The Goodness and Severity of God
by Richard Mansel
 
We accuse God of injustice when he does the same
things that we all do. We find certain practices
perfectly acceptable and wholesome for ourselves,
but not for God. Suddenly, sound practices are
cruel and unloving when committed by the hand of
God. Our unfairness to him is palpable.
 
Everyone applauds goodness and severity, when
applicable. Students who behave receive merits.
The poorly behaved receive punishments. Parents
reward good behavior and punish insolence. Good
drivers receive insurance discounts while bad
drivers receive demerits.
 
While these are not exactly equitable to God
judging sin, it nonetheless proves the validity of
the consequences of goodness and severity in the
minds of men.
 
The Apostle Paul wrote, "Therefore consider the
goodness and severity of God: on those who fell,
severity; but toward you, goodness, if you
continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will
be cut off" (Romans 11:22, NKJV).
 
Paul is continuing to develop an argument begun in
the opening part of Romans. The Jewish Christians
in Rome felt superior to the Gentile Christians
because they were the "chosen people." However,
Paul is carefully building an argument
illustrating that the Law of Moses no longer was
in effect. They were under a new covenant where
the saved were born spiritually, not physically.
 
The Jews rejected Christ as the Messiah (Matthew
27:21-26; Acts 13:40-47; Romans 11:1-25).
Therefore, their days as the chosen people ended.
Christ rejected them for being unbelievers, not
for being Jews.
 
Paul never told them to stop being Jews or
Gentiles but to understand that spiritually it
played no part in their salvation (Galatians 3:26-
28). They were all sinners in need of grace and
together in the family of God (Romans 3:23; Romans
5:6-11; Romans 8:1). Being in Christ was all that
mattered.
 
"Goodness," often translated kindness, refers to
"God's gracious attitude and acts toward
sinners."/1 "The Lord is not slack concerning His
promise, as some count slackness, but is
longsuffering toward us, not willing that any
should perish but that all should come to
repentance" (2 Peter 3:9).
 
Paul illustrates his message with the maintenance
of olive trees. He excised unhealthy branches and
grafted in healthy branches so the entire tree
could prosper. The unhealthy branches were the
unbelieving Jews and the new branches were the
believing Gentiles.
 
Paul says that the unhealthy branches were "broken
off," which means they were "sharply cut" with
"unrelenting severity."/2 God had given them
enough chances to become right spiritually. They
chose to separate themselves and God merely
complied with their wishes (Matthew 25:46).
 
His goodness is beyond the comprehension of man.
The Psalms are full of examples of this truism.
Likewise, the severity of God is also exceedingly
powerful. Heaven will be as wonderful as hell will
be terrible. The extremes will be intense.
 
The lessons for us are crucial.
 
First, if being a member of God's chosen people
under the old covenant did not prevent Jews from
being unbelieving and rejected, why would the same
thing not happen to Christians under the new
covenant today (Hebrews 6:4-6; Hebrews 8,9; 10:26-
31)?
 
Second, "In an age of political correctness men
simply refuse to consider the 'severity of God.'
But the goodness of God makes the severity of God
necessary. If God failed to punish wickedness what
impression would that leave with regard to God's
justice?" (Matthew 7:6-14, 21-23)./3
 
In Romans 11:22, the phrase "cut off" means
literally "to strike out." It referred to medical
surgery./4 We will be cut off if we are not
bearing fruit in the kingdom (John 15:1-8).
 
Do we wish to avoid this fate? Trust him
implicitly and obey him completely (Ephesians
2:8,9;Acts 2:37,38; Acts 22:16).
 
__________
1/ Gerhard Friedrich, editor, The Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1972), 9:490
2/ Gerhard Friedrich, editor, The Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1974), 8:106,108
3/ Tom Wacaster, Studies in Romans (Talco, Texas:
Tom Wacaster, 2005), 491.
4/ Gerhard Kittell, editor, The Theological
Dictionary of the New Testament (Grand Rapids:
Eerdmans, 1965), 3:858.