What God May Really Be Like – Misbeliefs About God

Why Did God Create And Allow Freedom?

How we answer “Why, God?” in times of distress is critical to our relationship with God. We must avoid any misconceptions or mistruths about God’s role in suffering resulting from evil. Evil is not some grand scheme by God. God is not responsible for choices His creations make any more than human parents are responsible for the decisions of their offspring. Our need for an all-powerful, invulnerable God often comes at the expense of freedom. Even God cannot create and guarantee life without death, violence, suffering, and struggle and yet there be genuine free will. 

The overwhelming evidence is that God chose to be vulnerable, even putting Himself spread eagle on a Cross, to respect individual freedom.  A genuine relationship is only possible if one is free to choose to return one’s love in return. As long as there is freedom, there must be the opportunity to love or hate. God is a respecter of freedom and does not manipulate or override such a choice. The biblical writers didn’t attempt to explain evil, because they understood God gave people the choice to live out their own selfish desires or the selfless desires of God.

God obviously does not intervene by preventing freedom. From God’s perspective three murders are not better than four murders, two women raped is not better than three women raped, and one child abused is not better than two children abused. If God rid of everyone who has caused pain by an act of selfishness, no one would be left. All evil is not the same, but if God was to stop evil before it happens and to be true to character, He would have to stop any wrongdoing. God’s total or constant interference would make a mockery out of freedom. Where there is a free will apparently there will always be evil.

God obviously does not intervene by destroying or annihilating people at the first sign of opposition or when there is continuous, severe rebellion. Future generations after Noah’s proved beginning anew does not destroy evil permanently. At the first sign of rebellion, are we going to destroy our children? Aren’t parents going to attempt to influence and win a child back without denying the freedom to choose? God tolerates evil, rather than instantly judges, in hopes of change and a relationship. Justice though is eventually served for victims. God is extremely patient, merciful, forgiving, and perseverant. God is always seeking to “break through” to human beings to restore what has been lost.

Once evil was chosen suffering become part of God’s story to lead us of our own volition to a paradise appropriate for free beings. Parents, as God, are always attempting to persuade their children to reciprocate their love for their own benefit. If you love something you must set it free. If it comes back it is yours. If it doesn’t, it was never yours in the first place. No amount of good resulting from evil justifies the evil actions of others, but God’s risk in allowing freedom was necessary to obtain the highest good in relationships.  Should parents never have children because they may inflict suffering on others or could potentially suffer at the hands of others?

Is God Obsessed With Himself?

God is love but we portray God’s actions as being self-centered. Did God really put us here to remind Him and others how great He is or we can go to Hell? God desired a mutually edifying relationship with those created in His image. Do we have children only for our own pleasure or to bring them joy as well? Are we really less selfish than our Creator? God’s love really is 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.” Can you imagine respecting a human parent with the same attitude? God’s glorification must be understood in a relational context and not be separated from human benefit, glory, purpose, and delight. Worship, if not mindless slavery, only happens in the context of a relationship.

I Corinthians 10:31 says: “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”  God’s glory is not self-infatuation. God desires we glorify Him so that all can share in the many blessings resulting from such actions. To love God is to love others to the fullest. Parents, who are unselfish, advise their children to honor them because they have their best interest in mind.

Imagine a world that glorified God in all they did! There would be no evil or suffering caused by others in the world. There would be no physical or sexual abuse in the world. 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 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 honoring or glorifying God in all we do. 

God wanted to share His wonderful creation with others. God will not force His love on others, but He wants as many as possible to experience His love in such a chaotic world. God is not possessive of His glory. “He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Tim. 2:14)  What Parent wants to be along in the glory? God is not self-centered, self-absorbed, self-seeking, or egotistical!

How Can One Live Purposefully?

We have goals in life we wish to accomplish, whether they are career or athletic aspirations. It would also be wise to plan for a calling we all face. Every single human being that has ever lived and will be born in the future will die. It is inevitable. Many will ask themselves some basic questions toward the end of their life, should they have the luxury of not dying suddenly without warning. What questions will you ask yourself? I reflect from time to time looking forward:

What have I done with my life?

Have I loved my family and others to the best of my ability?

Followers of Jesus often ask how they can be more like Jesus.  Jesus was the Master at living purposely. Jesus knew how to be with people in the moment and make them feel special. He wasn’t always in a hurry. Jesus didn’t give people a canned evangelistic spiel even though He may never see them again. He just loved others as anyone would want to be loved. Jesus didn’t do this to manipulate or control others. It just was in his DNA to love others period.

It is true Jesus understood as an adult that He only had a few years to live and the plan God had for Him. One may think “if I knew I only had one day or one year to live, I could live in the moment too and do the things that mattered most.” I doubt though any of us would want to swap places with Jesus, knowing the gruesome death He was facing. Let’s just admit it takes a conscious effort to live with the end goal in mind.

