One of the lines I picked up over the years is: “One of the greatest arguments for the existence of God is how he’s survived the ways his followers have misrepresented him.” Overwhelming numbers of people claim they believe in God. According the Pew Forum of Religious and Public Life, the number is 98% (from answers.com). From my experience, most people seem to know just enough about God to carry on a conversation about him (like they know what they’re talking about) and to draw firm conclusions about who he is (like they’ve got him all figured out). There’s lots of PRIDE and ARROGANCE when it comes to what people know about God.
As someone who recently completed a Master’s degree from a theological seminary, I’d have to say the more I know about God the more I realize I don’t know. That’s not to suggest there’s an unsettling instability to my faith because that’s not the case. It’s just that the subject of God brings a new definition to the word, vast. God is knowable to the youngest child and those newest to the journey of faith, and he will absolutely boggle the mind of the deepest thinkers on the planet.
When people attempt to describe God, they’ll often use the phrase: “God is ______________.” What gets inserted in the blank is usually an attribute of God’s character. First, we need to acknowledge the limitations of any language to describe a limitless God. There’s no way language or a single phrase is going to be able to adequately describe who God is. There’s only one phrase I can think of which comes close and that’s how God describes himself to Moses in Exodus 3:14: “I AM WHO I AM.” Even the title and description, “I AM”, is too vague for most people to fully comprehend.
One of the more popular descriptions for God is: “God is love.” This is a hugely profound statement of God’s character, but it often gets downgraded by those who use it as an excuse. The phrase, “God is love”, does not fully describe who God is. Too often when modern minds think about “love” it’s filtered through life experiences. When “love” is connected to anything human it ceases to be an adequate definition of God. Any definition of “love” which doesn’t start with God will be a distortion of the truth. The fact that “God is love” doesn’t diminish the fact that “God is holy.” The fact that “God is love” should never diminish any of his other characteristics. Here’s several examples of how people may focus on one aspect of God’s character, but totally ignore others aspects:
God is LOVE, but that doesn’t mean he will ignore sin because “God is holy.” (Psalm 99:9)
God is PATIENT, but that doesn’t mean I can choose to always do what I want because I know he’ll always be there for me because “God is jealous.” (Deuteronomy 4:24)
God is FORGIVING, but that doesn’t mean I can ignore when the Holy Spirit convicts me of sin because “God is a righteous Judge.” (Psalm 7:11)
God is GOOD, but that doesn’t mean he won’t allow bad [suffering/consequences] into our lives, especially if it will draw us closer to him because “…he will be like a refiner's fire or a launderer's soap.” (Malachi 3:2)
We need to be careful that we don’t just focus on the characteristics of God which are convenient and/or comfortable. While it’s correct to say God is: loving, patient, forgiving and good, there is so much more to understand about God. We need to be aware of our tendency to remain in the shallow water of our knowledge of God, and not be afraid to dive into the deeper waters of who he is.
John 16:8-13 (New Living Translation)
8 And when he (the Holy Spirit) comes, he will convince the world of its sin, and of God's righteousness, and of the coming judgment. 9 The world's sin is unbelief in me. 10 Righteousness is available because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more. 11 Judgment will come because the prince of this world has already been judged. 12 "Oh, there is so much more I want to tell you, but you can't bear it now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not be presenting his own ideas; he will be telling you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.”
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