Two Kinds of People

“There are two types of people in this world: those who divide the world into two types of people and those who don’t.”

Corny. But funny.

Been thinking about people a lot lately. Some days I feel like I have a good grasp on the basic motivations of those I meet. Other days I walk away from someone thinking, “Did that really happen? Holy cow.” Sometimes the only way you know someone’s motives is to directly benefit or be ruined by them. Then you know.

I do believe there are two very common types of people in this world. The first type is the person you meet and immediately dislike, dismiss, or disregard. And then, over time, you figure out you completely misread them, their intentions, and their competency. Oops. Eventually, those people become the most trustworthy, loyal, and wise people you know.

The other type is the person you immediately like, respect, and value. And then, over time, you figure out that you have completely misread them, their intentions, and their competency. Oops. Eventually, those people cause you much grief, misunderstanding, and represent much of what you believe is wrong with the human race.

Here’s the problem. There are only two constants in both of these scenarios: you and a good long stretch of time. This may be up for debate, but I believe we should always give people the benefit of the doubt. I could also tell you to follow you intuition. But from what I can tell, the only way to distinguish the first type of person from the second is to interact with them for a significant period of time.

 

Luckily, Jesus gives us some insight into this in the parable of the wheat and weeds. Now, most scholars will point you to an schmaltzy end-times/judgment scenario with this. And that is accurate. But I also think there’s more to the story. Simply put, there are “weeds” that grow alongside “wheat.” And it’s no accident that the farmer tells that rookie laborer to sit back and let them grow. Here’s why – the “weed” Jesus is speaking about is called Darnel. It will make you seriously sick if harvested and processed into flour. Oh yeah – and it looks just like wheat. But the only way to tell it apart from the real thing is to wait until they are fully formed. Then the head of the wheat stalk tips over at harvest time. Then separating the two types becomes simple.

Same with those we meet. Reserve judgment. Most of us have been both “types” of people. I have. Treat everyone the same regardless of how you much you believe they belong in category 1 or category 2. Otherwise, you might harvest the wrong crop.

Six Months of Soul, Part 1

I took a break from blogging about six months ago to get some material written for our church start and give more attention to transitions in our home. But I didn’t stop thinking about stuff. So, the next three post are topics that I have spent significant time thinking about during the last six months. I thought I’d share my thoughts about them with you. First up:  shame. Sounds riveting, right? Actually, it is one of the more important spiritual issues of today and the reason people are leaving the church in droves. Shame is the “quiet motivator” in our churches for everything from good behavior to political positions to social issues. The worth we assign to ourselves and to each other determines how we treat others. We just don’t see it unless someone exposes it.

Shame is a sense of worthlessness or inferiority that plagues all of us at some level. Those who live with chronic shame feel inadequate, unwanted, rejected and often engage in self-contempt through negative talk. They never feel “good enough” for anyone. It’s also our own sense of shame that causes us to turn on others or engage in addictive behavior. It’s a horrible cycle – one that I have struggled with at times in my own life. Maybe you have as well.

The Bible has some really important things to say about shame and our relationship to it. It starts in the book of Genesis (2:25, 3:7). In chapter 2, we find humans comfortable with who they are. They are open, vulnerable, and sincere in their relationship with each other and with God. But by chapter 3, we find them hiding from God. Now, at that point, they we guilty of sin…but God did not shame them for their decision. They internalized their guilt as worthlessness and hid from God. Kinda like we still do today.

Guilty? Sure. But worthless? Hardly. Most people still can’t tell the difference.

Sadly, for many, their experience with religion has heightened their sense of shame. Their worthlessness is bantered around in sermons and liturgy every week that invite them to grovel before God’s feet. What’s worse, the church often “talks dirty” to get the attention of the shamed, rejected, and unwanted. But the church never addresses the deep inferiority people feel by giving them the acceptance they truly need. People need more than pardon. They need healing.

It’s important for people to know they are forgiven. Hebrews 10:22 says we are not only forgiven but cleaned from a “guilty conscience.” But something even deeper happened on the cross – God healed our shame. Luke 18:32 says that Jesus was specifically treated “shamefully” when he was crucified. In that moment of abandonment, Jesus carried the deepest and most pervasive emotional scar that any human can carry: shame.

At the cross, God said to every person that would listen, “I want you. I’ve always wanted you. You are unconditionally loved and accepted by me.” God’s heart breaks for his abused and shamed children. They are made in the image of God but they refuse to believe it. Shamed people don’t need a more acute sense of their own sin. Instead, they need a sense of just how loved and accepted they are by their Creator.

