Christ is Both Tough and Tender

Jesus Christ is both tough and tender. Let's talk about his tenderness.

By John Kuyper Liberty

Many professing Christians today who practice what I call “I read what I like” Bible reading. They like to paint Jesus Christ as one who is angry with nothing and no one, who sweeps everything under the rug, and just “loves everyone” because he is obligated to do so. Do not be deceived. Jesus Christ is tougher than we could ever imagine. Make no mistake about it, he will not be mocked (Gal 6:7). We do not want to be on the opposing side of Christ when we die, or when he 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” (2 Thessalonians 1:7b-8). Yes, those words are in the New Testament.

But if you have truly been born of God and are now his child, how do you understand God’s disposition towards you?

Do you think of him as a harsh father or boss, always picking out the negative things that you have done and commanding you to quickly clean your act up so that you don’t embarrass him? Do you think of him as one who is quick to tear you down and get angry? Do you think of him as always watching you, waiting to catch you in your wrong-doing so he can make things more difficult for you?

I am not asking whether or not you know the right answer to the questions above. I am asking about how you really see God in your heart of hearts, like when you wake up early in the morning and it is just you and God. Or, when you are convicted of your greed, or your lust, or of that harsh word that you just spoke to your spouse or your child.

The Great Tenderness of Jesus Christ

May God help all of us to understand the great tenderness of Jesus Christ towards Christians. The Lord can be firm with us and discipline us, but when he is firm with us, he is firm as a loving parent is firm who has invested time with his children playing with them, teaching them, feeding them, laughing with them, and as the one who knows what is best for them. Except unlike a human parent, He does this perfectly and never sins against us.

Listen to how Puritan Thomas Goodwin speaks about the tenderness of Christ in his stellar book “The Heart of Christ”:

“Your very sins move him to pity more than to anger…even as the heart of a father is to a child that hath some loathsome disease, or as one is to a member of his body that hath the leprosy, he hates not the member, for it is his flesh, but the disease, and that provokes him to pity the part affected the more.”

Jesus Christ continues to speak to us today through the Bible alone. So go to your Bible, Christian, and listen to him speak tenderly to you. He isn’t merely giving you information, but he is talking to you personally. He understands what you are going through, except He never sinned (Heb 4:15). He did his saving work for you so that you will know you can have confidence to go near to him, and when you do come, you will find mercy and grace (Heb 4:16) and one who is gentle and lowly in heart (Matt 11:29). In fact, he is so loving he will pursue you to discipline you at times for your good (Heb 12:5-12), but he always does it as the great ‘I AM’ (John 8:58) who is abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness (Psalm 145:8). The Father has given you to Christ, and he will never cast you out (John 6:37). He only commands you to be kind, tenderhearted, and forgiving with one another because he is first those very things to you (Eph 4:32).

In all of his tenderness towards you, does this not make Him look glorious?