What God May Really Be Like – Misbeliefs About God

How Do We Discuss God With Others According To Jesus?

If you grew up going to church you may have experienced pressure to share your views of God with others despite their possible disinterest. Some of this pressure may come from the belief that Hell is real, but the traditional understanding of Hell is nowhere to be found in the Bible. Jesus did not force God on others but discussed spirituality in a natural, relational way. Jesus brought up spiritual matters when it seemed appropriate and was accepted. Jesus’ agenda was to simply love people in the moment, not to manipulate them.

We may be surprised what Jesus said when asked directly how to have eternal life by a religion expert (Lk.10:25-37). Jesus did not warn one to run like/from Hell. Jesus simply advised to love God and your neighbor. A love relationship with God empowers us to love others like we wish to be loved. Jesus didn’t counsel to repent or get on your knees and say a certain prayer. Jesus implied immortality begins in this world by living according to the golden rule. One saves their life by running from selfishness. Jesus simply asked others to follow Him if seeking a better life.

Many misinterpret the passage: For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it (Matt. 7:13-14). Jesus wasn’t being exclusive. Saving one’s life for Jesus was not giving an out a get-out-of-hell-free card. Jesus was only warning that selfishness leads to regret and destruction. The narrower path – loving others as we wish to be loved – leads to true freedom. The truth is that God’s ways are always in our best interest in the long-run.

Who doesn’t know the story of how Jesus responded to the religious elite who had caught a woman in adultery (Jn. 7:53-8:11). When Jesus rightly shamed the crowd, they dropped their stones and left Jesus and the woman alone. Jesus didn’t lecture, pray with the woman, or tell her to go to church. Jesus simply said “Go now and leave your life of sin.” It didn’t matter that Jesus may never see this woman again. Jesus had said all He needed to – God loves you and encourages you to do what you know is right in your heart.

Jesus saved tough conversations for religious pretenders who claimed to represent God. The Pharisees were in love with their power, thus making religion self-serving rather than self-sacrificing. Jesus reprimanded the Pharisees for their misguided emphasis on rules and obedience rather than a relationship and God’s unconditional love. God’s love and mercy is our necessary nourishment. No gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor can conquer our battle against self-centeredness. Also, the Bible is not afraid to call out what every rational being knows to be immoral – abuse, murder, etc. God approved of war in the OT against nations who sacrificed their children to their supposed gods. If a child next door is being sexual abused would you do nothing to stop this evil? Tough love is sometimes necessary in hopes to change hearts.

People feel manipulated rather than loved when spiritual folks have an agenda.  Jesus’ only agenda was to love others as they wanted to be love. Jesus had a sense when people needed to be encouraged, when they needed to be told to leave their life of sin, when they wanted to discuss a relationship with their Creator. Pray for the same wisdom. Engage in relationships only with the desire to love others as they wished to be loved. The Gospel is simply that God loves you unconditionally and the Creator desires a relationship to influence you for the world and your own good. Jesus only wanted to help others listen to their heart. I am convinced a close relationship with my Creator helps me to be a better man, husband, father, and friend.

Hell Is A Myth!

Is God a sadistic torturer who punishes people forever for sins committed in a few short years? HELL NO! Hell, an invention over the centuries to scare people into submission and obedience, is not a translation but a substitution for certain Hebrew and Greek words. Fire destroys but God would have to keep humans purposely alive to continue to torturer them. Most humans wouldn’t even persecute their enemies to this extent. Hell as unending suffering is pointless as it doesn’t produce any good. Hell must be dispelled as a myth for God’s character is at stake.

The Hebrew word Sheol in the OT is often translated as “Hell.” Sheol was simply a region or place of darkness occupied by the dead regardless of beliefs. Job desired to go there to escape his tremendous suffering (10:21-22). King David describes Sheol as a place of darkness for those long dead (Ps. 143:3). Sheol is never mentioned as a place of punishment. Recent translations simply translate Sheol as “Sheol.” God didn’t warn Adam and Eve about Hell as a consequence for rebellion. Noah failed to warn evildoers about Hell before their death by Flood. The popular understanding of Hell is not found in the OT.

Hades is another word translated as Hell. Hades was used in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the OT, to represent the Hebrew word Sheol. Sheol in the OT never refers to a place where God is involved in torture where the dead go. Hades simply was a place where the dead go. Those who believe in the traditional idea of Hell never argue that Hades represent a fiery, afterlife punishment for those who didn’t believe. Many modern translations no longer translate Hades with the word Hell.

