Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, And His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, And His work before Him. He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, And carry them in His bosom, And gently lead those who are with young. Isaiah 40:10-11 NKJV Passage on Bible Gateway
DOES GOD HAVE TWO PERSONALITIES?
When I think of someone with two personalities, I think of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. I looked up the definition of Jekyll and Hyde and Merriam Webster said it like this:
One having a two-sided personality, one of which is good and the other evil. Someone who is sometimes good and pleasant and sometimes very rude or bad.
Some of us know the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. But for those who don’t, it’s a story in which a nice scientist (Dr. Jekyll) becomes the evil Mr. Hyde. He is someone that portrays a two-sided personality who can become violent without warning.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve known some people with this type of behavior. I never knew when they were going to be the kind person or the mean person. It made having a relationship with them extremely difficult. It lead to a place where I chose to avoid them as much as possible.
Some believe God is only holy and righteous and should be approached with trepidation (painful agitation) or not approached at all.
Others view him as just a loving God and forget he is holy and righteous.
It can be difficult to find the fine line between the two.
It wasn’t long ago I used to see God only as a mean, distant and unapproachable God.
You know the scripture John 14:6, “Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”? This verse and Jesus Himself were my go to.
To me Jesus was like a brother. He was laid back, fun to be with and someone I trusted. So I thought, ‘Awesome! I will go to Jesus and Jesus can go to God.
Problem solved! I don’t need to go near God at all.’
Seriously, at the time I didn’t realize that’s what I was doing.
But somewhere along the way, God opened my eyes to it.
I just couldn’t wrap my mind around the split personality God seemed to have.
I’ve heard it asked numerous times. “How can God be full of love and allow so many bad things to happen?” I myself wondered how does a person get through the mean side to the loving kind side of God?
Or is it that God’s mean and Jesus is nice? My earthly dad was a cruel man and I desperately needed the kind side of God. That’s why I avoided what I viewed as the ‘mean side.’ I told God I didn’t understand it and left it at that.
About six months ago as I was walking into my bedroom, I said, “Okay God, I want to know all of you even the mean side. I desperately need to know ‘all’ of you.” Although there weren’t any flashes of lightning or God talking to me audibly, the peace that passes all understanding filled my heart that very instant.
Thankfully, God is not Jekyll. He is never evil or bad. God is not Hyde. He’s not the sweet person who will let me walk all over Him. However, there are two sides to him and we need both.
GOD IS HOLY
Isaiah 40:10 tells us of God’s justice, holiness, righteousness and his strong arm. God says, “Get it together.”
“Behold, the Lord God shall come with a strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him; Behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him.” Isaiah 40:10 NKJV (Verse on Bible Gateway)
GOD IS LOVE
Isaiah 40:11 reassures us that even though we have heartaches, disappointments and concerns, God is a special shepherd who tends to our special needs. (God’s heart)
“He will feed His flock like a shepherd; He will gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those who are with young.” Isaiah 40:11 NKJV (Verse on Bible Gateway)
These verses go back to back for a reason.
God is a God of order.
I needed to understand there are rules He wants me to follow. But at the same time, He loves me through them. Just like I did with my children and now with my grandchildren. Although I am a little more lenient with my grandchildren.
I no longer avoid the mean side of God because I no longer view Him as one with a mean side …
I don’t completely understand all of His characteristics, but I don’t view Him as a mean God any longer either. It took me five years to get to this place and there’s no doubt in my mind God was with me throughout the entire journey. His grace and mercy (and love of course) carried me through. I don’t avoid Him or come to him with painful agitation any more. I approach Him now with complete confidence knowing I can obtain (secure) mercy and find grace in my time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
I love Cody Carnes song, I Run To The Father. These are some of my favorite words from his song:
I run to the Father
I fall into grace
I’m done with the hiding
No reason to wait
My heart needs a surgeon
My soul needs a friend
So I run to the Father
Again and again and again.
My heart needs a surgeon and my soul needs a friend.
God is both … my surgeon and my friend. ❤
Much love,
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Its so interesting that it may seem like God has two personalities. I always compare it to being a parent. We love our children and will do anything for them but we also have to discipline them. That is also part of loving them. The same is for God’s love for us.
