What God May Really Be Like – Misbeliefs About God

How Do We Discuss God With Others?

I grew up feeling guilty because I wasn’t discussing God with more people. It didn’t matter that people didn’t really want to talk about God. It was my job to make them want to talk! That attitude was relationally irrational if I wanted others to consider whether living with God is better than living without God. I don’t have enough faith to believe I evolved by change. Now, I don’t make judgments about why people don’t want to talk about spiritual issues. I am free to simple love people as I wish to be loved without a hidden agenda. We will know when one wishes or needs to discuss God, just as we know when they wish to discuss other subjects.

The idea that we must get people to talk about something they don’t wish suggests true love is controlling. If God was controlling He wouldn’t respect freedom. We know what it feels like for friends to push their agenda and passions on us, supposedly for our own good, when we didn’t invite such discussions. Spirituality can be a touchy subject for many. God can work in one’s life without our pushiness. Do we really think God is not going to welcome those eventually who had never heard of God or had experiences that have driven them away from God?

“Mike, if you don’t talk to someone now they may go to Hell!” It is important to know such a place does not exist, so you don’t approach relationships as if you need to sell fire insurance. 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. When Jesus supposedly spoke on Hell, He used the Greek word Gehenna.  Gehenna is a proper noun and was the name of a real valley nearby Jerusalem that had a history Jesus’ audience understood. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago.  The Bible never speaks of God being a hellish, sadistic torturer. Are we concerned that intimacy with our Creator is not attractive enough and people must be scared into a relationship?

Jesus didn’t use Hell to threaten others into heaven because no such place existed. Jesus never had people bow their head and pray a certain prayer to get in heaven. The thief on the cross just asked to be remembered. Jesus said “you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23). When the Pharisees wanted to stone a woman for adultery, Jesus got the crowd to look in the mirror and told the woman “go now, and leave your life of sin” (John 8). C’mon! Didn’t Jesus have a better evangelical spiel in case He never saw the woman again? Jesus wasn’t saying if you sin again, “you are out.” Jesus seemed to think Heaven begin now if you want to have a relationship with God and follow His wisdom.  It is a slap in God’s “unconditional love” face to suggest Jesus’ agenda with people was anything other than loving people as they deep down desire to be loved.

How do we tell others about God if we are full of passion to do so? It is obvious when people want to talk about God. Live a life where they understand you are capable of such discussions. Love others because it is the right thing to do and how Jesus did things. Of course Jesus wanted others to consider how life can go so much better with God. Most people know this intuitively, but they still have a right to be open when they are ready. Jesus wasn’t pushy. Jesus only got pissed at those who acted religious and weren’t. We have a right to act judgmental when peoples’ immorality is hurting others.

I don’t carry around a weight of guilt. I love to talk to others about and admit that I try to interject God into conversations subtle. Honestly, few take my bait but God doesn’t force Himself on others so why should I. I suspect people kind of know I am a Jesus freak. It isn’t because I am such a great lover of people always. I know how to sin with the best of them, but I think I know how to repent well thanks to God’s unconditionally love. I think people know I try harder than most to speak the truth in love and try to not talk behind their back.

Years ago no one was asking me to say prayers in non-religious group settings. Now, people look to me as if I am expected to pray. Maybe they sense God and I hang together. Maybe they know I went to seminary a year and mistakenly think that qualifies me. But, my prayers are fun and open because God in my life is fun and open. I am not praying with an agenda: you better believe or else. I just love talking about God anyway I can because He is worth consideration. It is like asking me to play tennis. Anytime, anywhere! I don’t have to get them to believe.

The good news is that we do not have to try to force God on others. We can stop feeling guilty. The truth is God is patient and waits for an invitation.  Jesus at the well didn’t give the woman a canned evangelistic speech and berate her about her sin. He simply said “Then, neither do I condemn you….Go now and leave your life of sin” (Jn 8:11).  God only pulled out the whooping stick with religious people pushing their brand of God on others. God is ready to talk when we are ready. Sometimes, I will interject God’s name briefly in a conversation because I think about God all the time, but I don’t go any further than one wants.  The only pressure I feel is to love people as I wish to be loved. If they leads to conversations about God, so be it.

Does God Want Us To Love Or Fear God?

