer tonight

There is hope for the helpless
Rest for the weary
Love for the broken heart
There is grace and forgiveness
Mercy and healing
He'll meet you wherever you are
Cry out to Jesus, Cry out to Jesus