God’s steadfast love

God’s sovereignty

God is sovereign and yet human beings are responsible and held accountable for what they do. Paul discussed this in Romans chapter 9 and concluded his discussion with a statement about faith that suggests the intersection between God’s sovereignty and human responsibility is the act of placing one’s faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul stated about Israel’s unbelief:

What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone, as it is written,

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense;
    and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (Romans 9:30-33)

The Scripture that Paul quoted is from Isaiah 28:16 and was also quoted by Peter in his first letter, which was addressed “To those who are elect exiles of the Dispersion” (1 Peter 1:1). This Scripture is also referenced in Psalm 118:22, which is about God’s steadfast love enduring forever. Peter talked about believers being living stones, a holy people that belong to God, “who were called out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). Peter said:

So put away all malice and all deceit and hypocrisy and envy and all slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:1-5)

Speaking of the Dispersion of the Jews, the LORD told Jeremiah that he would restore Israel. He said, “Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the LORD lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ For I will bring them back to their land that I gave to their fathers” (Jeremiah 16:14-15). The purpose of the Dispersion was to put an end to Israel’s idolatry (Jeremiah 16:19-20). God said, “Therefore, behold, I will make them know my power and my might, and they shall know that my name is the LORD” (Jeremiah 16:21).

God’s power is signified by an open hand which represents his authority or right of possession (H3027). Speaking of the children of Abraham and of Jacob whom he would redeem, God said they were “the work of my hands” (Isaiah 29:23). God used the demonstration of a potter reworking clay to illustrate his sovereignty to the prophet Jeremiah. Jeremiah 18:1-11 states:

The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord: “Arise, and go down to the potter’s house, and there I will let you hear my words.” So I went down to the potter’s house, and there he was working at his wheel. And the vessel he was making of clay was spoiled in the potter’s hand, and he reworked it into another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to do.

Then the word of the Lord came to me: “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter has done? declares the Lord. Behold, like the clay in the potter’s hand, so are you in my hand, O house of Israel. If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. And if at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom that I will build and plant it, and if it does evil in my sight, not listening to my voice, then I will relent of the good that I had intended to do to it. Now, therefore, say to the men of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem: ‘Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, every one from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds.’”

The people of Judah did not listen to God and were taken into captivity (Jeremiah 39:1-10). Jeremiah prophesied their response to God’s warning when he stated, “But they say, ‘That is in vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart’” (Jeremiah 18:12).

God’s sovereignty counteracts the stubbornness of an evil heart by placing the person into a position of submission. The Babylonians ruthless treatment of the Jews made them realize that they needed God’s protection and could not prevail against their enemies without his help. The book of Hebrews contains several warnings about trying to circumvent God’s sovereignty. Hebrews 2:1-3 states, “Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?” A second warning deals directly with the problem of the stubbornness of an evil heart. It states, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have come to share in Christ if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:12-14).

Paul tells us in Romans 14:11-12 that we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ and that each one of us will give an account of himself to God. God’s sovereignty makes it necessary for us to conform our will to his because eventually, every knee will have to bow to his authority and have to accept his rulership over our lives. Isaiah 46:8-13 states:

“Remember this and stand firm,
    recall it to mind, you transgressors,
    remember the former things of old;
for I am God, and there is no other;
    I am God, and there is none like me,
declaring the end from the beginning
    and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand,
    and I will accomplish all my purpose,’
calling a bird of prey from the east,
    the man of my counsel from a far country.
I have spoken, and I will bring it to pass;
    I have purposed, and I will do it.

“Listen to me, you stubborn of heart,
    you who are far from righteousness:
I bring near my righteousness; it is not far off,
    and my salvation will not delay;
I will put salvation in Zion,
    for Israel my glory.”

God is able to declare the end from the beginning and when he says he will do something, we can be certain that it will happen. That is why salvation is not a gamble or something that we have to worry about. God said, “my salvation will not delay” (Isaiah 46:13). What that means for unbelievers and for those who are hardened by the deceitfulness of sin is that today salvation is available to them, but God’s gift of salvation may not be available tomorrow because ample warning has already been given to everyone. Hebrews 3:15-19 states, “As it is said, ‘Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.’ For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient? So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.” God is not turning people away or trying to keep certain people out of heaven. People are not getting saved because they have stubborn hearts and don’t want to submit themselves to God’s sovereignty.

God’s judgment

John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue discuss the topic of future judgments in their book A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth. These two theologians tell us, “The Bible clearly teaches that all people will face a judgment day before God when his judgment will be all that matters. A day of reckoning is coming when all will stand before the Creator to account for every thought and deed” (Biblical Doctrine, 2017). Jesus primarily taught his followers about God’s judgment through parables that were designed to enlighten their minds and open their hearts to the influence of the Holy Spirit whose job it is to convict and convince us of our sin (John 16:8-11, Acts 7:51). According to MacArthur and Mayhue, “All Christians are headed for a day of judgment before Jesus Christ. Scripture explicitly mentions the judgment seat of Christ in two places; in each, Paul is addressing Christians: ‘For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil. (2 Cor. 5:10) Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God. (Rom. 14:10)…This judgment results in rewards for what a Christian has done with his or her life—for deeds good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10). This is a whole-life evaluation. The ‘good’ refers to those works done in the power of the Holy Spirit that bring glory to God. The ‘bad’ refers to worthless deeds that do not bring God honor, works done in the flesh (Gal. 5:19-21)…The judgment seat of Christ does not stop with an evaluation of deeds; rather, it goes deeper to motives. First Corinthians 4:5 says that the Lord ‘will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God.’ Thus, the judgment before Jesus is so penetrating that motives behind deeds are evaluated as well. Not only does what we do matter, but so does why we do what we do” (pgs. 864-865).