A theology based on the fear of God can be an obstacle to moral progress and other unwanted consequences. We discuss and defend God’s justice more than His love. Really though justice is simply an aspect of God’s love. God’s love was center stage in Scriptures (I John 4:8). A survey of the times “fear of God” is used in the Bible suggests fearing God was synonymous with fearing evil. Those who deny their horrible evil acts should be warned. The Bible never says “believe or go to Hell” as if that would lead one to a relationship with God anyway.

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 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). The Greek word Gehenna in the NT is wrongly translated as Hell. Gehenna is a proper noun and was the name of a real, literal, valley nearby Jerusalem that had a history. Hell is no more a translation of Gehenna than Atlanta is for Chicago.

The Bible never speaks of eternal punishment or torment to deter or punish behaviors. Laws were given to warn and punish wrongdoing. What gives us the right to heap on more from God? Are we concerned that intimacy with our Creator is not attractive enough? Jesus detested the religious of His day who suggested a relationship with God was adherence to a bunch of rules. Telling children and adults that they are going to burn forever if they don’t stop sinning can riddle them with fear. Such talk doesn’t lead to intimacy with one’s Creator and creates a false image of God. Jesus never threatened Hell to lead one to a relationship with God.

Fear in relationships may deter in the short-run but doesn’t lead to lifelong transformations. The fear of punishment doesn’t prevent one from finding ways to hide their actions. Obligatory obedience doesn’t lead to reflections how to better ourselves, only to reach certain “good” standards. Do we truly love our partner if we are successful 85% of the time? Focusing on our goodness doesn’t produce genuine love toward others and can lead to a false pride. We may be tempted to puff ourselves up over others and minimize others’ works because they have a checkered past or their works are not as great or numerous as ours. Has gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor conquered battles against self-centeredness or long standing habitual sins for you?

We often are not invited to know God and understand how much He loves us so a true friendship can develop.  God’s love, not His fear, is what can transform us into the kind of person we truly want to be. time. Understanding God’s unconditional love can inspire as does such parental love.  God is the eternal optimist. It is never too late to start in God’s eyes. God’s accounting system is different than ours (Mt 20). God is always waiting with open, loving arms for those who desire to be loved and encouraged. God’s love and His mercy is our necessary nourishment. We can start each day feeling accepted rather than rejected. The beauty of the relationship is loving God is loving yourself and others to the fullest.

We understand in human relationships it is far better to be motivated by love than fear. Serving a boss out of respect than obligation empowers to be our best. It always inspires to follow because we want to than have to. Relationships based on fear can lead to temporary changes but not lifelong transformations. Intimacy which can inspire is never obtained. Parents ultimately want their children to understand their unconditional love for them so they might follow their wisdom for their own good. God is no different as a Parent.

Did God Really Hate Esau But Love Jacob?

One reads Romans 9:13 about God “…Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” and may think God is a bigot. Our interpretations of the author’s meaning and message are fallible. Let’s not be dogmatic but engaging in our conversations about God. Also, we best “err” on the side of grace, mercy, and love as it concerns God to avoid misleading anyone. Most can agree on moral absolutes and behaviors associated with perfect love because we all share being made in our Creator’s image. God’s love and perfect human love are one and the same.

We need to understand the Apostle Paul’s audience. They stumbled over the idea that a relationship with God was simply by faith in God’s unconditional love than through obeying certain laws which we all fail at anyway. Rules are necessary in relationships but they don’t produce intimacy. The Jews struggled with the idea that God only chose them as an inclusive plan to bless all nations, even the Gentiles (Gen 12:3). Keep this in mind in understanding what Paul seeks to convince his readers of and why certain questions are raised in this passage.

When we read God hated Esau, we must err on the plausible side. God cannot ask us to be impartial (James 2:1) and yet God show favoritism. That is irrational. God no more than human parents can justify hating a child simply because of their birth order. God’s wrath and hate are not the same. God’s wrath is no different than a loving parent showing tough love. God only gets angry or punishes in hopes of positive change and restoration.

Paul didn’t mean what we normally think of in terms of the emotion of hate. God loves not hates. Context reveals what I mean by “I love steak, I hate hamburgers.” I don’t really hate hamburgers. Luke did not mean that one must hate their family and life to love God (14:26). We must sometimes choose God over family, which may appear as if we hate our family. Paul was using a figure of speech. God doesn’t actually hate Esau. God choose Jacob’s lineage, through no merit of his own, for the Messiah to be born into to bring grace to all including Esau. Both can’t receive the birthright. The one not chosen for the birthright makes it seems as if hated.

