Kindness and Severity: Persevering Under the Grace of a Holy God

In Romans 11:22, Paul calls believers to behold both the kindness and the severity of God, holding together two truths that reveal His perfect holiness and sovereign grace. God’s severity is seen in His righteous judgment upon unbelieving Israel, who fell from a place of covenant privilege because of persistent unbelief, while His kindness is displayed toward believing Gentiles who stand in grace by faith alone. Yet this kindness is not a ground for presumption; it is enjoyed only in continued dependence upon Christ. Paul’s warning does not threaten the loss of true salvation, but exposes the reality that perseverance is the evidence of genuine faith, while falling away reveals a counterfeit profession. This verse summons the church to humility, reverent fear, and steadfast faith, teaching that those who truly receive God’s saving kindness will continue in it, while those who do not were never united to Christ at all.