The NT is silent as well about Hell. The word Hell in the NT is translated from two Greek terms – Hades or Gehenna. Gehenna is used twelve times in the NT, eleven times by Jesus in the Gospels. Once we understand what Jesus says about Gehenna, we will understand what the Bible says about our popular notion of Hell. Gehenna is the name of a real, valley nearby Jerusalem that has a history. It was the local city garbage dump where fires were kept burning to dispose of the garbage and symbolized a place of slaughter and judgment. Gehenna was the place of burned Israeli children sacrificed to false gods (Jer. 7:30-31; 19:2-5). Josephus said this same valley was heaped with dead bodies of the Jews following the Roman siege of Jerusalem around 70 AD.

Jesus used Gehenna to symbolize the horrors of adversaries of God who disposed of their enemies into the burning, worm-infested valley. Jesus never used the world Hell. Hell is a substitution not a translation of the word Gehenna. The best translation of Gehenna in the NT is Gehenna not Hell. The Bible doesn’t teach God created Hell as a place to torture people forever. Paul wrote fourteen epistles and never mentions Hell. Scriptures only say after death that all are judged by our merciful God.

Why does all this matter? Most of us know in our heart Hell isn’t true or we would be crazy, sidewalk, evangelists shouting “you are going to burn in Hell.” Many hesitate to take about God for fear they may to explain Hell. Who the hell wants to explain or get to know a Creator who is a hellish, sadistic torturer who supposedly predestines some people to an afterlife of eternal conscious punishment? What kind of God thinks Hell scares people into true righteousness and an intimate relationship? Translators agree when to translate the Hebrew or Greek word into “Heaven.” There is no equivalent Hebrew or Greek word for our current concept of an eternal place of punishment translated as “Hell.” Imagine how it could change your perspective on God if you discovered there is no such place as our presently conceived afterlife concept of “Hell.”

Are Some Christian Beliefs Similar To Religious Extremist Beliefs?

I am not suggesting Christians who preach “believe or go to hell” are the same as religious extremists who behead infidels. I do wish to defend comparisons between Islamic or other religious extremists and certain biblical interpretations that have been suggested. I am not defending Christianity so much, as Jesus never referred to His followers as such. I do wish to defend the Creator written about in the Bible who came in the flesh through Jesus.

The Creator of the universe is referred to as Allah or God. But, Mohammad in the Koran did not claim to be divine but the last of the prophets; Jesus in the Bible claimed to be God. The Bible seems more credible than fabricated, as the empty tomb can stand scrutiny as a historical fact beyond reasonable doubt. Besides, who writes that their leader resurrected when living eyewitnesses could argue to the contrary. Other faiths often rely on a future promise; Christianity relies on a promise that happened in the past. The God of the Bible, who claimed Jesus was His/Her Son, turns out to not have anything in common with religious extremists concerning freedom of beliefs, women’s rights, the killing of women and children, and human sacrifice.

Freedom Of Beliefs

Is God a sadistic torturer if you don’t eventually believe in Him/Her?  HELL NO!  Hell must be dispelled as a myth for the sake of those who seek to know the Creator. Hell, an invention over the centuries to scare people into submission and obedience, is not a translation but a substitution for certain Hebrew and Greek words. The Greek word Gehenna in the New Testament wrongly translated as Hell was a proper noun and the name of a real valley nearby Jerusalem with a history. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago. The Bible does not compare to the Koran: “Strike off the heads of the disbelievers”; and after making a “wide slaughter among them, carefully tie up the remaining captives” (Koran 47:4).

God was a respecter of freedom of beliefs from the very beginning. Otherwise, why would a God who is powerful enough to create not annihilate immediately those who choose evil and oppose God? We can believe the God of the Bible upon death will respect one’s choice to spend eternity with their Creator. God’s justice concerning our regrets here on earth may have an educative component and cleansing effect. I cannot imagine anyone would turn down God’s invitation but there are some very evil people who just may choose a second death than spending time in a paradise whether there is equality than dictatorship. Paradise certainly is not a lustful adventure for men only at the expense of women according to the Bible.

Jesus, when asked how to have eternal life, simply said to love God and love others as yourself (Lk.10:25-27). God is not self-centered but a loving God empowering us to love others. Jesus was suggesting that the hope of life forever begins in the present when one looks toward God, whatever knowledge they may have, and strives toward unselfishness. Jesus wasn’t suggesting perfection as the Apostle Paul, once a murderer, was promised citizenship in Heaven upon death on earth (Philip. 3:20).  Jesus’ only agenda was to convince people to listen to their heart.

