The Severity of God, 6/23/19

There is much confusion and error in the American church these days about who God really is. There is much imbalanced over emphasis on the kindness and tenderness of God as if that is all he is. Yes, he is kind and tender. Jesus is the Lamb of God, meek and gentle. But that is not all he is. He is also the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, holy and fearsome and awesome and not to be messed with. The scripture calls him "terrible":

Psalm 47:2

For the Lord most high is terrible; he is a great King over all the earth.

There are two sides to God and immature believers do themselves a great disservice by not acknowledging both his kindness and his sternness:

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 grossly immature evangelical church of America needs to learn to love God for his awesome holiness and sternness and severity too. He deserves to be loved and worshiped for all that he is, not just the part of him we like.

Steve Pursell, 6/23/19