Though God gives us final value and esteem, each of us can choose to be agents of grace to those around us. We can give others small amounts of value in each conversation and act of kindness we display. You have the chance to help heal another person’s inadequacy, inferiority, and rejection. To help heal their shame. Or, better yet, we can embrace what God really thinks about us and allow him to heal our shame, worthlessness and rejection. After all, those are our feelings, not God’s.

The Way, Pt. 3

Okay. So here’s one final idea about Jesus as “the way.” After we see Jesus as the way to understand God and after we surrender to Jesus as our salvation, we can then see Jesus as our way to action. Sometimes we get this backwards and start here instead of with the first two points. We plunge people into service at church when they are really struggling to connect with God on a personal level. That’s too early. It’s only when we find our bearings in relationship with Jesus that service to others flows naturally.

Now, lots of people think they have to do something “special” for God. Christians say stuff like that pretty often. Do I think God has specific things that he wants us to achieve as his sons and daughters? Sure. But there’s a flip-side to that equation. What I think God really wants from each of us is to live a life daily that reflects him. It doesn’t have to be super-impressive. It doesn’t have to be amazing or conspicuous. The Christian walk needs to be only two things: consistent and true. The responsibility of the Christian is to live life consistently in each of life’s scenarios. Through each season of life. Here’s why. You only get the chance to do something for God that will be categorized as amazing our life-changing in life once. Maybe twice. And even then that doesn’t mean anyone will recognize what you’re doing. But if we live life consistently in regards to our families, finances, occupation, and relational choices, then we will be in a position to risk something out of the ordinary because the other areas of our life will be stable.

You don’t have to be a Bible scholar. Simply start by memorizing a Bible verse or two. If you desperately want to raise funds for missions, try paying off your credit card first. Guys, if you want to be the world’s greatest dad, start by simply leaving the office earlier each night. And if that goes well, then start emptying the dishwasher without any fanfare. Want to do something amazing for God? Do the basics. Draw your sword, raise your battle cry, and charge up the hill to conquer the obvious and the insignificant. Small is the new big.

Jesus did things for others that were radical and counter-cultural. But he also did them simply and effectively.  And that the true mark of Christian service: simple acts of grace and kindness that reflect the love of God for others. Simple acts of generosity that bring much attention to God and very little attention to us. One of the best ways to do this is in a small group. Or in your Sunday school class. Find out what God is leading your group to do. Here’s how you know: it’s something that comes up over and over in conversation.  God may be teaching your group about mercy or faith or financial responsibility. And then think of simple ways that you could impact someone’s life for the better. Nothing over-the-top. Just something simple that reflects the heart of God.

One of my favorite stories from church history revolves around this idea. There’s this Roman historian named Tacitus who said something interesting about Christians around 100 a.d. Rather than calling them “Christians” he named them “Chrestians.” Now, that may look like a spelling error but when we find our way back into the original languages of the Bible it makes something very clear. Chrestotes is the Greek word for kindness, benevolence and goodness.

You see, the first century Christians were known for two things happening when they were around: something miraculous and something kind. When a Roman historian wrote about the early Christian movement, he was much more impressed with the generosity and simple acts of goodness than with their theological accuracy. Now, know that the theology was sound and that their beliefs were strong. But what interests me about that is how a deep relationship with Jesus can translate into a wide-ranging impact for good in a community.

When Jesus is the “way,” he not only meets our individual desire for relationship with God, he also empowers us to reach people in a profound and meaningful way. I confess that sometimes I find myself back at the first point: still trying to understand God by understanding Jesus. And other times, I end up at the foot of the cross overwhelmed by the revelation of God’s love for me in the sacrifice of Jesus. And then, the love of Christ compels me to do what I can for others as the Holy Spirit leads me. All are essential to the Christian walk. And they all flow from the strong son of the living God: Jesus Christ.

The Way, Pt. 2

Here’s another idea about Jesus as “the way”: Jesus is the way of salvation. Jesus exchanged death for life on the cross. Paul says in Romans 5 that it was while we were still sinning left and right with little regard for what we’ve done that Jesus dies for us. It’s through the blood of Jesus and in the power of his resurrection that we are even here at all.

