What God May Really Be Like – Misbeliefs About God

What Really Is The Simple But Elegant Gospel?

Some imply the gospel is more about God’s wrath than love as if God has to get over His anger before He can love us.  Preachers suggest a relationship with God begins by praying: “Dear God, I am a sinner that deserves death. I now believe Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins and I accept Jesus into my heart.” It is implied this prayer keeps one from going to Hell. A closer reading of any of the  Gospels in one sitting reveals this was not Jesus’ style of evangelism.

Even human parents don’t threaten their children with punishment in hopes of gaining a friendship. We warn them of evil for their own good in hopes to steer them from destruction.  God’s love, not His wrath, was center stage in Scriptures (I John 4:8). God’s wrath is simply another side of God’s love to guide one for their and society’s own good. God doesn’t hate the evildoer but what evil does to us. The fear of punishment is meant to deter but doesn’t lead to life transformations or prevent one from finding ways to hide their actions. Has gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor conquered battles against self-centeredness or long-standing habitual sins in your life?

God isn’t concerned about His ego! A legalistic view of the Cross undermines the beauty of God’s unconditional love. God was not more concerned with our guilt and restoring His honor than desiring a personal relationship. God did not need to be appeased by human sacrifice as the other Old Testament gods. The Cross was not necessary as if God couldn’t love us until death accounted for our sins. Even human parents don’t stop loving their children because they sin. The Cross was meant to change our view of God, not God’s view of us.  God was willing to do anything to persuade us to trust in His love for us than our own wisdom.

What if I told you the Gospel is: “God loves you unconditionally and the Creator wants to have a relationship with you so to influence you for the world’s and your own good.  Isn’t that every parent’s desire for their child. Are we better lovers than God? Parents ultimately want their children to understand their unconditional love for them so they might follow in their parents’ footsteps for their own good and make this world a better place. Human parents don’t know better than God how to change the world. When one seeks a better life in this world and the world to come, Jesus simply said love God or follow Me.

It is true spiritual apathy is rampant.  It is discouraging that more are not interested in spiritual matters. I have this great relationship with my Creator that helps me to understand the world, cope better with stress, and to look forward to eternal life with fewer regrets, but many are not interested in hearing my story. The resurrection of Jesus can be defended based on reliable historical evidence, but amazingly not everyone cares to investigate further the implications of this miraculous event. But, this may be more reason to make sure we speak about the simplicity and elegance of the gospel when we have opportunities.

We don’t have to threaten people but invite others to consider that their Creator desires a relationship with them when ready. Allow God to be the persuader once people are open to taking steps in such a relationship. Salvation is not being saved from Hell or only about entering heaven sometime in the future after death. Salvation is healing, deliverance, or rescue on earth from a life of self-centeredness. To those who express a need, let’s share our own journey in getting to know Jesus and what He has done for us. God desires to begin a relationship with us so that we can begin the journey of becoming the person we deep down desire to be. We can simply encourage others to get to know and follow Jesus.

Should We Tell Other About God The Way Jesus Did?

How we tell others about God turns some toward or away from God. Jesus’ style of evangelism, when one reads through the Gospels, appears to be very different from current styles. Preachers often suggest a prayer for salvation: “Dear God, I am a sinner that deserves death. I now believe Jesus died on the cross to save me from my sins and I accept Jesus into my heart.” It is implied this prayer keeps one from going to Hell. It turns out we don’t have to threaten people but invite others to consider that their Creator desires a relationship with them when ready.

Jesus was less threatening and more natural or practical when one sits down to read any of the Gospels such as Luke. When gathering His disciples Jesus simply invited them to follow Him. Jesus told Simon: “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” So, Simon, James, and John began following Jesus (5:10-11). He told Levi (Matthew) “follow me” (5:27). The disciples wavered in their faith but followed Jesus as best they could. This suggests our relationship with our Creator ebbs and flows. Most of the disciples eventually died a martyr’s death for becoming convinced Jesus was who He claimed.

Jesus basic message could be summarize as: “But to you who are listening I say: ….Do to others as you would have them do to you” (6:27-31). When one asked “what must I do to inherit eternal life” (10:25), Jesus didn’t admonish one to get on their knees and pray for forgiveness. Jesus said “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself” (10:25-27). We recognize this as the golden rule. Jesus encouraged others to love God because Our Creator will empower us to be the person we deep down desire to be. When one seeks a better life in this world, Jesus simply said love God or follow Me.

Faith doesn’t always begin with some prayer but simply steps toward God. Jesus gave his blessings to the Centurion because he wanted help. (7:1-10). Jesus didn’t offer elaborate instructions to the Centurion on what one must do to be saved. Jesus said to the sinful woman: “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace” (7:50). Jesus didn’t tell the woman about Hell, Heaven, to never go back in her faith, blah, blah, blah. Jesus healed the man with leprosy, but He did not close the deal so to speak (5:11-14). Jesus never insisted those healed to confess and repent of their sins or state an allegiance to God from that day going forward. Jesus simply encouraged them in what faith they showed. This is how we can begin a relationship with God. One saves their life by beginning to lose their life of unselfishness (9:23-26).