Women’s Rights

Women are not to be under the authority of men in the God of the Bible eyes, which only encourages dominance on the man’s part and dependence on the woman’s part. Jesus clearly encouraged equality between the sexes and mutual respect against culture norms. The Apostle Paul advised husbands to love their wives as their own bodies. Some religious extremists would rather be dead than advocate for that. One wrote: “What’s the difference between the strain of Islam that proscribes gender roles and its counterpart in Christianity that does the same thing, albeit with a different set of prohibitions?” God from the very beginning created women and men in His/Her image to be fruitful and rule together the earth that God had created (Gen. 1:28).

The Killing of Women And Children

The God of the Bible certainly never approved the rape and slavery of women and children. God preferred the Israelites live in peace with other nations. War was only a necessity in the eyes of God when evil prevailed. God sometimes advised the Israelites in wartimes to destroy the enemies’ land and those who inhabited it, including women and children. God never approved war simply because a nation believed in other gods as opposed to their Creator. But, in OT times men and women would appease the appetites of their supposed gods by sacrificing their children to their gods. Barbaric dictators and cultures exist and innocent lives are lost if the free do nothing. If a child next door is being sexual abused would you do nothing to stop this evil?

The Bible records that evil had become so rampant that God practically destroyed the entire human race, including innocent women and children, during Noah’s time. Evil may have progressed to the level of sacrificing children to supposed gods. God would not have rejected anybody from entering the Ark if they wanted anything to do with Noah’s God. But, who doesn’t understand why family members may not condemn the barbaric behaviors of their husbands and fathers. Corruption though can infiltrate a society so much that a fresh start may be the most merciful thing to do. There may be a better place after death more merciful than abandonment, starvation, or disease when the adult evildoers are expunged. The Flood was not doing evil that good may come; it is ridding of the cancer that can eventually destroy any good for future generations.

Human Sacrifice

The gods of the Old Testament would sometimes demand the sacrifice of children to be appeased. Jesus did not die to appease God’s anger and honor so He/She could love us. The Cross was not meant to change God’s attitude but our attitude toward God. Jesus walked in our shoes, even facing undeserved suffering, to gain credibility and influence. God is not an animal-hating, blood-thirsty Creator. God went with the cultures of the times. God much preferred a “broken and contrite heart” (Ps.  51: 16-17) as opposed to human or animal sacrifice which cannot bring things back such as one’s childhood innocence robbed by an adult abuser. God went to great means to convince us of His/Her unimaginable love and that His/Her ways were truly in our best interests if we only listened to our hearts.

The Creator of the Bible respects forever one’s freedom to believe as they so choose. God is not bias toward men when it came to leadership or decision-making. All are created equally in His/Her image and encouraged to use the gifts they possess. God detests the evil actions of individuals imposed upon others and has approved of wars when necessary for the good of current and future generations. God has always loved us unconditionally and sought to prove that through the life of Jesus. Suffering is inevitable in a world where freedom is part of the creation, but God did not even spare His/Her Son. The God of the Bible and Parent of Jesus is radically different from any God or gods who have existed. God only seeks to inspire us to love one another as we wish to be loved. Is there a better world than that!

What Are Reasons For Prayer Frustration?

Many become discouraged or turn away from God because of their frustrations with praying to God. Let’s be honest. The majority of our prayers are not answered as miracles were not the norm in Jesus’ time and certainly seem rare now. We will look at how the Bible is often misinterpreted which leads to disappointments in our prayer life, but often we stop bothering to pray because we overlook the most important reason for talking to God.

Momma always said to hang out with the right people so to make wiser choices. The main reason for talking to God is for relational purposes – personal growth and character development. Spending time with God makes us a better person as we begin to understand things from God’s perspective. I am definitely a better husband, father, and friend because of God’s influence in my life. If our entire prayer life was only asking God to help us love others as we want to be loved, that would be enough reason to pray.

The truth is not even an all-powerful God can create and guarantee life without death, violence, suffering, and struggle and yet there be free will necessary for authentic relationships. A wife prays for her alcoholic husband to stop drinking but God is going to respect ones choice. Abstaining for someone else seldom lasts anyway. Two people often pray for the same job. One may pray for rain while another for the rain to stop. We pray for miracles but our sufferings may help others more. It did in Jesus’ life. Martin Luther King’s suffering moved the scales from the eyes of many how they tolerated bigotry. I truly believe once we get to know who God really is we will trust God to give us what we would have asked if we knew everything God knew.