Sometimes we forget this. We treat the sacrifice of Jesus like it is some math equation…you know, sin + sacrifice = eternal life. As if we only get in the restricted area if we punch in the right “code.” But it’s more than that. It’s a revolution in how we approach God and how we live life. Part of the Christian walk is understanding that giving Jesus our heart means more than filling out an attendance register. It means more than working to better our community. It means more than dropping some money in the offering plate. It means completely turning over our lives to honor God.  Of course, those other things follow but they are not the goal. Surrendering to Jesus is the goal.

Now here’s something we need to talk about for a minute: what exactly is salvation? Well, it’s more than simply joining the church. It’s the decision to allow God to have access to every area of your heart. A lot of folks think that salvation is the end. But really, it’s just the beginning of learning to walk out life “Jesus-style.” It’s important for us to remember that we are on a journey towards sanctification. That simply means that the longer we walk with Jesus by surrendering our lives to him, the more we begin to look and act and think like him. That’s what abiding in Christ is all about: Jesus living life “in” us and “through” us on a daily basis. So, salvation is not a one-time event to be forgotten or placed on a shelf – it’s the constant process of turning our face toward God and saying, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Now, we are a socially conscious group of Americans…and rightfully so – it’s our responsibility to meet the needs of our community and the world as best we can. But what I’m talking about here has little to do with anyone but you and God. If we are experiencing salvation to the fullest – the way God intended – our relationship will progress. We will see ourselves grow more comfortable with prayer. We will begin to desire to open the Bible simply to gain advice on how to live. We will carve time out of our schedule to be in God’s presence. Not because someone told us these are the things we are supposed to do…but because we want to do them! There should be something dynamic happening in our hearts regardless of the work that is done otherwise. One comes before the other.  God has to work in you before God can work through you. From the overflow of our relationship with God comes the ministry to our community.

The Way, Pt. 1

I like Jesus…so I thought I’d blog about him for a bit…

I want to talk for a while about what Jesus said in John 14 – that he is “the way.” Whatever that means. Sometimes when we are familiar with a passage of scripture we assume that we know what it means. But I’d like for us to try and unpack this verse and see if we can think about it in a way that we may have never done before – some way that can speak to us currently and practically.  What did Jesus mean? What does that mean for us? So, that’s what we’re gonna explore together for a few posts.

So, first off, let’s do a little word study. The word “way” means more than just a particular direction. It means a natural path that is obvious to everyone. Have you ever seen a sidewalk that made right angles or took the “long” way around to get to a destination? What do people do? They make their own path…and as people wear down that spot in the grass (ignoring the “do not walk on the grass” signs) a path shows up. And then others take that path too because anyone with a lick of sense knows that’s the shortest route to their destination, right? Occasionally, you may see a person who likes to follow the rules stay on the sidewalk. But really, they are the exception, aren’t they? It’s like that Staples advertisement: we’re gonna punch the “easy button” if we can, right? We want an easy way to understand or navigate our lives. We are willing to follow directions…but more often we follow people. People we know and have relationships with. We follow crowds. We follow the leader. Once a leader has cut a new path, people are willing to follow.

And that leads me to the first point: Jesus is the way to understanding God. He cut a new path to understanding. You see, people in the Bible were having problems with this. Kind of like we do today. In fact, up until Jesus, the entire biblical story was the story of people struggling to understand who God was and the proper way to relate to him. In the books of Joshua and Judges, some related to him through military conquest. In the books of Samuel and Kings, some related to him through a king or ruler. In the book of Leviticus, people related to him through a sacrificial ritual. And all the while, you have the prophets screaming at the people that they are missing the heart of God. Here are some passages where God is pleading through the voice of the prophets. Listen to the frustration in their words:

Isaiah 29:13

And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.

Hosea 6:6

I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings.

Hosea 10:13

But you have planted wickedness, you have reaped evil, you have eaten the fruit of deception. You have depended on your own strength and the strength of your chariots and on your many warriors. 

Jeremiah 25:3-4

For twenty-three years, the word of the LORD has come to me and I have spoken to you again and again, but you have not listened. And though the LORD has sent all his servants the prophets to you again and again, you have not listened or paid any attention.

So, what’s going on here? If the prophets sounds a little ticked off, it’s because they are! Paul Newman in Cool Hand Luke sums up the Bible to this point nicely: “My friends what we have here is failure to communicate.” People were taking what they assumed God wanted them to do and turning it into something else. And that’s why Jesus is the “way.” He’s the final commentary on how God deals with us and how he expects us to live life in his name. Jesus shattered all the preconceived ideas of what God should look like and act like. He flipped the funnel. He said things like: “I’ve come to serve and give my life as a ransom for many.” He gave us a radically different description of power: “If you want to be first, be the servant of everyone you know.” Jesus is our way of understanding God.