Jesus’ first mention of Heaven in Luke (6:23) is not to avoid Hell but give hope to those whose life here on earth was hell – the poor, hunger, sad, excluded, and insulted (6:20-23). Jesus mentions Hell (actually the word Gehenna) only once in Luke (i.e. 12:5). Hell is only mentioned eleven times in the Gospels but really less as the Gospels record the same events. The Apostle Paul never even mentioned Hell. The parallel passage in Matthew (10:28) helps to understand in Luke 12:5 that Jesus warns losing your soul, with life full of regrets, is worse than the killing of your body. Worse than death is being thrown into “Gehenna” (translated as Hell), which is symbolic of denying Jesus and the signs in the OT of who Jesus was (Luke 12:56). Gehenna was the name of a real valley nearby Jerusalem with a history. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago.

Jesus harshest message wasn’t for those who didn’t claim religion but those who pretended to be religious. Jesus hated how the Pharisees distorted His message (5:29-31). The Pharisees, who were in love with their power, made religion self-serving rather than self-sacrificing. We may hold on to certain beliefs, not because they are in the best interest of all, but because they keep us employed. The Pharisees’ emphasis on rules and obedience rather than God’s unconditional love was misguided. Discussing obedience before God’s unconditional love for us is a hopeless journey in achieving a relationship with God and being the kind of people we desire to be. The Pharisees attended synagogue, but they did not call themselves Christians. Attending Church doesn’t make one a follower. Followers simply trust in who Jesus claimed to be, which empowers one to live out Jesus’ teachings such as loving others as ourselves.

As a way of summary how Jesus encouraged others in their spiritual journey, we can look at Jesus’ encounter with Zacchaeus before preparing to enter Jerusalem and face death (19:1-10). Zacchaeus was clearly a listener as he gladly accepted Jesus’ request to come to his house. Maybe we worry too much about those who aren’t in need currently. Zacchaeus was a tax collector and had cheated many people out of their money simply because they feared consequences from the Roman government. Zacchaues had clearly reflected on his actions and told Jesus he intended to give half his possessions to the poor and payback four time the amount he had stolen from others. The amount is not the point of the story as Jesus suggested the rich young ruler sell everything (18:22).

Jesus responded to Zacchaeus: “Today salvation has come to this house….the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.”  There was no formal confession. Jesus didn’t tell Zacchaeus he must be baptized. Jesus simply praised Zacchaeus for seeing his need to begin a journey that Jesus wanted for everyone. Salvation is not being saved from Hell or only about entering heaven sometime in the future after death. Salvation is healing, deliverance, or rescue on earth from a life of self-centeredness. How do we tell others about God? To those who express a need, we can share our own journey in getting to know Jesus and what He has done for us. We can share that God desires to begin a relationship with us so that we might become the person we deep down desire to be. We can simply encourage others to get to know Jesus and follow Jesus.

Doesn’t The Bible Answer The Problem Of Evil?

I believe the Bible answers the question of how God’s goodness and evil and suffering can co-exist logically. Understanding our Creator’s role during suffering, which is inevitable in the world we live in, can help one to not feel abandoned. Suffering for discussion purposes can be understood as a result of personal or natural evil or else deserved or undeserved. The Book of Job does not actually tell us to shut-up because we cannot possibly understand God for we have the brain of a clam.  Job 2:10 hints of things to come in the story: “shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” God is powerful enough to stop evil if He can create the universe. Why does God allow evil?

God obviously rejected Job’s friends’ assumption that if the righteous suffer this is evidence of sin and God’s displeasure. God declared Job’s innocence (1:8). But, it is seldom recognized that God also rejected Job’s assumption that justice is only present if the wicked are judged or the righteous rewarded immediately. Job questioned God as to why He did not intervene sooner in in his undeserved suffering: “…why should I not be impatient…Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment. Why must those who know him look in vain for such days” (21:4, 24:1)?

God wasn’t declaring He cannot be understood by mere mortals: “who is that that obscures my plans with words without knowledge” (38:2)? God said to Job: “Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him…would you discredit my justice (40:2, 8)? God declared true justice doesn’t means the righteous never suffer here on earth, though one day the righteous will be rewarded and the unjust will be judged. Job eventually acknowledged: “I know you can do all things; no purpose of yours can be thwarted” (42:2). Job acknowledged He was incapable of running the universe where freedom was allowed.