Certain interpretations of the Bible often get in the way of rational thinking. One may quote that I wrote: “I hate hamburgers.” What I said is: “I hate hamburgers compared to steak.”  The Bible records letters written, not a bunch of separate sentences to quote out of context. When the Bible says to turn the other cheek, it is not encouraging women to accept physical abuse from their spouses. Many passages are quoted out of context to confuse people about prayer:

• James 1:6 is quoted: “But when you ask, you must believe…” The sentence before in verse 5 is not included which says: “If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault…” We mustn’t doubt God’s desire to always give good gifts despite our failings. This passage is not promising that God will remove all suffering from our lives by simply asking. The writer in the same breathe says to count it joy when facing trails and to persevere (v.2). Perseverance is unnecessary if God simply grants miracles. Biblical writers don’t always say every time what is implied throughout Scriptures – God will always give us what we would have asked for if we knew all that God knew.
• James 4:2 is quoted partly: “You do not have because you do not ask God…” But, the next sentence/verse says you do not receive because you ask with wrong motives to satisfy selfish desires. The context is how God always answer prayers if one seeks to make peace with oneself and others despite human, internal struggles with selfish desires. There is always an implied qualification to the promise of answered prayer – there must be a desire to do God’s moral will which is always in the best interest of all.
• Mt 7:7 says: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” The passage says if we parents give good gifts despite our imperfections, will not God as our perfect Parent always give good gifts when asked. First-century readers would not assume this was a blank check for any request. Verse 12 in this context encourages to do unto others as you would have them do to you. Ask God for the desire and heart to fulfill this good gift toward others. God will help us to be the kind of person we desire to be. I know I am a better man the closer I keep getting to God.
• I John 5: 15 says: “And if we know that he hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of him.” Verse 14 adds some context – “that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us.”  God isn’t trying to hedge His bet. The world is a pretty big place to manage. God is a reliable, loving Creator.  In this context because God is who He says He is, we can rely on the promise of external life given in verses 13, 16-18. God desperately desires to give the hope of eternal life to those that wish to be with God forever.

The most important reason for praying or talking to God is to ask for His influence in becoming the kind of person we deep down wish to become. Prayer is also sharing with God our heart’s desires, but the biblical writers didn’t always add: “but God you know best!” Do we trust God to give us what we would have asked if we know everything God knew? Finally, let’s read the entire bible passage to see what God said to someone else, and then reflect on what God may be saying to us – what to be thankful for, what to confess, what actions to take.

Why Is It Important To Believe Jesus Died For Relational Than Legal Reasons?

No single biblical passage indicates that we must interpret the Cross in legalistic terms as if God needed to be appeased or satisfied before He could fully love us. Does God really care more about His ego than desire to encourage us? Jesus exhorts us to take up the Cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). The Cross was an act of continual love rather than a one-time event.

I Timothy 2:6 says: “Jesus gave himself as a ransom for all people.” The ransom wasn’t to appease God. Some Christians hold to a legalistic view because they revere God so much, but we must not undetermined God’s unconditional love – this is the Good News! We must not make God less relational and understandable to those who don’t know God. God is more concerned with the one that don’t believe than those that already believe. God surely wanted us to know how much he loved us, not how mad He was at us. A legalistic view of the Cross suggests God was more concerned with our guilt and restoring His honor than desiring a personal relationship.

How can we truly appreciate God if we think of the Cross in terms of what Jesus did for God as opposed to what Jesus did for us? Jesus’ death being for God undermines Jesus’ pain and struggle for us. God is different than other gods. God didn’t require a sacrifice before He could love us. It is us who has to be convinced. Jesus’ death was a visible demonstration of love to convey how far God would go to have a relationship with us, not how far God would go to get sins paid for. We can be free despite our guilty feelings. We don’t have to run and hide like Adam and Eve.

Jesus desperately wanted to do whatever He could to identify with us. Jesus wanted us to avoid paths of destructions that lead to regrets. Jesus wanted to walk in our shoes to better understand how difficult it is to live selflessly in a world where one is free to love or hate others for their own gains. Jesus was willing to face undeserved suffering as we often do. Jesus wanted to identify with how hard it is to not fall into temptations present in a free world. Some may die for a good person. Jesus died for all regardless if they were evil or good. Jesus took no shortcuts to convince us of His unconditional love. That is crazy love!

