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

The Immense, Indescribable God

Have you ever wondered what is out there, beyond the edges of the observable universe? Scientists have many clever answers for this one, such as "There is no space outside of space. Space can only be described in terms of the distance between physical objects." Another response: "Nothing exists outside the universe because by definition the universe is everything." To really experience the extent of theorists' confusion within and amongst themselves, you have to read their sites, because most of their discussions are much too long-winded to include here.

For the believer, the answer is much simpler.

Have you not known? Have you not heard?
Has it not been told you from the beginning?
Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
It is He who sits above the circle of the earth,
And its inhabitants are like grasshoppers,
Who stretches out the heavens like a curtain,
And spreads them out like a tent to dwell in. Isaiah 40:21-22

Our God is the Creator of all things, for all the wonders of our universe, even those photographed by the Hubble telescope 65 million light-years distant from us, were created. We don't know what is outside this physical entity we call our universe, but the important thing to realize is that there is only One Who is outside everything created, whether known or unknown, and that is the Creator Himself. He alone is worthy of our worship and praise.

"To whom then will you liken Me,
Or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One.
Lift up your eyes on high,
And see who has created these things,
Who brings out their host by number;
He calls them all by name,
By the greatness of His might
And the strength of His power;
Not one is missing. Isaiah 40:25-26

If you haven't checked out the Hubble site, I encourage you to do so. http://hubblesite.org/ When I see photos peppered with galaxies, each filled with billions of stars, each uniquely beautiful in its own right, it truly inspires me, and in that moment I feel the awesome greatness of our Creator. Tozer states, "Just as a shepherd keeps all of his sheep and not one is lost, so God keeps all of His universe. Men point their tiny little glasses at the stars and talk learnedly, but they've just been counting God's sheep, nothing more. God is running his universe."

Recently, the Hubble telescope discovered a new phenomenon, which the scientists are calling dark energy. But you can rest assured, this was no surprise to our Creator. He knows what it is composed of, how it functions, and for what purpose He designed it. Within recent times, scientists have discovered minute universes in a drop of pond water, in the diverse cells of our bodies, and in the molecules and atoms of all matter. God alone has caused everything to work together in harmony.

Who makes the Bear, Orion and the Pleiades,
And the chambers of the south;
Who does great things, unfathomable,
And wondrous works without number. Job 9:9-10

When I produce a quilt, a painting, or a piece of writing, there are no publishers knocking down my doors. I value these things because I made them, and they are my personal self-expression. Nevertheless, infinitely more valuable to me are my children and grandchildren. They are part of me, my flesh and my blood, and I love them. God is like that. He declared that all of his creation was "good", but though his creation is truly magnificent, his children are in an entirely different category. He loves us deeply, and everything He does is a demonstration of that love.

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

As big as the universe may be, God placed a soul inside each of us that is just as large. Does that sound strange? God is surely "bigger" than his creation, yet we say that he lives inside us. And when somebody doesn't know the Lord, we express that emptiness by saying that he/she has a God-shaped vacuum inside. How large and hollow must that emptiness be, if it could hold God! No wonder so many celebrities, who are overflowing with cash, possessions, lovers, an entourage, and constant attention, so frequently end up in jail, on drugs, or dead. They can't fill the gaping emptiness. They crave it, hunger for it, yearn for it, but they look in all the wrong places. The only One who can fill that void is God alone.

Even believers, myself included, get caught up in the yearning for and appreciation of earthly things. It has gotten so bad that some branches of modern Christianity are represented by ministries in crystal cathedrals, pastors in sequins and jewels, and ministers with cross-shaped swimming pools behind their multimillion-dollar homes. But as Wayne Watson sang, "That's not Jesus! " Jesus taught:

No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:24

None of those things will fill the void. The most important thing to realize is that the Great Shepherd of the universe has made Himself available to us -- but He wants (and deserves) first place in our hearts.

