Sermon Reflections from Why Does God Destroy? | Alex Hardt | September 6, 2026
Pastor Alex began his questions about faith series with the hard to wrap our heads around destructive power of God. As we have been reading in Jeremiah, he has been prophesying over and over a message from God to turn from their evil ways and follow Him. Turn to Him and repent is the theme of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Jonah, Habakkuk, etc. The people were not listening and had turned a deaf ear towards God. They wanted to do their own thing, worship who and how they desired and live their lives apart from the protection and goodness of God.
How do we reconcile the destructive actions with God’s character? Here are a few attributes of God that help me understand why God sees the need for destructive consequences.
God is Just. This means that God’s justice is perfect. His decisions are always based on His righteous character. God cannot ignore sin because He is holy. God does not experience feelings of insecurity, fear and anxiety about His relationship with people. He is righteously angry when His children choose to devote their time and attention to lesser things. When God’s children turn their backs on Him, He pursues them. Even as Jeremiah was telling them about the coming destruction, God was always offering an avenue of repentance. He was also promising to return them after 70 years in exile. Here are a few verses about God’s just character.
Jeremiah 9:24 “but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
2 Peter 2:9 “then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,”
1 John 1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
God is Impartial. God saves people regardless of what they have done or will do. He saves people who have families in church and people who do not. He saves people who are rich and those who are poor. He saves people who are smart and those who are not smart. He is always fair. There I nothing anyone can do to force God’s hand, or put God in their debt. God will always do right by every person in every situation. No one will be able to blame God for His judgements. Here are a few verses about God’s impartiality.
God is Impartial. God saves people regardless of what they have done or will do. He saves people who have families in church and people who do not. He saves people who are rich and those who are poor. He saves people who are smart and those who are not smart. He is always fair. There I nothing anyone can do to force God’s hand, or put God in their debt. God will always do right by every person in every situation. No one will be able to blame God for His judgements. Here are a few verses about God’s impartiality.
Deuteronomy 10:17 “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.”
Romans 2:11 “For God shows no partiality.”
Acts 10:34-35 “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism 35 but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.” Colossians 3:25 “For the wrongdoer will be paid back for the wrong he has done, and there is no partiality.”
Lastly, God is Perfect. Everything God is, does and says, all His attributes, His revelation, and His works are completely free of fault or defect. Because God is unchanging and faithful, the measure of perfection begins with God. What God wills is good and perfect; His ways are flawless; His judgements are upright; His Word is without error. Therefore, everything God is, does or says is right, including His Word in Scripture. Here are some verses about the perfection of God.
Lastly, God is Perfect. Everything God is, does and says, all His attributes, His revelation, and His works are completely free of fault or defect. Because God is unchanging and faithful, the measure of perfection begins with God. What God wills is good and perfect; His ways are flawless; His judgements are upright; His Word is without error. Therefore, everything God is, does or says is right, including His Word in Scripture. Here are some verses about the perfection of God.
Deuteronomy 32:4 “He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he.”
Isaiah 42:8 “I am the Lord; that is my name! I will not yield my glory to another or my praise to idols.”
Romans 12:2 “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.”
James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
Understanding God’s actions is difficult with our finite minds. We also need to remember the words of Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.” If you struggle with passages and actions of God, take it to Him in prayer.
Understanding God’s actions is difficult with our finite minds. We also need to remember the words of Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord.” If you struggle with passages and actions of God, take it to Him in prayer.
Jeremiah 33:3 tells us “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” God promises to reveal what He can to us, the rest we have to take on faith based on His eternal, unchanging character. Life is always a walk of trust in faithful God.
Linda
Linda
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Linda is a member of Crossroads church and regularly blogs about her faith.
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