If God really hated Esau, I would think in verse 15 Paul might say “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have contempt compassion on whom I have contempt compassion.” Besides, if God hated Esau as we normally think of it, God has a strange way of showing it as Paul conveyed moments later God is doing all of this to have mercy on them all (11:32). When we hate we aren’t scheming how to show mercy. Do we really think God hated Esau after Esau broke down in tears and reconciled with Jacob (Gen 33:4)?

Romans is not about God loving some and hating others though they desire a relationship with God. It would be strange that Paul would accuse God of what he reprimands the Jews for. Some Jews acted as if God loved them but hated and excluded the Gentiles. People at that time felt the first born was entitled to the birthright.  God chose Jacob to convey that God’s grace and unconditional love is not something inherited according to law but freely given to all.

Is God Rational Humanly Speaking?

Personal beliefs about what God is really like can either alienate us or draw us closer to God. Certain beliefs make tragic times worse. “Why, me!” can turn into “why God do you not love me.” God is surely open to questioning. Contrary to belief God explained to Job why God was not unjust despite Job’s undeserved suffering. Why follow or seek wisdom from any parent or God whose love is not morally or rationally understandable from our perspective?  

God cannot ask us to believe in anything unworthy of human, rational belief as it would go against His nature. The reason we have internal moral absolutes, which most beings can agree on at a fundamental level, is because we all are made in God’s image. God and human morality are one in the same. Also, humans only have a concept of perfect love because we are made in our Creator’s image. God’s love and perfect human love are one in the same. God’s desire for us and what we desire deep down for ourselves are inseparable.

We know Hell, as a place where God tortures people forever for not believing, is irrational morally. God or human parents would not use punishment for such sadistic purposes with no restoration possibilities. Gehenna, which is translated as Hell in the New Testament, is a proper noun that requires no translation. Gehenna was a real valley nearby Jerusalem with a history that served as a burning, worm-infested dump for dead carcasses. Gehenna served as a warning to Jerusalem during Jesus’ lifetime of the upcoming Roman siege and Nero’s destruction.

We know Selective Election where God elects certain individuals for eternal life, thus foreordaining many millions of humans to eternal damnation without any choice, is irrational. God’s love cannot be different than what we demand of ourselves and contrary to human understandings of rational love. Earthly parents would be accused of immorality if they showed similar favoritism toward their children. There is no quota on God’s grace. Selective election by God is indefensible exegetically and morally. God cannot ask us to be impartial (James 2:1) and yet God show favoritism. God is the perfection of the human parents we have always desired.

God is declared a mystery to explain certain interpretations contrary to ideas of a loving God. God’s ways aren’t mysterious but understandable, or why would God bother to communicate with words written down by chosen authors? Biblical passages used to imply God is a mystery only suggests God’s ways are “higher” or certain details of future prophetic events will not be revealed until the events happen.  Jesus only used parables, with those who chose to not see, to speak the truth in another way for one’s one good. Nathan did the same with King David and his behavior with Bathsheba. Parents know directness doesn’t always work with children.  

When humans seek to justify their behaviors because they are irrational or immoral, we don’t call them a mystery. 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. Most accept God as a God of love. God’s wrath is simply tough love for one’s good. Since interpretations are fallible, we must “err” on the side of grace, mercy, and love to avoid misleading anyone. Our biblical interpretations must be plausible based on what a loving God should be like.     

We can question if God allowing suffering is rational as we attempt to understand God. God values freedom; God values forgiveness rather than instant justice; God values long term happiness more than short-term happiness. God allowing suffering can serve as a megaphone to distract us from selfishness. We look more to God, who is the epitome of unselfishness, during adversity than prosperity. My prayers are best not answered often. God allowing suffering can also serve as a megaphone as we serve others. We most likely influence others not through miracles in our life but how we handle difficult times with God’s help. Jesus did!

One writer said: “God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.” God’s glorification cannot be separated from human benefit, glory, purpose, and mutual delight. Worship, if not mindless slavery, only happens in the context of a relationship. God is not like certain dictators who seek their own glory and gratification and require obedience for its own sake. Different beliefs about God may make a difference in your relationship and in your conversations with others about God if you discovered there was a biblical alternative that was rational humanly speaking.

Is God Infatuated With Self-Glory?

We sometimes speak or think of God’s demand for glory as if God created us to remind Him and others how great God is or we can go to Hell. Thomas Talbott says it best in The Inescapable Love of God:

Religious people sometimes speak of God as if he were just another human magistrate who seeks his own glory and requires obedience for its own sake…God wills for us the very thing we really want for ourselves, whether we know it or not… (185).