It’s easy to view God in a negative way when we do not have a relationship with Him. But once we do, everything changes. We see him as a father, provider, healer and more.
I loved this post! I’m so thankful that I have a wonderful and loving, but no nonsense father, who modeled the love and discipline of my Heavenly Father when we were growing up. I believe that helped me believe on Jesus and trust Him as Saviour as a young teen. Our children’s fathers have a great responsibility! God is equally and perfectly each one of His character traits. Hard to understand, but still true! Thank you for sharing this!! Blessings! 💗
My heart is always blessed when people share they have/had a wonderful earthly father. I love to hear their stories. You are so right in saying that fathers have a great responsibility! I forgot to share in my post that God brought me to a place of understanding and forgiving my dad. I learned things about his childhood and parents which allowed me to extend grace and mercy toward him and the way he was.❤ Thank you, Teresa!
I can tell you put a lot of heart and love into this post! So beautifully done. “God is both my surgeon and my friend.” What a powerful quote!
Thank you!! ❤
Hi Susan! Thank you for this post. It is frustrating to me when people only talk about the grace of God and never the justice of God or the will of God in our lives today. I really appreciate you showing your hand in your progressive transformation to know the whole person of God. You know, He says His Name is, “The One who holds generations liable for the sins of the fathers, but shows lovingkindness to all those who repent.” He does have two sides, and I’m so glad that He is open armed and patient for us to get to know Him. I once looked up the definition of “mean” and it kind of surprised me that it meant not only spiteful and nasty, but also poverty stricken and not generous with one’s assets, therefore the opposite of kindness and generosity.
Hi Laura, and thank you so much! I am thankful God is open armed and patient for us to get to know him, too! And ever so relieved that he is not spiteful, nasty, poverty stricken or non generous. He owns everything and we are blessed to reap from that truth. ❤❤
I enjoyed reading this. Many people have the question, why does God do this and that. I liked how you explained it. When I get an idea to write, I put it in my notes in my phone. And before I read your message, I put down, “Is God mad at me?” I just thought how close is this topic to your topic. Thank you for sharing this, it will definitely help others.
Hi Elizabeth and thank you! I love it when God confirms things! It brings a complete peace I didn’t have beforehand. ❤
When I was younger I used to think God had a mean side because he wouldn’t give me what I so desperately wanted. To be honest, I still have those feelings from time to time. I’m learning that it has to do more with the fact that I can be very self-focused and I’m not fixing my eyes on Jesus.
I understand, Summer! When I’m acting like a spoiled child, that is when I find myself saying out loud, “Really, God?” I’m so so thankful God is gracious with me and immediately shows me that I am trying to bring Him down to my level (which is impossible to do) and not giving Him the respect He deserves. ❤❤ Thank you!
I think this is such a relevant topic that most of us have struggled with at different points in our lives. I too am now at peace even though I don’t fully understand. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Mary! ❤
In the early days of my faith journey, I felt the same way about God and would direct my prayer request only through Jesus Christ but I’ve matured with time and experienced the father’s heart
I knew I wasn’t the only one who use to direct my prayers only through Jesus, but it is the first time anyone has said so. Thank you, Betty! There’s such a difference between loving discipline and being mean, isn’t there? I’m grateful that it’s God’s heart that we truly know him and he doesn’t leave us thinking that he is mean.❤❤
Thank you so much for your honesty. I have had these exact feelings and have found myself perplexed. I, too, don’t understand it all but do feel like God is working on my heart and soul to draw me closer to him.
I think a lot of people tend to look at one or the other and forget the parts of God that they don’t want to see! I love this reminder that God is a loving God, but He is also a just God.
That’s very true, M.J. I pray more people will discover the truth about God’s love and holiness and how they work together. God bless! ❤
Is God mean? That’s an intriguing title. He is holy and righteousness and you’re right; we should never forget that. His love is perfect for a reason. I appreciated the transparency where it said I don’t think he’s mean anymore. That’s a struggle for many. Beautiful post! Thank you!