Followers may object though that sacrifice is necessary so God can forgive us. God is not an animal-hating, blood-thirsty God. Some may object to innocent animal lives being sacrificed but then we must object to Jesus’ death as well. In Old Testament cultures animal sacrifices were used to convey there is a cost to selfishness, so God went with it. Sacrifice doesn’t bring back childhood innocence robbed by an adult abuser. Human or animal sacrifice was never necessary to ultimately please God. God much preferred a “broken and contrite heart” (Ps.  51: 16-17, i.e. Heb. 10:6). God didn’t have to protect His character for egotistical reasons. 

God wasn’t so mad at sinners that God had to kill someone. God already knew sin had its own cost. God didn’t have to be appeased and His honor restored before God could love us.  Jesus died to change our attitude toward God, not God’s attitude toward us. God was more concerned with the restoration of the relationship than the guilt of our sins. God wanted us to know He is always forgiving. God sought to prove to us His unimaginable love. God went to great means to gain moral authority and credibility to convince us His ways were truly in our best interests.

How Can We Have A Better Prayer Life?

• Every time we see the word “praying” in the Bible we might replace it with “talking” with God. We can talk to God for many reasons including pursuing a closer relationship, for self-examination, and sharing our concerns. I find it easier to follow a God who doesn’t control everything as opposed to a God who accepts no resistance, thus I accept praying as communicating for support whatever may happen than manipulating for gain. Timothy Keller in his book Prayer says it best: “God will either give us what we ask or give us what we would have asked if we knew everything he knew” (p. 228). Jesus’ prayer to avoid the Cross may be the best model in times of suffering. Jesus asked God to intervene but trusted God if there was a greater reason to not intervene

• The most important reason for praying or talking to God is often overlooked. We tell our children to associate with the right people so to make wiser choices.  Talking and getting to know God can make us a better person by seeing things from God’s perspective. For example we may begin to want money to not starve as opposed to wanting to be rich or have things. Prayer often is a laundry list of requests for ourselves or others, but God may lead us to be more reflective thus getting more involved with others.

• There are many different ways to pray or talk to God. We may talk to God brief times during the day to feel more connected; some may reserve more formal times in the morning and evening. Formal prayers may help get rid of distractions for some; informal prayers allow many conversations with God through the day. One may read books on praying for insights or just develop an initial plan and continually revise. Alcoholics are advised to fake it till you make it. You will be glad you did. Just know though that if we only pray with obligation we may never develop intimacy. If we don’t begin with discipline we may never achieve.

• Praying, if a relationship, also must involve listening. The best way to listen to God is to read what He has already spoken to others. Praying is greatly enhanced by bible reading and studying if you are fortunate to have a Bible. But, can we really have any kind of relationship if we just sit down and read one’s letters?  We can study a passage to see what God said to someone else, and then we might reflect on what God is saying to us – what to be thankful for, what to confess, what actions to take.

• Please don’t beat yourself up with this next statement. To discover the real you where do your thoughts go to when nothing is forcing you to think about anything else in particular. Do you think about God in good and bad times? If you don’t think about God a lot you may want to find ways to hang with God more. We can feel more intimate with our partner only when we find a way to spend more time spending time with them. Regular bible study and reflection can help you be more the kind of person you badly desire to be. You might study and then reflect on the Lord’s prayer on a regular basis. You might develop a plan to study and reflect though the Psalms which are often prayers. 

How Praying Or Talking To God Works For Mike

• I prefer to follow a God who doesn’t control everything as opposed to a God who accepts no resistance, thus I trust God will give me what I would ask if I knew everything God knows.

• I talk to God more for support whatever may happen than manipulating for gain. We can become discouraged with prayer when our desires become needs. I trust God with the final say so. God always desires what is best for us but we must invite God’s influence.

• I keep in mind it is normal to feel distance during difficult times when I don’t feel close to God.

• God already knows what we think or need. I don’t have to know the words to say. Talking simply connects us to our Creator so we may become more the people we desire to be.

• Prayer for me is any time or place thinking about or talking to God. I enjoy reading spiritual books, as I find myself contemplating to myself as if having a conversation with God. Writing about God, which I am doing here, is my favorite way to be with and talk to God.