God simply doesn’t react to suffering in the same way as humans. The alternative to God never allowing any suffering is for God to annihilate people at the first sign of evil. But, don’t we give our wayward children opportunities to change no matter the harmed caused to themselves or others? Generations after Noah proved beginning anew does not destroy evil permanently. Demanding respect from our spouse doesn’t bring about desired reconciliation. Lack of freedom, which most would not accept as just, does not allow the higher good in relationships that results from free, moral decisions. The existence of evil does not prove there is no Deity, since we cannot prove there are no good, moral reasons for allowing freedom resulting in so much evil.  We need to consider where evil comes from that results in so much suffering, why God doesn’t intervene more in suffering, and what is God’s response to suffering.

God is not the Creator or Cause of evil. God created a perfect world in the beginning. Suffering, either as a result of personal or physical evil, only came into existence when we chose to rebel against God’s protection. Evil is not something created but originates from the human heart. We have murderous thoughts but God doesn’t create or cause such desires. A Creator is not responsible for unintended choices of their Design. Many argue that God cannot be sovereign if anything happen outside His will. To suggest God foreordained evil ahead of time to accomplish His good purposes and declare His glory is morally indefensible. It suggests God grieves over His actions (Gen 6:6). It is nonsensical to suggest God hates evil but wills evil.

God knew the risks of freedom for the possibility of intimacy as do human parents. The majority of suffering happens because of freedom. Parents still bring children into a world knowing they might not reciprocate their love and their children could cause suffering or suffer at the hands of others. God at least originally brought His creations into a perfect world. God hates that rebellion has brought senseless suffering but apparently there is no other path to true intimacy as not even God can force genuine love. God’s alternative was to not create or override freedom.

If God doesn’t cause suffering, why doesn’t God at least intervene more?  Suffering is either deserved or undeserved Most understand deserved suffering. Provoke your children unnecessarily and don’t expect them to visit when older. With undeserved suffering God would still be questioned unless God stopped all abuse not some abuse, all natural disasters not some natural disasters. God chose to be vulnerable and uncontrolling than invulnerable and controlling. Human parents nor God are sadistic just because they don’t squash freedom to avoid suffering. I, unlike God, may try to spare my children of any suffering though their pain may evolve into help for them and others. God at least walked in our shoes as He did not interfere in his Son’s suffering.

God allowing suffering, inevitable in a free world, can enable us to not fall in love with temporal existence and love what the world offers. I am a better person for my prayers not being answered. Suffering brings to light our defects so to examine and overcome our weaknesses. Is it possible our joy will be greater in the long-run with suffering than without suffering? Profound trust in God during pain and suffering can lead to wisdom about life in general. Also, suffering enables us to be more sensitive and serve others in similar situations. Miracles turned heads but Jesus’ suffering turned the hearts of billions of followers. Martin Luther King suffering moved the scales from the eyes of many how they tolerated bigotry. Suffering, inevitable in a free world, is necessary if you are going to be of much use to others.

What is God’s response to suffering? God doesn’t impose His will on us. God values freedom. God doesn’t annihilate people at the first sign of opposition. God values forgiveness. God’s ultimate response to evil and resulting suffering is the slow, necessary way of the Incarnation. The Cross was to change our attitude about God, not God’s attitude toward us. When rebellion against God lead to suffering, deserved or undeserved, God chose to lead as many people as possible of their own volition to a paradise appropriate for free beings. Perhaps the only way to defeat evil in us, other than destruction, is for us to persevere and overcome evil. Jesus saved others by not saving Himself.

Our demands for an all-powerful, invulnerable God comes at the expense of trusting God knows best how to run the universe and change as many lives as possible through their own volition. God tolerates evil that God could stop in hopes many will come back to God before self-destructing. God is no stranger to undeserved suffering. God’s Son was killed for claiming to be Deity, but the tomb was empty! Ultimately, we may not know all the reasons for why God allows evil to continue or be so random, but God proved His Love for us.

One may ask why God didn’t create a heaven-like state in the first place when creating Adam and Eve. Apparently, not even God can force people to freely choose what is best for them. Ridding of evil may be an individual process. What I cannot explain is if freedom is the highest good, how will there not be pain in Heaven. Where there is a will, won’t there always be pain even in Heaven?  I cannot explain why God chooses to intervene miraculously sometimes. I do know to intervene all the time is to make a mockery of freedom. Argue with God! Question God! He will never abandon you when you seek to understand and depend on Him. God promises good can come from our suffering and we have the hope of one day there not being suffering.

Isn’t Christianity Better Off Without Denominations?

Followers of Jesus may have less of an influence in culture because of the creation and presence of Denominations. In New Testament times one of course did not refer to themselves as a Baptist, Methodist, etc. But, Paul warned against the harm of divisions among followers: “I follow Paul; another, I follow Apollos; another, I follow Cephas; still another I follow Christ” (I Cor. 1:12). We already have enough disharmony in relationships, which Jesus came to change. The focus comes off the One who rose from the dead. If two pastors in the same church contradicted one another, we would run. Well, unbelievers see Christians as one group whether Presbyterians, Catholics, etc.  The strife and disagreements are off-putting.