I am striving more to “live in the moment relationally.” We can accomplish things without always looking through people. We must fight the urge to always bypass people on the way to our destination. In our technically advanced society it seems we always have meetings to attend, places we must be. We can be aware of when we don’t have a specific schedule. We can plan times where we aren’t always having to be somewhere at a certain time. Sometimes we may be better off without cars and having to walk to our destinations, passing people along the way. Unfortunately, our jobs often don’t depend on working with others in our neighborhoods and communities.

Living in the moment is easier said than done. No sooner after writing this will I walk right out the door past family member without blinking an eye.  I will get in my car alone, park, and walk right pass people into my office. It takes some intentional reminding. Stop yourself looking through people to get to your destination.  Remind yourself constantly to live in the moment.

We all want to make positive contributions, making the world a better place to live. We all want to influence others for good beyond our death. At the end of our lives we won’t be counting our toys. We will be wondering if we loved our family and others in ways we wanted to be loved.

Is God More Human Than You Think?

The above question may seem sacrilegious. I admit I was attention seeking, but I have a point to my madness. Would you have been less offended if I have said humans are like God in many ways? Many God lovers have good intentions when they emphasize God’s glory and our obligation to worship Him. Let’s though not stress God’s divine side at the expense of His relational side. The Bible might not say much about parenting because we only need to follow in God’s parenting footsteps.

We are made in God’s image so God must have much in common with humans. Scriptures describe God having many human emotions including love, jealousy, and anger. Let’s not demonize God’s anger. God is angry or jealous as human parents when in the best interests of their children. God is not indifferent to ways that lead to our destruction. Parents should get angry when certain behaviors can lead to long term consequences. Parents should get jealous when distractions/idols keep our children from achieving what is best for them. But, God’s unconditional love was center stage in Scriptures. God is Love not Wrath. (I John 4:8) God hates the sin not the sinner, because sin leads to destruction in the end.

God created humans for mutual intimacy. If God wanted more worshippers to bow down to Him, He could have created more angels. The Bible’s request for God’s glory is not self-infatuation. Loving God is loving others and yourself to the fullest. Glorifying God is simply doing what is right according to God’s perfect standards, and not humans’ every changing, selfish standards. Imagine a world that glorified God in all they did? No wonder God ask for our love.

Do you believe God is a present, loving parent or a distance, condemning judge? God certainly doesn’t need us to be whole any more than men and women need one another to be human, but a relationship is desirable both by God and humans. Humans were made in God’s image. Ephesians 4:24 explains: “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Though man is certainly not God, God and His Son did not shy away from calling humans friends, as if such a concept is sacrilegious. Abraham and Moses are called God’s friend, and Jesus called the disciples His friends. God is not a representation of our earthly parents but the perfection of the human parents we have always desired.

What Is Being In The Image of God?

The Bible declares we are made in the image of God but doesn’t specify exactly what that means. We can speculate based on our readings of Scripture. Genesis 1:26 says “God created human beings in his own image.” The exact words in Gen 1:26 are used in Gen 5:3 when stated Adam “had a son in his own likeness, in his own image.” God surely is not the least bit offended being compared/associated with us. God took that risk by creating us in His image. Since we are made in God’s image, we can better understand God as our heavenly Parent by understanding how we are as earthly parents.

As we are made in God’s image, how might we understand God’s request to glorify Him? Is God really a glory hog or a needy God? When others wish to delight in our kids, do we try to deflect that praise off them and take it all for ourselves? Are we thinking “how dare people give my children glory and not me as the parent? Don’t we want our children to be encouraged by how they are received by others? Does God really want us to see ourselves as lowly beings and to reflect all credit back to Him or share the glory alongside Him? Maybe God asking for glory is similar to parents asking children for respect. We want what is best for them, thus if they delight in our guidance they will have fulfilling lives.

Parents don’t have children so they can grow up to worship the ground we walk on. Do we only have children for purely selfish reasons rather than so they might enjoy life? God didn’t create us just so we can worship Him. God doesn’t want us to praise Him out of obligation. God wants us to love Him because we want to not because we have to, and we will once we understand who God truly is. Kids who have great parents understand wanting to follow, not having to follow. God created us for mutual pleasure. God didn’t create us to make Himself complete but creating us somehow added to His pleasure as children do a parent’s life.

Many of us may need to unlearn the things we believe about God. Those beliefs may keep us from knowing who God truly is, thus enjoying Him and life to the fullest. What is God like? Think of what you desire for your children if you are a parent or what you desired from your parents as you look back growing up. Think of God not as a reflection of your parents but the perfection of parents you always desired or wanted to be. This is God. We are made in His image!

Does God Have A Perfect Will For Our Life?