I have a great family -- we know how to put the fun in dysfunctional! But even though our family and friends may be the best in all the world, if we don't have a relationship with HIM, our lives lacks meaning, and we are empty. A good family and loving friends might in fact be a curse, if they lead us to believe we are full, when in fact, we are spiritually starving. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Matthew 16:26

Indescribable

- Chris Tomlin, from the album Arriving

From the highest of heights to the depths of the sea
Creation's revealing Your majesty
From the colors of fall to the fragrance of spring
Every creature unique in the song that it sings
All exclaiming

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and
You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees
as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Who has told every lightning bolt where it should go
Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow
Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light
Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night
None can fathom

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and
You know them by name
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees
as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and
You know them by name.
You are amazing God
All powerful, untameable,
Awestruck we fall to our knees
as we humbly proclaim
You are amazing God

Indescribable, uncontainable,
You placed the stars in the sky and
You know them by name.
You are amazing God
Inconquerable, unchangeable
You see the depths of my heart and
You love me the same
You are amazing God
You are amazing God

Hid with Christ in God

If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on the things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. ~ Colossians 3:1-3

This verse speaks in faith, describing spiritual truths rather than the physical realities which surround us. I'm not really sitting here next to the space heater, cuddled in my bathrobe. In a spiritual sense, I am positionally already in heaven! I'm with Christ, on the right hand of God. Because this is true, my heart -- my affections -- should be in heaven too. They should be centered around God, his will, his glory, his plans for me. Because my old, natural (that's a nice way to say sinful, selfish, and self-righteous) self died in March 1980, when I asked Jesus to be my Saviour and the Lord of my life. So that now, my life is hid like a chick inside a little blue egg, waiting to burst out in the presence of glory. I don't know what that will be like, except that God's Word tells me that my future self will be like Jesus!

I've been re-reading A.W. Tozer's book, The Attributes of God - Volume I, and it has awakened me once again to the amazing magnificence of our God, Who is beyond expression, way past comprehension, more awesome than we can imagine in our finest dreams. I was reminded that salvation is like a golden key that unlocks the deepest part of man, freeing us to become one with God Himself, "hid with Christ in God". It's a one-way ticket to a never-ending journey, beyond the reaches of the known universe, past the gates of time, to dwell within a Person so majestic and mighty that He cannot be quantified.

Many people reject Christianity because they don't realize Whom they are rejecting. They think being a Christian is just a bunch of rules to follow, a mandate to sacrifice pleasure. But God invented pleasure. The Bible teaches that all good and perfect gifts come from God; however, the best gift God gave us was Himself, and this is what Tozer's book is all about -- teaching us to know and to appreciate the wonderful heart of our Lord.

Tozer points out that God takes pleasure in his work. He states, "Somebody is having a good time in heaven and earth and sea and sky... making trees to grow... ice to melt...fish to swim... birds to sing and lay their blue eggs and build their nests and hatch their young. Somebody's running the universe." God's work is not filled with regret, sadness, or frustration. The Bible speaks of God's joyfulness. "The LORD your God in your midst, The Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing" (Zephaniah 3:17).

The next happy thought in this first chapter is Tozer's comparison of God with the moon. In its rotations, the moon has a side that remains visible to the Earth, as well as a side that was completely unknown until the recent development of space travel. Our God is infinite, so there is much we don't know about Him. He too has a mysterious side. Yet, like the moon, He has a "manward side". Jesus is His "manward side", and through Him we see the Father. And When God looks down at us, He views his children as spotless, hidden in the righteousness of Christ.

My Refuge

- Sonicflood, from the album Cry Holy

Lord, You never change, You stay the same,
You are my hope of glory,
I will never have to be afraid.
Through the course of time, And all my life,
You've been my place of shelter,
Here, beneath Your love I will remain.

I will sing that You are my refuge
In You alone I place my trust
Here in the shadow of Your wings,
You are my refuge
The Maker of the stars above,
Still You make Your home inside of me.
And You shelter me.

You are Lord of all, my mind recalls
The times that You've been faithful,
Now I know Your love is here to stay.
Through the course of time, And all my life,
You've been my place of shelter,
Here, beneath Your love I will remain.

I will sing that You are my refuge
In You alone I place my trust
Here in the shadow of Your wings,
You are my refuge
The Maker of the stars above,
Still You make Your home inside of me.
And You shelter me.
You shelter me.
You shelter me.