God has never given up on proving who He is to me … not because he has to, but because it’s who he is and I am grateful beyond words. ❤ Thank you!
I can so relate to this post. Thank you for sharing your insight. Blessings, Joni
Thank you, Joni! ❤
So good! I always have to remember the attributes of God never change. Thanks for breaking this down and writing about it!
Me too, Kariminter! I’m so thankful God stays the same. ❤
Susan, I love how you reasoned out the 2 sides of God. But He is a holy and righteous God, a father who cares for His children. And sometimes as a father we need discipline and we need loving arms around us. I am so thankful that our heavenly father gives us both.
Thank you, Wendy! I’m so thankful for God’s discipline and love too. He gives us everything we need.❤
I really loved how you tackled this topic. We do need both sides of God. And His holiness is a perfect compliment to His loving goodness. I also loved the song you shared at the end. My heart needs a surgeon, my soul needs a friend. That words it perfectly!
Thank you, Collene! I’m grateful God is everything we need.❤❤
Hi! Thank you so much for writing this heartfelt blog. I love how you explained that God’s Love and Holiness are one and the same, not separate.
Hi Adriana! Thank you for taking the time to read and respond. We appreciate each one of you.❤
What an amazing revelation! God is the only one who can show us who He really is open our eyes. Thank you for sharing your story.
Hi Tinashe! God is so wonderful, isn’t He? ❤
God’s ways are not the same as human ways, he is perfect, just and good. He turns what was meant to harm, to good – he disciplines because of his love. Learning about Gods character is important and understanding it takes time, part of our walk of faith.
You sure are right. It does take time to understand God’s character and I’m so glad that God’s ways are not the same as human ways. ❤
I think that all the characteristics of God make Him unique and set apart. But l agree they all need to be understood together and that can bamboozle you without God’s revelation. Another wonderful post!
Thank you, Ava! Without God’s revelation, I’d be totally confused. I’m thankful He doesn’t leave us hanging.❤
Justice and loving aren’t mutually exclusive character traits… thankful the Lord opens our eyes to see who he truly is!
Praise God! To know HIm we realized just who He is. He is a loving Father with an expectation. Very honest and very thought-provoking. I love that you said “holiness” is not an option for us. So true. Best part: His Holy Spirit helps with this journehy. – Teri
Praise God he does discipline us, growing us into maturity step by step. It’s what a loving parent does. Otherwise we’d be spoiled children, not good for much of anything. The process may seem harsh at times, but the results are well worth it (Hebrews 12:5-11). (I have to remind myself of these truths often!)
I love how you have approached this subject. I recently wrote for a Online Bible study on the same subject.
[…] via Is God Mean? — Fresh Grace for Today […]
Eileen, thank you SO much for sharing Susan’s post. We appreciate you … 🙏❤
God is the same yesterday, today and forever. It’s hard to understand His correction in real time, but in retrospect I can see how His correction was always for my good. God is a good good Father! 💞
Thank you Brandi! Knowing God is the same yesterday, today and forever and a good good Father gets me through most of my trials.❤
Susan, thank you. This has been a subtle thought sometimes … and then at other times I’ve had the “oh, God will forgive me” before I do something I know is wrong. Sometimes I think I had the split personality! 🙂
I understand all too well what you are saying, Sheri. Sometimes I have felt like I am the one with the split personality too.🙂
Wonderful post. When I was young, I thought God was mean and would strike me with lightning! For me, my Mother was the one who was cruel and is a Narcissist who has informed me she is done with me as well!!! I learned that God is not mean – He is love.
Thank you, Fleda! I’m so sorry you’ve had to feel that pain. I’m thankful God’s love is kind and sincere. ❤
This was a great article. God is both. Love and wrath. Truth and grace. Merciful and holy. <3
Thank you, Amy! I love all of the attributes you used to describe God. He’s perfect!❤
Thank you for this much needed reminder. God is both holy and gracious and we cannot separate the two <3
Thank you, Tabatha, for taking time to read and share!❤
Great way to walk through the topic of God’s character. I’ve always viewed God as Abba Father. I know He loves justice, but I’ve always viewed justice as a positive thing. Even when it temporarily feels like a bad thing.