• Since talking must be a two-way street, I read what God has already spoken. I first attempt to understand a passage in the Bible as to what it means to the original reader. Then, I reflect and ask questions and listen to God as to what are applications for me in my life today.

• I talk to God in the mornings before my day begins by reading and writing. My others times during the day are very informal. I seldom close my eyes when praying, even when in a group setting. It just seems more natural.

• I never pray for suffering but I can be grateful for what suffering may teach me. Jesus’ prayer to avoid the Cross may help: God if there is a better reason to not intervene please stay close to me. I become a better person sometimes because my prayers are not answered. Intellectually, I am convinced that true peace and happiness can only be found in God than things. To have nothing but have God is everything. Having a close relationship with my Creator can get me through any disappointment in this world.

Why Is It Important To Believe God Is Not A Mystery?

Declaring God a mystery can create relational distance between us and our Creator. God desires a close, understanding, friendship with each of us. When a friend declares “don’t even try to understand me” this creates instant barriers and implies you are stupid. To claim God is a mystery does not invite investigation by those who may be seeking God for the first time. We aren’t really doing God a favor by declaring God a mystery because we can’t explain our theology.

Our characterizations of God must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like. God can’t be love yet torture forever those who don’t trust Him. Even humans may not torture their enemies to that extent. As it turns out Hell is not a translation but a substitution for certain Hebrew and Greek words. Hell was an invention over the centuries to scare people into submission and obedience. The Greek word Gehenna, translated as Hell, was a proper noun and the name of a real valley nearby Jerusalem with a history. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago.

Why did God even bother to communicate to us through the Bible if we can’t possibly understand Him? The Bible doesn’t claim that God’s character or ways are a mystery and incomprehensible to the human mind. The Old Testament only declares our ways aren’t always as moral as God’s ways: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord…. so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9).  Jesus didn’t speak in parables because God’s ways were mysterious. God’s direct message is only perplexing sometimes to one’s heart but not the mind.  Sometimes, parents can speak the truth to their children until blue in the face and be looked upon as creatures from outer space. There may be a better way to speak the truth than in a straightforward manner.

Some assume God’s will for our life is hidden since believing God is mysterious. God doesn’t predetermine our future actions. A loving parent doesn’t only approve of their child if they purse a certain type of career. God only directs us morally because God’s ways are always in our best interest. Otherwise, we are free to dream and pursue the desires of our heart. We can choose the wisest path at the time based on past experiences, current circumstances, and future aspirations. God’s will is accomplished by doing all the good we can, in all the places we can, to all the people we can, as long as we can. When we stumble morally, God lifts us up.

The ultimate mystery for many is how evil or suffering and God’s goodness can co-exist. The biblical writers’ silence on this matter may suggest such coexistence was self-explanatory.  Much of suffering – wars, crimes, and injustices – results from evil choices. Suffering is actualized when we abuse freedom to the detriment of ourselves and others. Authenticity, the highest good in relationships, is impossible without freedom. Without freedom we could accuse God of not creating the “best” world. God interference may prevent a superior world from developing as a result of the moral improvement of free creatures. Martin Luther King’s suffering moved the scales from the eyes of many how they tolerated bigotry. God apparently values forgiveness over instant justice, hoping many will change of their own free will.

God surely came in the flesh so that we might better understand Him. Questions dismissed as unanswerable may be answerable. Some may argue it is defiant to think we have a right to question the Creator of the Universe, and we must simply trust God. I suspect God does not mind being questioned. It is reasonable to expect God’s ways to feel rational to the human emotions and make logical sense to the human mind, since we are made in His image. God’s ways surely are more comprehensible than incomprehensible. This viewpoint enables us to relate to our Creator more personally and to explain our God to others.

Why Is It Important To Know God Is An Unconditional Lover?

Jesus became the most upset with the religious elite of His time because they got the main thing wrong. Christians may be doing the same thing today. Rules are emphasized more than having a relationship with God. God is portrayed more as a God of wrath than love. It is assumed God is more offended by what sin does to Him than what it does to us. God desperately want us to know He loves us unconditionally, as do all loving parents, because that is who God is.

The fear of God was on display in the Bible when nations participated in such things as child sacrifice to please their supposed gods. Jesus got His dander up the most when the religious acted as if true religion was self-serving rather than self-sacrificing. God’s wrath or tough love was only to deter people from self-destruction. Fear-based theology has been a misguided attempt to control our behaviors to produce unselfishness. Fear doesn’t lead to life-changing transformations. Has gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor conquered your battles against self-centeredness or long-standing habitual sins? Having an intimate friendship with God is what really transforms us into the kind of person we want to be.