Jesus harshest message was for organized religious groups. Jesus hated how the Pharisees distorted His message (Luke 5:29-31). The Pharisees, who were in love with their power, made religion self-serving rather than self-sacrificing. We may hold on to certain beliefs, not because they are in the best interest of all, but because they keep us employed. Also, the Pharisees had a misguided emphasis on rules and obedience rather than God’s unconditional love. Attending church or being associated with a group or Denomination has nothing to do with spirituality.  The Pharisees attended synagogue but they did not follow Jesus. Jesus followers trust in who Jesus claimed to be, which leads to living out Jesus’ teachings such as loving others as ourselves.

When associated with a Denomination we began referring to some Creed than the Bible for guidance. A singular focus though must lead to civil discussions about God and agreeing to disagree. We must recognize our biblical interpretations are fallible. The Bible is not a single text with a single author. The Bible was written in foreign languages thousands of years ago. Those who call themselves Christians must learn to share and consider one another’s opinion gracefully. We must encourage others to work out their own convictions with as much consistency as possible, unless you don’t believe God can guide people.  Maybe then Christianity would have more of an impact in our culture.

It is best we not refer to ourselves as Baptists for example or even Christians. The term Christian has so many meanings to different people.  The term Christian initially had a negative connotation as it was used by unbelievers as a reference to Jesus’ disciples (Acts 11:26). Jesus the Christ never referred to His followers as Christians. The apostles never called each other Christians. Jesus typically when encountering others simply encouraged them to follow Him. Those who were open to believing Jesus was who He claimed to be were simply followers. When we ask one if they are a Christian, they think we are asking if they are a Baptist, Presbyterian, etc. Like in the Apostle Paul’s era, Christians are associated with something rather than Someone.

What if we got rid of Denominations? People might seek more Who we follow than what we believe in. People would associate spirituality with a Person than a group. The mere presence of Denominations suggests we do not believe the same thing or even get alone. People already know how to not get alone. Followers have nothing to offer others if they are not clearly united by one common belief. Followers desperately want to give others desiring more in their life a reason to consider their beliefs. The presence of Denominations takes the focus off Jesus and the Bible as His words to us for guidance.

Don’t We Know What God Is Like Because Made In God’s Image?

The Bible declares: “God created human beings in his own image” (Gen. 1:26). These exact words are used in Gen 5:3 when stated Adam “had a son in his own likeness, in his own image.” We are suggesting commonality when we say “that is human nature.” We know what God is like because we are made in God’s image. We can know God even if we don’t have a Bible, but the Bible can aid in informing what God is truly like. God surely is like the perfect human being. When our interpretations suggest otherwise, we must carefully examine our views.

Our biblical interpretations must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like. Deep down we all know what a truly loving God is as a spiritual Parent as we know what a truly loving earthly parent is like. God would not reveal anything about Himself in the Bible that is unworthy of human, rational belief as it would go against God’s nature. When two debatable interpretations in Scriptures exist, we must err on the side that portrays God as the most relational and rational to the human mind since interpretations are fallible.

God is just like the perfect human lover. We all know what perfect love is; we just have a hard time living up to our expectations. Similarly, there is a consensus among rational people about right from wrong.  We all have an internal moral compass that allows most to agree on matters of morality. God is like the perfect moral human being. God surely is not a reflection of our parents but the perfection of parents we always desired or wanted to be.

We must not undermine the importance of human reasoning. God created such reasoning. Questions about God are solved on biblical and rational grounds as interpretations are imperfect. The Bible can be a doubled-edge sword. The Bible is no longer a book of wisdom if we can’t share and consider one another’s opinion gracefully, so to work out our own convictions with as much consistency as possible. For theologians such as St. Augustine and Calvin to suggest that God’s grace has a quota is not a plausible view of a loving God. Our views must portray God as an unconditional lover. We all know what that is.

The following beliefs must be incorrect or at least scream for further contemplation since we are made in God’s image:

• God isn’t a sadistic torturer. Hell surely has been an invention over the centuries to scare people into submission and obedience.Such sadistic punishment serves no purpose and humans don’t even keep their enemies alive so we can keep torturing them
• God doesn’t hate the divorcee but what divorce does to people. If the divorce is our fault, let him or her who has not sinned throw the first stone
• God doesn’t favor men over woman as leaders and pastors. God would not put males in charge when they are prone to abuse of authority as warned by God (Gen. 3:16). God desires we come directly to Him. Priests aren’t intermediaries. Women don’t need a go-between.
• God isn’t a God of wrath but love. Who thinks of a parent any other way? When parents stand up to their child’s mistreatment of others, most understand this is simply an aspect of their unconditional love for their child

We may need to reconsider the things we believe or have heard about God. Those beliefs may keep us from knowing who God truly is, thus enjoying God and life to the fullest. Think of what you desire for your children if you are a parent or what you desired from your parents. This is God. We are made in God’s image!