More later…

Walk, Don’t Run

Last thoughts on competition. How do we overcome that knee-jerk reaction to protect ourselves and our families through competition? Honestly, I don’t have a very good answer for that. I know that the choice to walk away from competition is ours to make. And I also know that competition in my life began to wane when I discovered the fact that God’s love is unconditional (in other words, God accepts me regardless of my performance). When I discovered I didn’t have to perform, I stopped competing as well.  Now, well-meaning people will tell you that when you live in the real world, God may be gracious…but others are not. True. And no one will fault you for adapting your lifestyle to reflect that somber fact. Of course, maybe a little naiveté is in order. But I think the Apostle Paul has got my back here.

As I said the first post, we often quote Paul’s “race” passages: 1 Corinthians 9:24, Galatians 2:2; 5:7, and Hebrews 12:1. They’re all there. So are the “good soldier” passages. But sometimes we become fixated on a particular image and have trouble balancing it against other passages that are just as relevant to our situation. For example, there are other “running” passages in the Bible. The father ran up the road to give the prodigal son forgiveness and grace in Luke 15. Psalm 23:6 says that God’s love and mercy chase after us our entire lives (The Message).  

But for all the talk of running and races, the Apostle Paul spends more time talking about something else: walking. He tells us to walk worthy of our calling. To walk in the light. To walk in the Spirit (Eph 4:1-3; 5:2,8,15). Now, walking is different from running and competing. Walking is a slower, more methodical endeavor. It still has the same purposefulness – you’re still going somewhere. But when you walk you have time to take in what you see. You have time to invite others to walk with you. You may even hold another’s hand as you walk. You’re going somewhere, but it has a recreational feel to it. It’s social. It’s inclusive. And everyone gets to cross the finish line…holding hands if they want to. You see, when you competitively race, you so busy trying to beat a time or make to the finish line that you forget the journey. But when you walk, you’re okay with letting others pass you simply because their decision to race doesn’t affect the fact that you get to cross the finish line, too.

Christianity is a lot like that – as Eugene Peterson puts it: a long obedience in the same direction. The goal is not to win. The goal is to enjoy the journey with God. That involves laying down competition. More importantly, it involves laying down the fear that others will pass you along the road. So what if they do? We can rest confidently in the God that doesn’t forsake us along the way.

After all, in an effort to compete, we may have run past God anyway…

Power or Character?, Part 1

How we interpret the Bible is one of the most fascinating topics of study. Not the “word study” and commentaries part of it. But the subjectivity of it. Yes, subjectivity. Theology (which simply means “God talk”) is a speculative endeavor. Each person’s life experiences are brought to bear on a passage of scripture and even though our paradigms “tell” us how to interpret it, we act as if our interpretation occurs in a vacuum. I suppose that’s part of our humanness – to assume objectivity.

So, knowing that we pass our understanding of God and the Bible through a particular paradigm, I thought I’d share with you two particular paradigms that may affect your reading of scripture and (possibly) challenge your assumptions about a particular text. The first is the context of power. The second is the context of character. The essence of the power context is “Who wins?” The answer is one of two answers: 1) I win or 2) God wins. Both answers are acceptable based on what the interpreter is attempting to achieve. The essence of the character context is “Who loves?” Scripture is interpreted according to the good character of a loving God or the character God builds in us through relationship with him. When placing these two styles side by side, it’s amazing how different the conclusions can be.

Let me give you a few examples. How about Jesus’ words in John 14:21?

“Those who accept my commandments and obey them are the ones who love me. And because they love me, my Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal myself to each of them.”

In the power context (the one I used to proclaim without hesitation), We have a simple back and white scenario: a Christian only loves God to the extent they follow his rules. The issue is not the individual, it’s the track record. As for winning and losing, a Christian wins when they keep the commandments (good luck) and God wins in making the comandments a clear line of demarcation for those who are following him. Not only does God judge you according to this standard – you can do the same by using the commandments to assess the Christian walk of others.

The character context looks at it differently. Concerned with the inside of a person, the character context reads the rest of that verse and places it within the words Jesus actually wrote – “love” and “reveal.” Rather than an outward measuring stick, a Christian keeps the commandments to the extent that their life has been transformed in relationship with Christ. Keeping commandments occurs as character changes rather than through a force of will. Relationship is created by keeping the rules. Obedience occurs out of relationship.

