The goodness and the severity of God.

Henry Cloud tells the true story of a father grooming his son to take over his business,  when he overhears his son berating an employee. He takes him into his office and tells him "Son I am wearing two hats here,  the boss hat and the father hat." As the boss he had tried multiple times to get his son to change this way of operating,  but nothing had changed. So as the boss he fires him. He then puts on the father hat and says to his son “Son I heard you just got fired, I am so sorry to hear that,  is there anything I can do?"  So is the father being hypocritical here? I think not, because in doing this he is in some ways,  like God.   Paul could speak about the goodness and the severity of God  “on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness (Romans 11:22).

In the previous verse Paul speaks of those who are haughty, having a proud and lofty attitude towards God.  The Scripture knows nothing of  salvation based on presumption. “God will forgive me no matter what I do, that’s His job.”   There is a sense in which we need to fear God, and there is a sense in which we need to let His love cast out fear (1 John 4:18).  The one that God looks on with favour is he (or she) who “is poor and of a contrite spirit,  and who trembles at My Word”  (Isaiah 66:2). Humility and obedience is not what saves us, it it the finished work of Christ that does that. Salvation is the free gift of Grace received by faith, it is not of works, not of anything that we can do (Ephesians 2:8,9).  But we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ that  “each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad” ( 2 Corinthians 5:10).

Paul was reminding the Corinthians of a teaching he had given earlier  in 1 Corinthians 3.  After telling that there is no other foundation for our faith that Jesus Christ  (verse 11), he had admonished them to  “take heed how he builds on it"  (verse 10). Their works,  he tells them in verse 13,  will be tested by fire to see what sort it is.  Our works, Paul tells us are of different kinds, and he pictures  these kinds as  gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw (verse 12).  Perhaps wood are works that look good, but are done with the wrong motive, to be seen by men  for example (Matthew 6:1). Such works will be consumed by the fire,  any reward will be lost, “but  he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (verse 15).

Father, Your Word describes You as a consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29), yet paradoxically the safest place in the universe,  is close to the flame,  living life as a living sacrifices,  holy and acceptable to You. This is our reasonable service, it is spiritual worship (Romans 12:1 NKJV,  NIV). Help us not to play games with You Father,  for You would rather we be cold than lukewarm (Revelation 3:16).  But in view of Your tender mercies, neither state would  be reasonable. Let Your perfect love cast out all fear Father, in Jesus Name Amen