Does God’s Unconditional Love Or Anger Really Change The World?

How did Mother Teresa have the capacity to love others as she did? We all wish for such a legacy. Mother Teresa claimed that she was simply responding to God’s boundless love for her and for all of humanity. When one feels extraordinarily loved they simply want to return that love to others. Leaders and employers inspire through respect and admiration. Parents ultimately want their children to understand their unconditional love for them so they might follow in their parents’ footsteps for their own good and make this world a better place. Do human parents know better than God how to change the world?

Bargaining with God is a form of conditional love. “God, if you will do this for me, I promise I will stop this bad habit that is hurting others.” Has such bargaining helped you conquer battles against self-centeredness or long-standing habitual sins? God never used fear to build a relationship but to deter people from evil for their own good. A survey of the times “fear of God” is used in the Bible suggests fearing God was synonymous with fearing evil. Jesus didn’t threatened people with Hell to gain intimacy. Hell was a human invention over the centuries to scare people into submission and obedience. The Greek word Gehenna in the NT translated as Hell is a proper noun and was the name of a real, literal, valley nearby Jerusalem that represented and warned of death. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago.

Even human parents don’t threaten their children with punishment for the purpose of gaining a friendship. We warn them of evil for their own good in hopes to steer them from destruction. God’s love, not His wrath, was center stage in Scriptures (I John 4:8). God’s wrath is simply another side of God’s love to guide one for their and society’s own good. God doesn’t hate the evildoer but what evil does to us. The fear of punishment is meant to deter but doesn’t lead to life transformations or prevent one from finding ways to hide their actions. Obligatory obedience doesn’t lead to reflections how to better ourselves but only to reach certain “good” standards, as if loving our partner 85% of the time is true love.

A legalistic view of the Cross undermines the beauty of God’s unconditional love. God was not more concerned with our guilt and restoring His honor than desiring a personal relationship. God did not need to be appeased by human sacrifice as the other Old Testament gods. The Cross was not necessary as if God couldn’t love us until death accounted for our sins. Even human parents don’t stop loving their children because they sin. The Cross was meant to change our view of God, not God’s view of us. The Cross proves that God loves us more than we can ever imagine. God was willing to do anything to persuade us to trust in Him than our own wisdom.

God’s understood unconditional love was really the only way to change the world in the long-run. Intimacy inspires one to follow in the path of wisdom for one’s one good. Discussing obedience before God’s unconditional love for us is a hopeless journey in achieving a relationship with God and being the kind of people we desire to be. Working for a boss who can never be pleased works initially as we fear failure, but such a relationship will not last for the sake of good works. Service out of a relationship of gratitude, than obligatory obedience, is what is fulfilling and lasting. Our efforts vary but God’s unconditional love doesn’t. We can start off each day feeling accepted rather than rejected.

Unconditional love is not too good to be true; it is the only truth that will change the world. Imagine a world that was inspired by God’s unconditional love for us! There would be no physical or sexual abuse in the world. There would be no murder. There would be no violence in our schools. There would be no parents living out their dreams through their children. There would be no bigotry based on the color of your skin or the gender you were born.  There would be no domestic violence. There would be no adultery. There would be no road rage. There would be no parking in handicap parking by those not truly handicapped. There would be no gossiping behind one’s back. There would be no envy. There would be no fear of letting children walk to the store, no locking of cars and houses for safety and theft reasons. There would be no selfishness but pursuit of a higher priority, which is loving others as we wish to be loved.

Why Isn’t Christianity Having More Influence?

Christianity may be its own worst enemy in having more of an impact in society. It certainly cannot be the fault of the messenger and message. Jesus is the only religious leader who proclaimed He would rise from the grave. Historical evidence for an empty tomb and Jesus being seen are far more credible than conspiracy theories such as the body was stolen. God, the Creator, was not like the other gods. He did not demand power for the mere sake of being in power. He believed in freedom and even joined in suffering resulting from freedom by allowing His Son to suffer a horrible crucifixion.

Christianity’s lack of influence is partly because of a spiritually apathetic society. People are less receptive when you initiate spiritual discussions than when asking about emotional or physical aspects of their life. It is true others may feel Christians have an agenda, rather than simply caring. Also, it is difficult to measure influence because of how one defines what a Christ follower is. One may say they are a Christian if they are religious or attend church. The Pharisees were religious and attended synagogue regularly, but they did not call themselves Christians. Christ followers trust and have faith in Jesus was who He claimed to be, which can only lead to striving to live out Jesus’ teachings such as loving others as themselves.