A misconception Christians have is that God has a specific will for each individual. Since God does not speak audible to most of us, this assumption can lead to confusion or anger with God because of lack of clear direction. I believe we can always know that we are in God’s will. The Bible never speaks of following an individual will. We are free to use our gifts and pursue desires of our heart, where we think we can make the greatest contribution in our current circumstances.  

The Bible does speak of following God’s moral will for God desires we avoid heartbreaks and hardships due to immoral choices. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.”  Following God’s moral directions will put you on the right path. The Bible suggests a believer not marry an unbeliever; otherwise, which God will the children follow? (2 Cor 6:14-16)  The Bible never advises there is only one man a woman must discover to marry to be in God’s will. In fact, Paul teaches individuals to make a wise decision whether to marry based on their circumstances at that time. Paul does not condemn whichever choice is made. (I Cor 7)

God communicated to Moses through a burning bush. Paul knew whose voice he heard on the road toDamascus. You won’t be guessing if God is speaking to you. Those who suggest God speaks to them today do not claim God always speaks to them in every situation. There are countless instances in the Bible of decisions being made without being directly advised by God. In the Bible God never held one accountable for not doing His will when not spoken to.

One belief suggesting God has a specific will for one’s life is that God’s foreknowledge includes knowing the future. God though can be all-knowing and not know the future, if the future is not knowable. God is everywhere in the universe at the same time, so His knowledge is unimaginably extensive. God with unlimited power does not loss control though the future is open. The Bible implies God interacts with a world where there is genuine freedom. People are free to love or not love. An open future gives more integrity to the concept of freedom.  An open view of the future suggests many godly paths can be chosen while still remaining entirely within God’s will.

It may be asking too much for the reader to accept that an all-powerful God does not know the future before it happens. If it is suggested God knows what is going to happen in the future ahead of time, this doesn’t mean God has predetermined our future choices or there is a specific script for individuals. God can simply know what decisions we are going to make and there does not have to be one predetermined direction we must take. There can be many avenues we can travel to accomplish God’s will in our lives. God is far more creative and able than we give Him credit for.

We do not have to be looking for some bulls-eye. We know God’s moral will. Regarding amoral decisions God accomplishes His will in whatever we do. Does a parent only approve or love their child if they pursue a certain type of career? We are free to dream and pursue the desires of our heart. What is the wisest path to choose at this time in life based on past experiences, current circumstances, and future aspirations? Consult with others. Attempt great things for God and leave the outcome in His hands. God’s will is accomplished by doing all the good we can, in all the places we can, at all the times we can, to all the people we can, as long as we can. Many “Godly” paths can be chosen while still remaining entirely within God’s will. You just can’t go wrong with a desire to love God. When you stumble morally, God will lift you up.

Can Any Good Come From A Catastrophe?

Suffering results either from personal or natural evil. Suffering that results from evil is inevitable in a free world. The Bible records certain times when God delved out punishment for one’s sin, but it is a lie to proclaim all of suffering is God’s will. In the story of the falling tower Jesus laid to rest the age-old argument that suffering is always directly because of one’s sin (Lk 13:1-5). The truth is much of suffering is either self inflicted or inflicted upon others by lawless and cruel people. C.S. Lewis has suggested that wars, crimes, and injustices – evils that come through bad choices make by cruel and lawless people – account for at least 80% of humankind suffering.

Miracles turn heads more than they do hearts. Humans have short attention spans. Jesus’ miracles attracted crowds but rarely encouraged long-term change. Jesus’ suffering is what changed the world and not His miracles. What’s a God to do? Besides making a farce out of freedom, it may not always be wise for God to intervene with human or physical nature. Might there be good reasons for God to restrain His mercy? What can be learned from a catastrophe from sufferers and bystanders?

No amount of good forthcoming can justify any evil, but suffering can remind us of the brevity of life. Suffering can make us to depend on God, which was always in our best interest from the beginning. Since suffering is inevitable, we can allow suffering to bring out the compassion in us toward others that should have been present all along. Sometimes we don’t become the people we ought to be until after a catastrophe. Messages of suffering are as much for the survivors as the afflicted should we choose to be receptive.

What Kind Of Parent Is God In Hard Times?

As a parent I don’t want my kids to experience any pain, especially if not brought on by their own selfish or immoral behaviors. Much of suffering though is not self-induced such as going through difficult adjustments whether it is a new school or job. What parent wants their child to experience any problems they themselves rather not face? I can remember starting with my current company over fourteen years ago. I enjoy what I do now. I can also remember wanting to quit the first three months as I was overwhelmed with what I had to learn and the challenges at hand.  I was an emotional wreck. Any person starting a new job or college knows what I am talking about. I would rather just skip the adjustment stage.

