I was on the Internet the other day looking up some information on someone I saw on television. Admittedly, it was a weak moment of pointless curiosity.
As I was reading the biography the person was quoted as saying, "I am a Christian but I need to say I am not like the kind of Christian you see on television. I don't believe God condemns homosexuality and he is not against Gay marriage . . . my God is not a God of judgment but a God of love."
There are times when I too want to distance myself from television preachers. I understand that concern. However, the statement....."My God is..." is troubling. It gives the impression that we are free to design a God that appeals to us. If you don't like the exclusivity of the Gospel, then you say, "My God would never send anyone to Hell". If you don't like the claims of Jesus you say, "My God reveals Himself through all religions and isn't confined to just one." I you don't like the Bible you say, "My God speaks to me through nature and through my own conscience, I don't need the Bible." Each of these statements sounds spiritual but they avoid the real issue.
The real issue is not how you have designed God, it is who God IS. People may prefer I be handsome, athletic, and able to visit anyone at a moment's notice. However, your preference does not change who I am. It is the same with God. We can imagine Him to be all kinds of things but that does not change who He is.
The Bible is God's Revelation of Himself to those whom He has created. In the Bible God tells us what He is like. He is indeed a God of love. However, because He is loving He is also a God of justice, and justice does require judgment. God has standards. There is a standard of right and wrong. Christian people do not have the option of designing God . . . but they do have the opportunity to know Him in intimate relationship through our Lord Jesus Christ.
The next time someone says to you "My God is . . . ." perhaps you can respond by saying, "I appreciate what you are saying, however I'm less interested in what your god is like and what my god is like. I want to know what the One True and Living God is like. How about if we open the Bible and examine what He has told us about Himself?"