Do we have children only for our own pleasure or to bring them joy as well? They aren’t really separable. Selfless parents actually prefer their children get all the glory while they stay in the background, unless proclamation may help others as well. God’s love is the same as supreme parents – other-directed not self-consumed.

One writer said: “God did not need to create you, but he chose to create you for his own enjoyment. You exist for his benefit, his glory, his purpose, and his delight.” God’s glorification cannot be separated from human benefit, glory, purpose, and mutual delight. Worship, if not mindless slavery, only happens in the context of a relationship. God is not possessive of His glory, as Jesus was very willing to share His glory with others: “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Tim. 2:14).

God’s glory is not self-infatuation. To glorify God is to love oneself and others. In such a world there would be no bigotry based on the color of your skin or the gender you were born.  There would be no parents living out their dreams through their children. There would be no selfishness if we honored and glorified God in all we do. God always has our best interest in mind. No wonder God ask for our love. God will not force His love on others, but He wants as many as possible to experience His love in such a chaotic world.

How Much Does God Really Love Us?

A legal view of the Cross suggests God was more concerned with our guilt than desiring a personal relationship. Did God really need to be appeased by human sacrifice as the other Old Testament gods? God only used sacrifice to visible demonstrate the destruction of sin, but God truly delighted much more in a broken and contrite heart for our own good (Psalm 51:16-17). Sacrifice was much more for us humans than God. I believe that the Bible teaches the Cross is much more about God’s love than wrath.

God sought credibility to influence us for our own good. God wished to persuade us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps than in our own steps of destruction.  If God had any ulterior motive it was to prove to us that God loves us more than we can ever imagine which hopefully would move us to love others as God loves us. God could have forced us to obey but that doesn’t lead to satisfying relationships. Parents wish for their children to obey because of admiration and respect, not just because they have to.

I cannot prove as much from Scripture this next thought but it is certainly implied. Why did Jesus … not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness?” (Philippians 2:6-7). We can be trained in counseling and do our best to help those who have been abused. I think the truth though is one who has been abused themselves, and is able to recover, is better able to help others recover from such injustices. Who though seeks to be abused so they can more compassionately help the abused?

Jesus perhaps desperately wanted to do whatever He could to identify with us. Jesus wanted to do whatever it took to influence 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. God loved us so much that He will willing to face undeserved suffering, so He could know what that felt like. Jesus wanted to identify with how hard it is to not fall into temptations that are so every present in a free world.

How much does God really love us? Proof is always in the pudding.  Few but some may die for a good person. Jesus died for all regardless if evil or good (Romans 5:6-8). Jesus took no shortcuts to identify with us to convince us of His unconditional love. That is crazy love!

Are Christian Beliefs Our Worst Enemy?

Belief matters. Our understanding of what God is really like can either alienate us or draws us closer to God. Our theology can make it difficult for others to turn to God. Would it matter if you discovered the traditional understanding of Hell is not biblical and God is not a sadistic torturer? What different beliefs would make a difference in your relationship with God and in your conversations with others if you discovered there was a biblical alternative?  

What if you discovered that the Bible doesn’t teach husbands have any authority over their wives? Is there really a difference between strains of other religions that proscribe gender roles and if Christianity does the same thing, albeit with a different set of prohibitions?

What if you discovered God doesn’t prefer men over women as leaders, thus eliminating the possibility of half the human race not being able to exercise their God-given gifts?

What if you discovered Hell is a human invention and God is not a sadistic torturer, trying to scare people into submission and obedience? Would you feel more inclined to share your faith if you felt free to not sell fire insurance?

What if you discovered The Bible doesn’t suggest the Cross was to satisfy some need in God at the expense of His Son but to satisfy a need in us at His expense.  Do we really think God needed to be appeased by human sacrifice like the other OT gods?

What if you discovered there isn’t a quota on God’s grace where God elects some to Heaven and others to Hell? What if you discovered that Heaven was more populated than many people imagined, as there may be second changes after death as there are here on earth?

What if you discovered the World is not coming to an end, thus causing passivity while we just wait on God to “fix” things by coming again? What if you learned that Jesus’ coming is not a physical rapture and that Jesus has already come as predicted and is with us now?

What if you discovered God isn’t a mystery and there is a reasonable explanation for how God’s goodness and evil coexist? What if you discovered rational reasons why God allows undeserved suffering and is not constantly interfering miraculously?

