The “Severity” of a Compassionate God

Romans 11:22: “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.”

The Lord can at times seemingly be the most gracious and compassionate Being in the universe and also seemingly, the most “severe.”  His severity only appears to be so severe because we are seeing Him through the eyes of the fallen Adamic nature.  Adam, and all pertaining to him, is under God’s curse.  There is no good in it, and it must be eradicated.  God’s “severity” is only such as we dwell in fleshly lusts and carnality.  His discipline comes into our lives to grow us up, and cause us to be literal partakers of His nature and divine attributes (2 Pet. 1:3-4).

When the “severe” disciplining hand of the Lord begins to be bared in our lives, it is imperative we have a foundation laid of His overwhelming kindness, compassion and delight in us.  If we have not got a foundation laid in our lives of the absolute delight and joy the Father has in us as His children, when the Lord begins to bring maturity into our lives, we will lose heart, at best, and lose faith, at worst.

It is necessary that we dwell on His goodness and kindness, focusing in on His great love for us as we pass through tests and trials.  It’s only as we “fix our eyes on Jesus” (Heb. 12:2), will He complete that which He has started, and bring us into ever-deepening realms of intimacy, friendship and glory.