Alan Wolfe in his book The Transformation of American Religion suggests that Christians have impacted their culture so little by not sharing their faith for fear of being unfriendly or not liked. Why might followers hesitant in sharing something so important to them? Christians may not share their faith more because they struggle to explain certain beliefs about God that seem irrational. One may share their faith more if they felt free to not sell fire insurance. What if followers discovered that Hell is a human invention and God is not a sadistic torturer, trying to scare people into submission and obedience? Biblical interpretations must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like. We know intuitively how God loves others because we are made in His image. God doesn’t ask us to believe in anything unworthy of human, rational belief as it would go against His nature.

A second reason, besides misbeliefs, that followers of Christ may have less of an influence is because of the presence of Denominations. The creation of Denominations may be one of the greatest enemies of Christian influence. Denominations did not exist in Jesus’ time. The New Testament speaks often of the harm of divisions. If two pastors in the same church contradicted one another, we would run. Well, outsiders see Christians all as one group, whether Baptists, Methodists, Presbyterians, Catholics, etc., etc., etc.  Outsiders see the tremendous strife and disagreement and turn away. They have enough conflict in their own relationships.

We would be better off saying “we believe what the Bible teaches” than referring to some Denomination Creed, while recognizing our interpretations are fallible. The Bible is not a single text with a single author. The Bible was written in foreign languages thousands of years ago. Since Denominations are probably not going anywhere, those who call themselves Christians must learn to share and consider one another’s opinion gracefully. We must encourage others to work out their own convictions with as much consistency as possible, unless you don’t believe God can guide people.  Imagine if our discussions about God were civil and lead to agreeing to disagree. Maybe then Christianity would have more of an impact in our culture.

Finally, Christians may not be impacting their culture as much because we have developed our own brand of telling others about God. We hesitate to share because certain misbeliefs may cause hesitancy in sharing, and words out of the mouths of Christians often offend rather than attract others. Jesus’ approach to others was less religious and more practical. Jesus harshest warning was for the religious, such as the Pharisees, who distorted His message. They should have known better. The OT has it greatest warnings for those that were just plain evil. You sacrifice children to gods and hell had no fury.

But, there are a lot of people in between the evildoers and the religious distorters. Jesus came alongside and simply loved and served. Followers may hesitate to share with others when they don’t feel they can do so naturally. Jesus did not demand praying some Christian prayer as if that determined one’s final destination after death. Jesus didn’t condemn the woman involved in adultery but advised her to go and leave her life of sin for her own good (John 8). Jesus simply encouraged others to follow Him. Jesus loved people unconditionally in hopes to attract them to His ways which brings true joy in the long run.

How can Christians have more of an influence? They can begin by slaying the greatest enemies of true religion which is religion itself. Followers must let go of certain beliefs about God that aren’t plausible based on what a loving God should be like. Denominations are not going away unfortunately. At least let’s stop declaring our interpretations are infallible by the way we handle discussions. Finally, we need to get rid of evangelistic ways where the focus is on praying a prayer to avoid Hell. Has gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor conquered your battles against self-centeredness or long-standing habitual sins in your life? Simply love and serve others as Jesus did and when open invite others to understand how much God loves us so a true friendship can develop. True intimacy in relationships leads to life transformations.

Doesn’t Shit Just Happen In A Free World?

God-folks often say “everything happens for a reason” implying God controls everything down to the day we die. God gets a bad rap when we assume God controls everything. Is God really responsible for the timing when a drunk driver kills another driver? There is another view of God’s control or sovereignty. God, unlike humans, does not have to be controlling to be in control. Choose the view that creates less distance between you and your Creator. I cannot think of anything worse during difficult times than to feel abandoned by our Creator.

From the very beginning God gave us the freedom to love or hate Him and His ways. Since God created freedom God can be accused of allowing bad things to happen, just as parents can for birthing children into the world we live in, but God is neither the creator nor initiator of evil that results from the human heart (Gen. 6:5). God cannot win! Lack of freedom does not allow the higher good in relationships that results from free, moral decisions.

We can pray for God to intervene, but the truth is God doesn’t intervene miraculously most of the time to help us avoid suffering inevitable in a free world. Jesus’ miracles did not accomplish nearly what His suffering did. Suffering, caused by freedom, can lead to greater dependency on God and wisdom about life. Our joy may be greater in the long-run with suffering than without suffering since shit happens! Undeserved suffering also enables us to better serve others in similar situations.

If God doesn’t cause bad things to happen to us, logically God doesn’t always cause good things to happen to us. Did God really give us the parking space when others needed the space more? Did God give us the job when others praying for the same job needed the job more financially? To those who claim victory in the game, did God intend the losers to lose? We may innocently say “by the grace of God He spared their life.” What does this say to others about their loved one not spared on 9/11? Does God love less those not spared?