What if you discovered God’s love is truly unconditional and that God is not keeping score? Does fear or God’s unconditional love truly transform lives?

What if you discovered that prayer is more about communicating for support than manipulating for gain, thus allowing God to run a very complicated world where freedom is allowed?

[See further elaborations on the above beliefs at my blog under Beliefs Reformation]

Does God Really Care?

The ultimate question is why God doesn’t interfere more with our sufferings if He really cared. Suffering in our world is obvious. How can we possibly justify so much suffering in this world while still believing in the goodness of God? We need to understand our beliefs, since we already make assumptions about God’ role in suffering that help or hinder during difficult times.

Suffering can be viewed as a result of personal or natural evil. A great deal of suffering is either self-inflicted or inflicted upon us by others because of immoral choices. Abuse, addiction, and adultery are decisions that cause harm personally and relationally. Natural evil such as disasters of nature, diseases, or accidents that lead to so much suffering cannot always be traced to a human’s freedom to inflict pain upon themselves or others. Suffering is either deserved or undeserved. We all understand deserved suffering. What is God’s role in undeserved suffering resulting from personal or natural evil? What could possibly be God’s reasons for not intervening miraculously more than He does?

The Bible never says that since God is perfect and we aren’t perfect that all of suffering is deserved. God never says because of His righteousness and our unrighteousness that we just need to shut up and accept whatever suffering we get. Also, where in the Bible is it found that God has hand-picked all to suffer to give Him glory? Isn’t there a better way to get glory? God obviously doesn’t react to suffering, inevitable in a free world, in the same way that we human parents do, but God is not the originator of our suffering.

God cannot create and guarantee life without death, violence, suffering, and struggle and yet there be free will necessary for genuine relationships and intimacy to exist. Let’s not lay at God’s feet the evil choices of others. Evil was only avoidable if God hadn’t created or not given humans freedom to choose. Evil is not something created but originates from the human heart and misguided desires (James 1:13-15). Human parents understand the risk of intimacy when they bring children into the world knowing they may not reciprocate their love. Isn’t it easier for the majority to worship a God who doesn’t control everything as opposed to a God who accepts no resistance?

Freedom has caused a complicated world both for us and God, but we must ask why God doesn’t intervene more if we accept that God’s risk for genuine relationships was worth it. The truth is God would have to make a total mockery out of freedom. Would we ever be totally satisfied until God stopped all abuse not some abuse, all natural disasters not some natural disasters? God could annihilate people at the first sign of evil, but don’t we give our wayward children chances to change no matter the harmed caused to themselves or others? God obviously is extremely merciful and patient. God and I are very different. I try to spare my children of any suffering because I am unwilling to consider that pain may evolve into help for others.

What possible good can come from God not interfering with our undeserved suffering? God hurts as much as human parents when their children suffer. Heavenly or earthly parents aren’t sadistic just because they don’t squash freedom to avoid suffering. Suffering can enable us to not fall in love with temporal existence and love what the world offers. I benefit more from my prayers not answered than being answered. Also, suffering enables us to influence others in ways our prosperous times don’t. Are we influenced more by how people handle miracles or trust God in difficult circumstances? If God stopped all suffering, whether from personal or natural evil, the world wouldn’t necessarily be better off. Miracles turn heads but Jesus’ suffering turned the hearts of billions of followers. God will work to bring good from what was intended for evil. Our demands for an all-powerful, invulnerable God comes at the expense of trusting God know best how to run the universe and change as many lives as possible through their own volition.

Why Did Jesus Die On The Cross?

Traditional, legal views of the Cross suggest God was more concerned with our guilt than restoring a personal relationship. Is the Cross really about God’s wrath than God’s love? God didn’t need to be appeased by human sacrifice as the other OT gods. The Bible implies the Cross wasn’t to satisfy God at the expense of His Son but to satisfy a need in us at God’s expense.

The Cross visibly demonstrates the destructiveness of sin and is never without a cost. The Cross empowers us to know we can have a relationship with our Creator. We don’t have to run and hide like Eve and Adam. God sought credibility to influence us for our own good. God wished to persuade us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps to trust in God than our own wisdom. God loves us more than we can ever imagine and hopefully the Cross moves us to love others as God loves us. Rarely will anyone die for a good person, but Jesus died to convince every human being.