Humans do not understand relationships better than our Creator. Parents know the fear of punishment is only meant to encourage their child to run from evil and is not what the relationship is based on. The main thing is a friendship gained over time that will help children to know us and act on our guidance which is always in their best interests. Our obedience has absolutely nothing to do with God’s love for us. It only effects how we feel about our relationship with God. God certainly grieves selfish choices because of the pain it will cause His children, but God doesn’t stop loving us any more than our human parents stop loving us.

Understanding God’s unconditional love is the only way to conquer the ultimate problem in our life – selfishness. We want the fear of God in killers to stop evil, but this doesn’t lead to changed hearts. God thankfully does not give up hoping or forgiving, or we may never make important life changes. Sometimes we cannot stop hating ourselves for committing the same sins over and over. God doesn’t give up after the 10^th relapse. God doesn’t heap guilt on us; selfishness already does that for non-evil folks. We can start off each day knowing God is in our corner.

God was not concerned about giving us a license to keep sinning. We sin without applying for a license. Sin has its own consequences. You can’t yell at your partner and expect to have any kind of relationship. God’s anger doesn’t bring about desired reconciliation. We are inspired to serve well a boss who truly values us and we deeply respect. When we understand what God is really like and how much He loves us, we will be more empowered to act in the best interests of others and our own. The only law God is concerned about is the law of love.

There are so many reasons we must understand God’s unconditional love for us:

• God’s unconditional love provides comfort to those whose failures afflict their consciences. We know we cannot meet God’s standards much less our own, no matter how hard we try. We do not have to give up though.
• God’s unconditional love allows us to continually seek forgiveness and acknowledge our wrongs before God without worrying that we destroying God’s love for us. Sin has its own consequences. Our failures do not change our statue with God. We can remain empowered than discouraged. God is keeping record – every act of kindness no matter how small.
• God’s unconditional love gives us hope that it is never too late to start. God’s accounting system is different than ours (Matthew 20). Do we really want an exact accounting?
• God’s unconditional love enables us to overcome temptations, which only seem at the time more pleasurable than intimacy with God. Temptation can be overcome because we have a loving God we can always go back to, not some tyrant who delights in punishing us.

When we understand God loves us unconditionally, we can avoid taking too much pride in ourselves. Pride only leads to comparing ourselves to others causing individual and relational discord. When we start to focus on our goodness, we may lose focus on all our shortcomings. God encourages perfection, not just reaching certain “good” standards. It isn’t that our good works are filthy, but God desires we be the very best we can and not just being better than others.  It is only when we understand our shortcomings that we reach out to God for help, which leads to true happiness and being the kind of people we want to be.

We may want to give up but we can know each day God starts off anew. God’s love and grace provides comfort to those whose failures afflict their consciences. God does not heap on more hate for constantly falling short. God gives us confidence to continue to pursue selflessness despite our regrets. A priority on God’s unconditional love does not do away with holiness but makes it possible. True intimacy with God inspires us toward life transformations.

Have The End-Times Already Happened According To The Bible?

I care about this issue, though all the different beliefs are understandable, because all this talk about Jesus coming and predictions failing makes God-folks seem slightly looney. Too, certain end-time views can lead to passive living and not taking care of the world for the next generation. God surely prefers focusing on making a difference than escaping. I believe Jesus has already come according to the Bible, thus the world is not ending, as evidenced by:

• The biblical writers and readers expected the “end times” spoken of to happen within their generation. There is no reason to believe otherwise except because of our own assumptions. Peter writes to his readers in the first century that “the end of all things is at hand” (1 Pe. 4:7). Jesus says: “Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass way until all these things have happened” (Mt. 24:34). Jesus in the same context recommends readers flee because predictions made are to take place in their generation (v. 16). When asked about the sign of His coming and the end of the age, Jesus said to His readers: “watch out that no one deceives you….you will hear of wars and rumors of war (Mt. 24:4-6).

