The Whole Truth: God Is Not Soft, and Jesus Was Not Always Gentle

Modern Christianity has done something dangerous. In its attempt to make God more “relatable” and Jesus more “approachable,” many have stripped away the awe, the fire, and the holy fear that Scripture commands us to have. The result is a neutered gospel that emphasizes comfort without consequence, love without justice, and a Jesus who hugs but never rebukes.

This false representation is not just inaccurate. It is spiritually deadly.

If we want to follow the God of the Bible, we must deal with Him as He truly is, not as we wish Him to be. And that means confronting some hard truths. The God of the Old Testament is not different from the God of the New. He is holy. He is righteous. He is consuming fire. And Jesus, the exact representation of God's nature (Hebrews 1:3), did not always whisper softly. He preached with authority, confronted sin, and warned of hell.

This article is not for those who want a comfortable gospel. It is for those who want the truth.

God in the Old Testament: Holy, Righteous, and Uncompromising

One of the most common lies is that the God of the Old Testament is somehow different from the God of the New. As if He evolved. As if Jesus came to fix the Father's severity. That lie collapses immediately under the weight of Scripture.

In Malachi 3:6, God says, “For I am the Lord, I do not change.”

He didn’t change His standards or His character. He is eternally holy. And because He is holy, He hates sin.

Throughout the Old Testament, we see this clearly. When Nadab and Abihu offered unauthorized fire before the Lord, He consumed them instantly (Leviticus 10:1-2). When Uzzah reached out to steady the Ark of the Covenant, though his intentions seemed good, God struck him dead because he violated holy protocol (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

The flood in Noah's day, the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, the plagues of Egypt, the judgment upon Israel for their idolatry, all of it was the result of God's justice. He warned. He waited. But when judgment came, it was swift, total, and deserved.

This is not cruelty. This is holiness.

Psalm 7:11 says, “God is a righteous judge, and a God who feels indignation every day.”

The modern church often forgets this. God’s love does not cancel His justice. His grace magnifies it. Without justice, grace would be meaningless.

David: A Man After God’s Own Heart and a Man of War

Another misconception is that being close to God means being soft or always gentle. Yet the man God called “a man after My own heart” was a warrior. David was not just a musician or poet. He was a soldier, a slayer of giants, and a commander of armies. He was also a man of deep repentance and fear of the Lord.

David writes in Psalm 144:1, “Blessed be the Lord, my rock, who trains my hands for war, and my fingers for battle.”

Yet for all his victories, God told him he could not build the temple. Why? “You have shed much blood and have waged great wars. You shall not build a house to my name” (1 Chronicles 22:8).

God honored David’s heart, but He did not dismiss the blood on his hands. There was a reverence, a weight, and a fear of the Lord in David’s life. He sinned gravely but repented deeply. That’s the kind of man God honors, not the perfect man, but the broken man who bows low and obeys.

Jesus Was Not Always “Nice”

This is perhaps the most widely misunderstood truth in Christianity today. Jesus was perfectly loving. But love is not always passive. Love confronts. Love corrects. Love tells the truth, even when it offends.

Jesus did not go around trying to make people feel good. He came to call sinners to repentance (Luke 5:32). He came to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8). He came to save the lost, but not without exposing the lie.

In Matthew 23, Jesus pronounces a series of “woes” on the religious leaders. He calls them hypocrites, blind guides, whitewashed tombs, and sons of hell. He says they appear righteous outwardly, but are full of greed and self-indulgence. This is not the language of tolerance. This is the truth spoken in full authority.

In John 2:15, He made a whip and drove merchants out of the temple. In Matthew 10:34, He said, “Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword.”

Jesus let people walk away. He did not chase the rich young ruler who refused to give up his wealth. He warned more about hell than any other person in Scripture. He spoke of weeping and gnashing of teeth, of outer darkness, and eternal fire.

This was not harshness. This was holy love.

Revelation 19 paints the returning Christ not as a meek lamb, but as a King riding a white horse, clothed in a robe dipped in blood, with a sharp sword coming from His mouth to strike the nations.

He is both Lamb and Lion. And if you remove the Lion, you lose the gospel.

The Fear of the Lord Has Been Lost

Scripture is clear that fear of the Lord is essential. Proverbs 9:10 says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Psalm 111:10 echoes the same truth. Fear here does not mean terror without hope, but reverence that leads to obedience. A trembling that recognizes who God truly is.

The problem today is that many churches no longer preach the fear of the Lord. They preach affirmation. They preach comfort. But they no longer preach that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:31).

You cannot truly appreciate grace if you do not understand judgment. The cross is not beautiful until you understand what Jesus took upon Himself. He bore the wrath of God in your place. That is love. But it only makes sense in light of God’s holy anger toward sin.

Stop Making God in Your Image

The God of Scripture is not to be tamed. He is not a soft-spoken sky-father who only wants to give you good vibes and moral lessons. He is the Creator of heaven and earth. He is the righteous Judge. He is the consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29).

Jesus is not your life coach. He is the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Savior of those who repent and believe.

It is time to return to the full gospel, not just the parts we like, but the whole truth. The God who demands holiness. The Jesus who warns and saves. The Spirit who convicts, not just comforts.

This message may not be popular, but it is faithful.

And in the end, it is not the approval of man that matters, but the approval of God.