Human or animal sacrifice was never necessary to ultimately please God: “You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it…a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise” (Ps  51: 16-17, i.e. Heb 10:6). Our sin causes us and other tremendous pain, but sacrifice doesn’t bring back childhood innocence robbed by an adult abuser. Sacrifice is simply a way to convey the tremendous cost of sin in our lives. God only desires repentance so there can be less destruction for the future.

God cannot create and guarantee life without death, violence, suffering, and struggle and yet there be free will necessary for genuine relationships and intimacy to exist. Suffering, deserved or undeserved, is only avoidable if God makes a total mockery out of freedom or didn’t create at all. Our demands for an all-powerful, invulnerable God comes at the expense of trusting God knows best how to run a universe and change as many lives as possible by one’s own volition.

Job wanted to know why God didn’t interfere with his undeserved suffering as God knew Job was a righteous man: “Why does the Almighty not set times for judgment? Why must those who know him look in vain for such days” (24:1)? God defended that He can still be just and caring despite allowing suffering. God hurts as much as human parents when their children suffer. What possible good can come from our undeserved suffering? Suffering enables us to not fall in love with what the world offers. Suffering enables us to reach others. Are we influenced more by how people handle miracles or trust God in difficult circumstances?

Why did Jesus die on the Cross?  God is always willing to walk in our shoes. God didn’t answer Jesus’ request either to intervene with His undeserved suffering. God desires to turn as many people from evil as possible while preserving freedom.  Miracles turn heads but Jesus’ suffering turned the hearts of billions of followers. God took no shortcuts. God didn’t wave a wand over this messed up world for our sake or His own. Jesus’ suffering and death hopefully convinces us to follow His wisdom for our own good. Jesus had to die from God’s perspective to not avoid suffering Himself and convince us of God’s unconditional love for us.

Is The Cross About God’s Anger Or Love?

Traditional, legal views of the Cross suggest God is concerned more with our guilt than restoring a personal relationship. Is the Cross really about God’s wrath than God’s love? Did Jesus die for God’s sake or our sake? Do we really think God couldn’t forgive us until His Son died, but Jesus forgave others before His death? Traditional, legalistic, bloody views of the Cross don’t adequately convey God’s love reasons for the Cross.

It is difficult enough to get people to talk about spiritual matters. Believers just want others to know Life goes better with God. Sometimes, believers want to talk about spirituality because they have this paranoia that God is going to torture people in Hell. He isn’t but that is another story. If you are wicked, wicked, wicked and hate God with all your heart, you will get what is coming to you for the sake of your victims.

Isn’t one of the first things a believer feels obligated to do is help others pray sooner than later “Jesus, I accept you died for my sins [blood had to be spilled for God’s sake], and I  ask for forgiveness.” God could have just verbally forgiven us, but maybe He thought something much more radical was necessary. There is a better way to convey God’s love to others so that they might understand and want to be in a relationship with Him.

Jesus encouraged people to go and sin no more for their sake and don’t forget about Him.  Jesus never spoke about having to sooth God’s anger. Maybe the Cross doesn’t represent what we think. Children don’t ultimately benefit from parental love they fear; they benefit from understand how unconditionally loved they are. The Cross is really about:

• Proving how far God will go to have a relationship, not how far God will go to pay for sins
• Satisfying a need in us at God’s expense, not to satisfy some need in God at Jesus’ expense
• Liberating  and persuading us to do right, not about judging as if death rids of consequences
• Demonstrating God love for us,  not that God is so mad that He had to kill someone
• Changing our attitude about God, not changing God’s attitude about us
• Having a relationship with God, not about escaping Hell
• Conveying the destructiveness of sin, not that God can’t forgive us unless sacrifice happens
• Persuading us to trust in God’s ways, not in the folly of our own wisdom

God always has our best interests in mind and was willing to prove He loves us more than we can ever imagine.  If someone wronged me and the only way I could satisfy my anger and forgive was to kill my child, what does that say about me as a parent? Jesus died not to change God’s attitude but our attitude toward God. The Cross was not about exacting punishment; it was about helping prevail over sin’s power in us. The Cross frees us to have a free conscience and know we can have a relationship with our Creator.

When we talk to people we don’t have to worry about them repenting on the spot, understanding the blood of Jesus, and how anger God is. Wicked people don’t want to discuss God. We simply need to know God loves us and wants to be a part of our lives. Believers want people to consider that God is bigger than them and able to provide answers if they are searching. God is like having a parent who truly loves you unconditional with no strings attached. Once you understand this, you will be inspired to follow God for your own good. God is not a representation of our earthly parents but the perfection of the human parents we have always desired.