If we think God is the cause of all things and a controller, we may be tempted to sit back and wait for Him to act. We may be waiting on a sign from God. We may need to get off our knees and go help the person we are praying for. With decision-making God doesn’t demand only certain paths to follow as human parents may. We are free to use our gifts and decide where we think we can make the greatest contribution in our current circumstances.  Many “Godly” paths can be chosen while still remaining entirely within God’s will. You can’t go wrong loving God.

I am not saying God is not active in our lives. God is impacting the world daily one changed life at a time. I am a better man for God being in my life than not. I dread to think how I would really treat others without God’s influence. God is always encouraging us to flee from sin and exhorting us to take a stand against evil. Why are we waiting on God? Hypocritically, we demand God stop evil but we do nothing ourselves to stop the evil of others. God can do a lot of good if we just follow and imitate His ways.

One might accept that my thoughts are at least more consistent with freedom and give God less of a bad reputation with others. How then does one live their life?  Petition God for the miraculous, but don’t assume we know best how to run a free world. Use prayer as a form of communication than manipulation. It isn’t best God always answer my prayers. When something bad happens, you don’t have to blame God or wonder why He doesn’t love you. When something good happens, you may be internally grateful but not discouraging toward others by the words you use. Is a better saying for some “Shit happens and we may not know all the reasons to our satisfaction for why God allows evil to continue or be so random, but we know one reason is not because God doesn’t love us as evidenced by allowing Jesus to suffer as well in a free world.”

Isn’t Parenting Pursuing Intimacy By Not Pissing Children Off?

God-seekers and followers may look to the Bible for parenting advice. The Apostle Paul didn’t have to write a Letter to Parents because Scriptures is all about the Perfect Parent.  Parenting help is in every story written about God and His children. Advice from earthly parents can be valuable, but worldly wisdom doesn’t hold the same weight as heavenly wisdom. How do we best imitate God by translating heavenly parenting characteristics into earthly parenting applications? Our Creator seemed to have one main agenda from the very beginning.

God pursued intimacy by loving us unconditionally in hopes that obedience will follow. God allowed freedom, despite the risks, because God understood genuine intimacy could not be forced. Bible story after story reads of God’s active pursuit of our friendship despite our failures. Parents certainly can exist without any help from their children, but children can make life deeper and grander. Good luck to parents that think the kind of relationship they have with their child isn’t important in the parenting process.

How do parents pursue intimacy in hopes of having an influential relationship? Parents know children without guidance become more self-centered than selfless, but God wasn’t about power or control. God doesn’t force obedience. God attempts to inspire and influence us through who He is in hopes we follow in His footsteps. About all you will find explicitly about parenting is in Ephesians 6:4 and Colossians 3:21: “Parents, do not embitter your children, or they will become discouraged.” A modern translation is: “Parents, quit pissing your children off!” Parents understand how they provoke, incite, aggravate, hassle, needle, goad, irritate, inflame, rouse, and whip up young people.

Everything that your parents did that made you mad because it was not a moral issue, stop!  Imagine a world where parents did not anger their children unnecessarily. Imagine if every parent realized control freaks are never in control. Imagine if every parent never tried to live their dreams out in children. Imagine if every parent loved unconditionally daily, hating the sin but loving the sinner. Imagine if every parent never took advantage of his or her position of authority, always staying calm and never excusing verbal or physical abuse.

The relational consequences of embittering or provoking your children to wrath are greatest when children enter their teenage years. Parent must transition from caretaker to authority figure to mentor as a child matures. The mentor on occasion has to yield corrective authority, but a mentor is always looking to guide others toward learning lessons on his or her own. To mentor successfully, a parent must have a clear sense of what is right and wrong, making sure rules aren’t arbitrary or personal. Children aren’t to be possessed but raised to be independent. Parents owe children; children don’t owe parents. We chose to bring them in the world; they didn’t choose to be born. Don’t worry though. When you don’t try to possess or over control children, they often want to give back the love in return.

Morality is not in the way one dresses or the length of one’s hair, though I know kids can take it to the extreme. Be flexible. It does no good to win the battle but lose the relational war. The emphasis of rules should be on character issues such as treating other kids how they want to be treated or not breaking the law for civility reasons. Parents can play an important factor in their teenagers’ behaviors. All adults were once teenagers. They will testify there are certain behaviors their parents did that made matters worse. Wise parents are always looking for options to give so a child doesn’t feel provoked to rebel, always evaluating when to back off and allow the child to make their own decisions and experience failures when needed. I stink at allowing failure, unlike God, but I thought I would say it anyway.