Here’s another verse – from Paul – Ephesians 2:22-24:

 For wives, this means submit to your husbands as to the Lord. For a husband is the head of his wife as Christ is the head of the church. He is the Savior of his body, the church. As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

This has been a power play for husbands for years. Who wins? The husband. Why? Because someone has to…and that’s the problem. Once spouses play to the power context, they purposefully set aside their relationship to keep score. And everytime someone loses, the relationship is hurt. But there are some important things about this passage that we can learn when we use a character context. For starters, we look at verse 21. But most importantly we see the relational part of the passage: the wife responds to her husband to the extent (“as to”) that his character reflects the great love of Christ for the church. It’s not a game of winning and losing. It’s a choice to follow the lead of someone that you know has your best interest at heart. That’s why Paul put marriage in the context of Jesus’ sacrificial love for us. God’s character in us builds the trust to follow each other. Until we start “dying” for each other, we’re not really worth following.

These two contexts apply to life, too – parenting, the workplace, etc. I talk about that next post.

Bible Verses They Never Taught You in Sunday School…

I continue to be interested in gender descriptions of God. Talking about this may freak some of you out. Not everybody wants to talk about God outside of male imagery. I personally think of God as father, mother, husband, wife, brother, and sister. He represents all those relationships to me and I respond to him within all of those as well. And though male imagery for God may be most dominant in our culture, that doesn’t necessarily encompass everything we know of God.

Those who only see God as embodying male qualities and only sanctioning male authority usually make a point of Jesus chosing only men to be his disciples. For them, that settles it. But Jesus also only chose disciples of Jewish descent. So does that mean the church should only appoint Jews to positions of authority? No, the rest of the New Testament clearly states that Gentiles get in on the whole salvation thing, too. Here’s another issue: if biblical allegories for God such as “fire” or ”rock” or “tower” are meant to be representative of his nature, why don’t we literally pray “Dear Rock” or “Dear Tower Almighty?” We don’t because we haven’t been conditioned to do so. But it’s just as accurate as our prayers opening with “Dear Father” and that we have been conditioned to pray. Better yet, God describes himself as both a mistress and a slave owner in Psalm 123:2. Does that mean it’s okay to call God “mistress” and believe that slavery is an action God condones? Things just aren’t that simple, are they? The reality is that all of those metaphors (including father) are attempts to describe various aspects of God’s nature and cast anthropomorphic form around an otherwise genderless God.

So, is there biblical imagery that describes God in feminine terms? Sure. Here’s some:

In Psalm 70:5, God is described as our “helper,” (ezer) – the exact same word used to describe Eve. The word actually doesn’t have feminine connotations, and is used to describe God 16 times in the Old Testament. Now, there’s no problem if we respect the Hebrew meaning of the word describing someone helping from an equal position and never an inferior one. Then again, if we translate it accurately, the game is up and women know the Bible sees them as equal to men. Which is good. Because they are.

Genesis 3:21 describes God as a seamstress, a domestic function primarily ascribed to females. Jesus breaks similar cultural barriers as well. He washes feet and serves his companions (female or slave “jobs” in first-century Judaism) and tells overworked women like Martha to take a break and rest her feet.

The Bible describes God as having a womb and giving birth in Jeremiah 31:20, Isaiah 42:14, and Isaiah 46:3-4. Paul describes the cosmic womb of God in Acts 17:28: “In God, we live and move and have our being.” Job 38 describes God as father, giving birth, and the womb of God all in the same chapter (vv. 8-9 and 28-29).

We constantly overlook the feminine imagery Jesus describes with Nicodemus in John 3:3-7: “You must be born from above.” Jesus uses feminine imagery of birth again in John 16:21-22 and then turns around and prays to “Father” in the garden before his crucifixion.

Oh yeah, and then there’s the nursing mother passages. Isaiah 49:15 and Numbers 11:11-14. Though scholars are still debating, El Shaddai may mean the God of many breasts! God describes himself as a comforting mother in Isaiah 66:12-13. Hosea 11:1-9 says Gods loves us as a mother lifts an infant to her cheek.

And the greatest mixed metaphor for God in the Bible? The distinction goes to Deuteronomy 32:18:

“You deserted the Rock, who fathered you; 
you forgot the God who gave you birth.”

Inanimate. Organic. Male. Female. Ah, what a beautiful, beautiful image of a God who supplies every need and refuses gender categorization.

Which God Do You Worship?

I was thinking about something the other day. I love the parable of the prodigal son and refer to it a lot when I teach. But I had never thought of it like this until the other day.