• Jesus’ and Paul’s generation did not assume Jesus’ coming again was visible. Comings in the clouds, a common metaphor in the Bible, were not always physical. The Old Testament often refers to God coming in the clouds to serve justice. This is obviously metaphorical as God never made a physical appearance. Paul assured his audience they have not missed the “day of the Lord” (2 Thess. 2:1-12). Why was Paul’s audience fearful they could miss the coming of Jesus if such a coming is supposedly a rapture-removing, visible, world-ending coming? Only a non-visible, spiritual coming of Jesus could possibly be missed. The disciples did not think of Jesus’ coming as being visible as they ask: “what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age” (Mt. 24:3).

• Heaven is referred to over 80 times in Matthew in references to the “kingdom of heaven.” Jesus says the Kingdom of God is coming in His readers’ lifetime (Mt. 16: 28). Thus, we are presently living in the kingdom of heaven and this major event or any other major event is not something in our future. Besides, many speak of Jesus being with them now but how so if Jesus hasn’t come yet.

• History suggests Jesus’ prediction of coming in the “last days” has taken place. In the first century the great tribulation was fulfilled. The temple and Jerusalem was destroyed and millions of lives were lost. Biblical Judaism ceased to exist. This was the end of the age that Jesus spoke of. The destructive of Jerusalem was the end of the crucial redemptive-historical epoch. God no longer dwells in temples but people’s hearts. Sacrifice simply conveyed the destructiveness of selfishness, thus forgiveness is never without a cost. Jesus, as the ultimate and final sacrifice, was God’s desire to show His love and to persuade us to run from evil and love others as we wish to be loved.

Click on FOLLOW at bottom right of this page to enter email address to be notified of future Posts only. No other unrelated emails will be sent. Go to About/Using This Site tab at top of page or Menu on phones to help navigate this Site. If you wish to discuss anything I have written, you can email me at medwar2@gmail.com

Can We Make Any Sense Out Of Suffering?

We understand deserved suffering. Drink and drive and you may end up in the hospital. Betraying others leads to lose of relationships. One may only stop drinking, drugging, or cheating after they hit bottom so suffering can be a good thing. Underserved suffering is more complicated. Some don’t need answers to “Why, God” as knowing God didn’t avoid suffering through Jesus is enough to trust God. I am hoping to be better prepared by understanding God’s role in suffering so to feel comfort than alienation from God.

We can attempt to understand suffering on a logical, intellectual level. Most find it easier to worship a God who doesn’t control everything as opposed to a God who accepts no resistance. The truth is not even an all-powerful God can create and guarantee life without death, violence, suffering, and struggle and yet there be free will necessary for genuine relationships. Authentic relationships are only possible if freely chosen. Since a great deal of suffering results from immoral choices to inflict pain on others, God would have to make a total mockery out of freedom to stop undeserved suffering. We may never be totally satisfied until God stopped all of our suffering, whether self-inflicted or inflicted by others.

Freedom can explain major atrocities at the hands of ruthless dictators. Evil can begin with one person and others doing nothing in the beginning. I can understand, because of my own lack of courage, self-preservation by not challenging a ruthless dictator as they grow in power. Evil is evil though, regardless of the magnitude. One person murdered or abused is tragic. The numbers of children sexually abused outnumber the millions of lives lost at the hands of dictators. Natural atrocities such as tsunamis cannot be fully explained because of freedom, but human evil is often a factor. In Haiti when tectonic plates under the earth collided, atop them was a densely populated, poorly constructed city partly because of social injustices. Is God to blame for that?

Many believe God has the power to intervene. He is the Creator! We may possible begin to understand logically why God doesn’t intervene during wrongdoing according to God’s standards much less human standards. There would be no freedom to speak of. Are there though possibly humane and godly reasons for not intervening more? God could either not create at all or accept the risk involved in creating as do human parents, knowing their child may not return their love and do harm to others. God decided to value mercy and forgiveness more than instant justice despite the cost to God and others who face undeserved suffering. Most though give their own wayward children chances to change no matter the harmed caused to themselves or others.

Freedom is necessary relationally to obtain the highest good here on earth and beyond. Sufferings, though not hoped for, became a part of God’s story to lead as many as possible of their own volition to a future paradise intended from the beginning. Miracles may prevent a superior world from developing as a result of the moral improvement of free creatures. Loving parents desire patience over instant justice to persuade their children to reciprocate their love for their good and others. Our suffering, a possibility when freedom is allowed, can serve others in similar situations. One abused is better able to help others heal from such injustices inevitable in a free world. Also, the truth is that suffering, more than prosperity, helps me become more aware of my character flaws. God didn’t avoid the potential consequences of freedom either. God sent Jesus to win over as many as possible to love others as they wish to be loved.