Where does a parent start when realizing they need a stronger bond with their children? Decide on one specific positive action at a time in hopes of building positive momentum. Persist until the action you are attempting doesn’t work, then try something different. Do it because it is the right thing to do, regardless of whether your child praises your name for such actions. Seek out advice from those whose relationship with their child you respect. There are no magic answers in parents. But those who don’t have a relationship with their children are swimming upstream without a paddle due to the many negative influences in our cultures. Parents must spend time building a strong relationship with their children, so they might earn influence.

There are no guarantees in parenting. Parental success is not determined by whether children obey their parents. Many a parent has advised against drugs or other destructive behaviors, and through their relationship with their child gave them ever reason to obey. Children make unwise choices just like adults. Even God’s perfection did not guarantee success. My opinion of God as a Parent is that He doesn’t do things to piss us off. Parents, don’t give children excuses to not heed your advice. Parents, let’s quit pissing off our children by:

• Abiding by the golden rule – Parents, live up to the standard internally you demanded of your parents when young by treating your children like you wanted to be treated. Don’t excuse your own yelling or hitting because you don’t have creative, calm consequences for certain behaviors. Loving confront your partner as well for such behaviors
• Spending time spending time with children – Parents, spend quantity time with your children in order to have quality time. Spending time with God our Parent transforms
• Encouraging children to live out their own dreams, not the parent’s – Parents, participate with your children in what they show curiosity in, helping them to believe they can succeed
• Disciplining well – Parents, instruct and guide by being fair and forgiving. Parents admit their own wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness
• Walking the talk – Parents, know young people don’t do what we parents say, they do what we parents do

Does It Matter How We Define God’s Sovereignty?

A Christian’s assumption about God’s sovereignty can cause further unbelief or despair among seekers they may influence. The word sovereign did not originate with the biblical languages. “Sovereign” doesn’t appear in the KJV translation, and the NIV version doesn’t define but often just replaces God with Sovereign and translates Lord God as Sovereign Lord.  Since sovereignty is not a biblical word, we can only surmise how God would define His sovereignty. Most believe that God has unlimited authority, power, or control over His creation; people simply have different ideas how the Bible portrays God using such power.

Many believe that the will of the Omnipotent can never be opposed or defeated. Thus, God must predestinate some to eternity without God since many obviously to not end up believing in God. Has Hell been created so God can supposedly win? The popular concept of hell, where God is involved in the endless torture of people, is not found in the Scriptures. Hell is not a translation but a substitution for certain Hebrew and Greek words. Certainbeliefs or interpretations are necessary to defend one’s assumption about God’s sovereignty.

The Bible implies God, unlike humans, doesn’t have to control to be in control. God, unlike other gods, does not approve the killing of infidels. The biblical accounts seem to confirm that God’s will is opposed and yet God remains sovereign. God declares He is the King of kings and Lord of lords (I Tim 6:15), but God clearly created freedom thus His will can be opposed. People are not free unless able to oppose God. Some solve evil and God’s goodness by suggesting God has limits, but I cannot imagine the Creator of the universe not being all powerful. The truth is God is not One who merely loves to rule but rules in love.

Traditional theists tend to define God’s sovereignty in terms of God’s invulnerability. Some suggest God’s predestined plan included good and evil to protect the idea that nothing can happen outside God’s will. If God created evil in the beginning, we are suggesting God is declaring evil good: “God saw all he had made, and it was very good” (Gen 1:31).   But, God says He hates evil (Prov. 6:16-19).  Who says something is good that they hate? When God says He is Love, is He really saying He is Hate? Genesis suggests evil originates with the thoughts of the human heart and this grieved God (Gen 6:5-6). Evil is not some grand scheme by God! To suggest God foreordained evil ahead of time to accomplish His good purposes and declare His glory is intellectually and morally indefensible.

Few if any traditional theists, who argue God’s will is always done, believe God eventually saves all. Thus, traditionalists must accept that God can’t win over a person’s heart eventually or that God originally never desired to spend eternity with all His children. The latter is not a plausible view of a loving God. Suffering in the world is often defended by arguing that God’s standard is perfection and we all fall short as sinners, so we are all unworthy. Any good is grace! Such rationalizations are totally unsatisfactory in understanding or explaining a loving God to others.

The Bible’s emphasis is much more on God’s vulnerability than deciding history and everyone’s actions in advance. God choose to respect individual freedom, thus there must be the opportunity to love as well as to hate. Besides, a genuine relationship is only possible if one is free to choose to return one’s love in return. The only way God could have stopped evil was to not have risked creating. Perhaps the biblical writers didn’t attempt to explain evil because they understood we live in a free, self-centered world. We may not know all the reasons for why God allows evil to continue or be so random, but we know one reason is not because God doesn’t love us as evidenced by sending Jesus. God forbid our disputable interpretations or understandings of God drive people to unbelief or despair.