Knowing God by J. I. Packer

Author:J. I. Packer [Packer, J. I.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
ISBN: 9780830869459
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Published: 2011-09-26T04:00:00+00:00

God’s Severity

What, now, of God’s severity? The word Paul uses in Romans 11:22 means literally “cutting off”; it denotes God’s decisive withdrawal of his goodness from those who have spurned it. It reminds us of a fact about God which he himself declared when he proclaimed his name to Moses; namely, that though he is “abounding in love and faithfulness,” he “does not leave the guilty unpunished”—that is, the obstinate and impenitent guilty (Ex 34:6-7). The act of severity to which Paul referred was God’s rejection of Israel as a body—breaking them off from his olive tree, of which they were the natural branches—because they did not believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. Israel had presumed on God’s goodness, while disregarding the concrete manifestation of his goodness in his Son; and God’s reaction had been swift—he had cut Israel off. Paul takes occasion from this to warn his Gentile Christian readers that if they should lapse as Israel had lapsed, God would cut them off too. “You stand fast only through faith. So do not become proud, but stand in awe. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you” (Rom 11:20-21).

The principle which Paul is applying here is that behind every display of divine goodness stands a threat of severity in judgment if that goodness is scorned. If we do not let it draw us to God in gratitude and responsive love, we have only ourselves to blame when God turns against us.

Earlier in Romans, Paul addressed the self-satisfied non-Christian critic of human nature as follows: “God’s kindness leads you toward repentance”—that is, as J. B. Phillips correctly paraphrases, “is meant to lead you to repentance.” “You. . . pass judgment on them and yet do the same things”—yet God has borne with your faults, the very faults which you regard as meriting his judgment when you see them in others, and you ought to be very humble and very thankful. But if, while tearing strips off others, you omit to turn to God yourself, then “you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience” and thereby “because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself” (Rom 2:1-5).

Similarly, Paul tells the Roman Christians that God’s goodness is their portion only on a certain condition—“provided that you continue in his kindness. Otherwise, you also will be cut off” (Rom 11:22). It is the same principle in each case. Those who decline to respond to God’s goodness by repentance, and faith, and trust, and submission to his will, cannot wonder or complain if sooner or later the tokens of his goodness are withdrawn, the opportunity of benefiting from them ends, and retribution supervenes.

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