We all have images of God in our heads. Some are passed through the grid of our parental upbringing or maybe through our understanding of American culture. I think the parable of the prodigal son addresses that. Jesus is telling a story that contrasts his view of the Father with the images of God that the Pharisees had erected for the Jewish people. Jesus’s image of God specifically contradicts two forms of God we see in the actions of the younger and older sons.

The younger son’s vision of the father is that of a judge. That’s why he prepares his speech on the way home.  Why wait for condemnation to fall when you can go ahead and admit your guilt and declare your unworthiness, right? So that’s what the younger son did. His father came down the road and he immediately launched into his speech where he “pre-judged” himself as unworthy, a failure, and an embarrassment. But that’s not how the father in the parable judged him. He judged him worthy, accepted, and loved. This represents a better understanding of Jewish judgment: one of rescue, relief, and deliverance. I’ve talked about that here. In the Old Testament, a judge rescued God’s people from destruction, not condemned them in a court of law. But the father in this story took it even further: he says that it was “necessary” (v. 32) that they have a party for the younger son. The younger son, who assumed his transgressions would be met with fierceness and anger, was met with dismissal of his self-condemnation, riotous laughter, and dancing in the street. The younger son was dead wrong about who his father truly was.

The older son is little better. He sees his father as a slave owner. Hence his descriptions of working his fingers to the bone and never leaving the farm. It’s also why the older son was so angry about not receiving rewards and honors. He expected to be rewarded for his deeds, like an employee. But the father refutes the view that he’s a slave owner or task master also. He says “My dear child, everything I have is yours.” The father had trouble understanding the dilemma the older son faced. It would be like if you went outside to the garage, looked at your new Lexus, and bemoaned the fact that it wasn’t yours. Or going to your closet full of new clothes and saying, “If only these clothes were mine, I would be so happy.” The point was that the older son wasn’t a slave: he was the son. The father rejects the older son’s view of him as a slave driver as well.

The point? Jesus was telling us not only telling us who the Father was. He was also telling us who the Father wasn’t. He wasn’t the judge or the task master the Pharisees made him out to be. So why did the Pharisees project this image of God? A couple of reasons come to mind. First, it achieved the result they were looking for: compliance, obedience, control, racial exclusivity. Second, they were merely passing down to the population what they needed God to be for themselves. They needed God to be a judge and slave driver to perform. In other words, sometimes it’s easier to hold God at arm’s length and work for him rather than crawl up in his lap. Part of that is because, just like the younger son, we’re not sure God wants us in his lap – even when he says he does. We think God is there to judge us and give us a list of things to do that will please him.

But that’s not the God that either son faced in this parable. The younger son met a smiling Father who ran to meet him, gave him a big hug, restored him, and invited the town to celebrate with him. After insulting his Father publicly, the older son met a gentle Father who used terms of endearment to address him and reminded him that anything and everything he had was his. And that there was no reason to work for something you had been freely given.

That God – that smiling, dancing, laughing, forgiving, entreating, hugging, giving, celebrating God – is the one that delights in every spare moment you give him. Now that’s a God worth worshipping.

What is God Like?

What is God like? Can anyone really know? If you pick two random people off the street and ask them to describe God, you’ll get some significant variations on the topic. Here’s a thought: if God is love (1 John 4:8) and if there’s a place in the Bible that describes love, it may be worth our time to look at it. For me, 1 Corinthians 13 immediately comes to mind. If you were raised in the church like I was, this chapter was used in two specific ways: to describe what Christian marriage should look like and to guilt the rest of us into behaving like we love each other. And yes, the context of the passage deals with treatment of others in church settings (chapters 12 and 14). But what if there’s more to it than that? What if that chapter describes the nature of God for us? What if we substitute “God” for “love?” It would read like this:

God is patient

God is kind

God does not envy

God does not boast

God is not proud

God does not dishonor others

God is not self-seeking

God is not easily angered

God keeps no record of wrongs

God does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth

God always protects

God always trusts

God always hopes

God always perseveres.

 What is God like? He looks like that. All other understandings of divine attributes are housed within this larger context of his goodness and love. God is holy. He’s holy love. And how does holy love act? At a level of sacrifice that human love can never reach. God is sovereign. He’s sovereign love. What does sovereign love do? It lays its life down in a way that’s unconquerable and undefeated. God is everlasting. He’s everlasting love. How long does it last? It’s love that never stops its relentless pursuit of seeking its beloved.

Now that’s a God I can give my life to.