Do we really want God to be like us though? During difficult times who doesn’t want God to just wave a wand and makes things all better. We may be tempted to get angry with God during suffering because we don’t understand His ways may be better than our ways. Do we really grow when challenges or problems are made to just go away by God? How does this prepare us for the next adjustment? Doesn’t success during difficult times empower us the next time and provide encouragement and memories that we can handle whatever obstacle is in our current path?

If God constantly brings about miracles in our life, why not for everyone else? How is that fair that He always intervenes in some peoples lives and not others? Doesn’t that simply make a mockery out of freedom? How can we really help others when they see miracle after miracle in our life and not handling suffering as they are? I hate writing about suffering because compared to most in life, I have suffered very little. The true saints in life are those who accept suffering, lean on God during these times,  and have a peace beyond understanding. Those are the people who have something to teach me and that I ultimately respect. Anyone can handle a miracle.

Thank God He is not like me! Thank God He does not act like a Jeannie in a bottle. What is amazing is that God can make pain go ahead and doesn’t. As a Parent He is willing to go through the agony much more than we as parents. God has the power to make things all better and resists. We parents don’t have the power but we may die trying to prevent pain and create short-term fixes.

Is There A Quota On God’s Grace?

Does God predestine some for heaven and others to hell without any choice in the matter? If so, some argue God is not unjust because all are depraved and none would choose God without His help. We would accuse earthly parents of immorality if they showed similar favoritism toward their children. Can we blame one for rejecting a God that claims to be a God of love and freedom but arbitrarily chooses who to save? Christians may rationalize certain behaviors because “God is not always fair.” Bigotry may be defended due to God’s biases.  

Jesus knew nothing about a quota on God’s grace. In John’s gospel see what Christ said to the Samaritan woman (4:13-14], to Jews persecuting him (5:24), to disbelieving Jews (8:24, 51), to Martha (11:25-26), to Philip and Andrew (12:25-26), and to the crowd. (12:36, 46) Jesus spoke as if salvation was available to all who desire it. Context may restrict words such as “whoever, anyone, everyone,” but no contextual indicators in the passages above defend God limiting His grace. John 3:16 is one of hundreds of verses that speak of everybody’s freedom to choose or reject a relationship with the Creator. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

A few select passages might seem to contradict God’s universal grace, but a careful study reveals God elected Christ to save the world and not that God elected only certain individuals.  Ephesians 1: 4-5 says: “For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us for adoption to sonship through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will—” God’s predestination act is that of choosing Christ. God predestinates those who choose to believe in Christ. I Peter 1:18-21 confirms Christ was chosen beforehand to save all those who believe.

God does not play favorites. The viewpoint that God chooses only certain individuals for salvation and others have no choice is indefensible exegetically and morally. Christians would admonish one another in Christ, on the grounds of scriptural teaching, if mercy was exercised in such an arbitrary fashion. Some call it sovereign grace but it is clearly arbitrary and contradicts hundreds of passages that declare God “wants all people to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth.” (I Tim 2:4) God’s grace is not limited to a select few – the elect – at the exclusion of others. God will never force any one to love Him, but God extends His grace to us all.

Relationships – Fear Or Loved Based?

In human relationships we understand it is far better to be motivated by love than fear. Serving a boss out of respect than obligation empowers us to be the most productive. It always feels better to follow because we want to than have to. Young children are taught to fear consequences but punishment doesn’t prevent finding a better way to hide it next time. As children mature parents desire obedience out of respect and understanding, so wise decisions are made when parents are not around. Relationships based on fear can lead to temporary changes and trying to not get caught, not lifelong transformations. True intimacy is never obtained.

We still though emphasize God’s wrath over His unconditional love. God’s love was center stage in Scriptures. God is Love not Wrath (I John 4:8). Fear was for evil folks in the Bible, not those seeking selfless lives.  A survey of the times “fear of God” is used in the Bible suggests fearing God was synonymous with fearing evil.  To not fear God was to not fear evil. God’s wrath is against godlessness and wickedness in hopes to restore, not against those who don’t pursue evil. God hates the sin, not the sinner, because sin leads to destruction in the end.  

Besides, 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? It is far better we seek changes deep down that keep us from being who we want to be.  Focusing on our goodness can lead to false pride and doesn’t produce genuine love toward others. 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. When we understand our shortcomings we then may reach out to God for help, which leads to true righteous.  

We are taught to fear God and be scared of eternal damnation. Fear doesn’t inspire. No gloomy uncertainty as to God’s favor can conquer our battle against self-centeredness. Jesus died not to change God’s attitude but our attitude toward God. Understanding God’s unconditional love inspires us to love Him back, which is to better love others and ourselves. God is the eternal optimist – where can we end up? It is never too late to start. God’s accounting system is different than ours. [Mt 20] Do we really want an exact accounting? 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.