Paul talked about God’s judgment in the context of Christ’s second coming and indicated in his second letter to the Thessalonians that the judgment would take place at Christ’s second coming. Paul wrote:

This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering—since indeed God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed. To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his calling and may fulfill every resolve for good and every work of faith by his power, so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul said that God considered it just to repay with affliction those who had afflicted Christians. The Greek word that is translated just, dikaios (dikˊ-ah-yos) means “equitable” or equal. “Also, just as it should be, i.e. fit, proper, good.” Dikaios is used “of one who acts alike to all, who practices even handed justice: just, equitable, impartial” (G1342). A word that is derived from dikaios is dikaiosune (dik-ah-yos-ooˊ-nay) which refers specifically to Christian justification. Dikaiosune is “being just as one should be” and is “Spoken of that righteousness which has regard to God and the divine law…Merely external, consisting of the observance of external precepts…Internal, where the heart is right with God, piety toward God, and hence righteousness, godliness…So  used in the expression ‘to count or impute as righteousness,’ i.e. to regard as evidence of piety (Romans 4:3, 5, 6, 9, 22; Galatians 3:6; James 2:23)” (G1343).

Paul said when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven, he will inflict “vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2 Thessalonians 1:8). The Greek word that is translated vengeance, ekdikesis (ek-dikˊ-ay-sis) is derived from the word ekdikeo (ek-dik-ehˊ-o) which means “to execute justice” (G1556). Vengeance is mentioned throughout the Bible, but particularly in the prophetic books of the Old Testament with regard to the nation of Israel. The prophet Hosea talked about Israel reaping the whirlwind and said of God’s judgment:

The days of punishment have come;
    the days of recompense have come;
    Israel shall know it.
The prophet is a fool;
    the man of the spirit is mad,
because of your great iniquity
    and great hatred.
The prophet is the watchman of Ephraim with my God;
yet a fowler’s snare is on all his ways,
    and hatred in the house of his God.
They have deeply corrupted themselves
    as in the days of Gibeah:
he will remember their iniquity;
    he will punish their sins. (Hosea 9:7-9)

The prophet Micah echoed Hosea’s sentiments, but directed his comments to the ungodly that God would purge from among Israel. Micah said of God’s judgment, “And in anger and wrath I will execute vengeance on the nations that did not obey” (Micah 5:15).

Micah concluded his message with a tribute to God’s steadfast love and compassion. Micah asked, “Who is a God like you, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of his inheritance? He does not retain his anger forever, because he delights in steadfast love. He will again have compassion on us; he will tread our iniquities underfoot. You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea” (Micah 7:18-19). “Micah ends his prophecy by indicating that his total confidence was in God. Despite Israel’s great iniquity, God indeed pardons sin and delights in showing ‘steadfast love’ (hesed [2617]). God not only forgives sins but casts them far away (‘into the depths of the sea,’ v. 19)” (note on Micah 7:18-20). The Hebrew word cheçed (khehˊ-sed) or hesed “is one of the most important in the vocabulary of Old Testament theology and ethics. In general, one may identify three basic meanings of the word, which always interact: ‘strength,’ ‘steadfastness,’ and ‘love.’ Any understanding of the word that fails to suggest all three inevitably loses some of its richness. ‘Love’ by itself easily becomes sentimentalized or universalized apart from the covenant. Yet ‘strength’ or ‘steadfastness’ suggests only the fulfillment of a legal or other obligation. The word refers primarily to mutual and reciprocal rights and obligations between the parties of a relationship (especially Yahweh and Israel). But checed is not a matter of obligation; it is also of generosity. It is not only a matter of loyalty, but also of mercy. The weaker party seeks protection and blessing of the patron and protector, but he may not lay absolute claim to it. The stronger party remains committed to his promise, but retains his freedom, especially with regard to the manner in which he will implement those promises. Chesed implies personal involvement and commitment in a relationship beyond the rule of law. Marital love is often related to chesed. Marriage certainly is a legal matter, and there are legal sanctions for infractions. Yet the relationship, if sound, far transcends mere legalities” (H2617).

Paul indicated that God’s motive for inflicting vengeance on those who do not know him and those who do not obey the gospel is so that justice can be carried out. Many think that God is not just, that he allows things to happen that should not happen, and that he does nothing about the pain and suffering of his people, but Paul made it clear that God’s judgement will involve an equivalent amount of suffering for those who have afflicted his people over the years (2 Thessalonians 1:6). Jesus’ parable of the persistent widow was intended to convey the justice of God’s judgment. The widow complained to the unjust judge because he wouldn’t give her justice against her adversary. Jesus said, “For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’ And the Lord said, ‘Hear what the unrighteous judge says. And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?’” (Luke 18:4-8). Jesus’ question, “Will he find faith on the earth?” implied that the reason God’s judgment has not yet been carried out is because God’s people are not, like the persistent widow, demanding justice from him.

Jesus Christ’s return could be a good news and bad news situation for many Christians. Although Christ’s return will mean that our suffering is over and God will carry out vengeance on our enemies, believers will have to appear before the judgment seat of Christ (2 Corinthians 5:10) and may be reluctant to find out how their deeds will be evaluated. In his parable of the talents, Jesus indicated there will be some who are very disappointed. Jesus said, “He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth’” (Matthew 25:24-30).