I am glad I read this this morning. Now I have a different perspective to ponder on my long drive home.
You are so right, Carrie! God’s justice is a positive thing. It’s always intended for good and not to manipulate anyone or any situation.
Abba Father is one of God’s names that is dear to my heart. ❤
Thank you for stopping by and sharing your thoughts. Reading the comments helps me to grow spiritually. God bless.
Love this, Susan! ❤ I too struggled reconciling in my heart God’s Holy and loving side. My earthly dad was mean, narcissistic and would lie in a heartbeat so he could manipulate people and throw fits whenever things didn’t go his way. I don’t remember ever having one conversation where he didn’t let me know how disappointed he was in me. The more I chased after him, the more he continuously and purposely moved the proverbial ‘goal post’ on me so I could never quite reach the point of finally earning or ‘deserving’ his love, acceptance and blessing. Finally in 2011-2012 he let me know he was ‘finished’ with me.
But God’s loving kindness is what drew me to repentance. And as the years went by, He just seemed to ‘grow’ bigger and mightier in my eyes. He already was huge, it was the ‘lens’ or filter I looked through that needed adjusted so I could see God as He truly was … good and set apart from any human. The more I ‘see’ God as Holy and Just, the more I’m confident my enemy is toast.
God’s Holiness and love of justice scared me for years when I still struggled with residual guilt and condemnation. But as I grew in my relationship with God AND began to fully accept my identity in Christ (I’m a new creature in Him, loved, forgiven, adopted, redeemed), I began to see His justice as beautiful protection (and security) for me, His beloved Child.
It’s a process to stop coming into agreement with our earthly dads and the enemy (who actually spoke through our earthly dads) and fully accept how God sees us, isn’t it? But what sweet freedom we have found in Jesus. Taste and see how good the Lord truly is!
Love you Susan. I thank God for you everyday … ❤
Thank you, Donna!! You are a true blessing in my life! God knew I needed you.❤
I am so thankful God never gives up on us! Like any good eye doctor, He continues to change the lens until we see clearly.
Ten years ago, I didn’t even realize I had an issue with God’s love and acceptance for me or to what depth, but now … wow! … I see like never before.
My deepest desire is that everyone knows they are truly and dearly loved and accepted by God. After all, He created them.❤
The only thing that helps me make sense of this topic is my job as a mom. There are times when the kids see how much I love them, and think I’m cool/on their side. Then there are times they think I’m the meanest mom ever, because of a boundary I placed for their safety or health and well-being.
When I start questioning if God is mean in a particular situation, if I remember my parenting lessons, I can step back and accept that He is loving me way better than I could ever imagine.
That is so true, Aryn! Parenting is one of the best areas to use to help us access this truth of God. Thank you for sharing.❤
Because God is pure and holy, unable to sin and even co-habit with sin, his righteousness and, even his wrath, are necessary. For they serve to protect his goodness. He is a good Father who comforts us as well as protects us.
I also did not have a good father. He neglected me my entire childhood. Because of that, initially, I saw God as distant and uncaring. But then when I chose to follow Jesus, and chose to get to know my Heavenly Father, I realized he not only is caring and present, he is also my guard and and protector.
Love the passage you chose and also the beautiful song. 🙂
Thank you, Marcie! When I was in my twenty’s, someone once said to me, “You have a hard time with God’s acceptance because you view him like you view your dad.” Although I didn’t understand what she meant, the seed was planted and God continued watering it until I did understand. I’m grateful for God’s faithfulness, love and acceptance.❤
What a good look at this, Susan! We want to make God all one side or the other but the Bible clearly wants us to know that He is righteous and just as well as loving and kind. Great post!
Thank you, Deb! ❤
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. I’m so glad you build your connection with God and found peace in His presence.
We will never fully know all of God’s characteristics but, one truth that never changes about God is that He loves us dearly and completely even when we walk in sin.
I am so thankful nothing separates us from the love of God.❤ Thank you, Vangelina!