A Balanced Understanding of God
In my last post I posed questions for study about a mature understanding of God. This post is the follow-up I promised that hopefully helps guide the reader to this understanding. I hope you enjoy the study. As always, comments are welcome.
We will now try to answer a question many often ask. How can God be a God of love and a God of judgment at the same time? Why can we just not pick the one we like best (love or judgment), and lead a mature Christian life?
Complete this sentence: God is _____?_____.
Generally, how would you characterize God in the Old Testament? God is generally seen in the Old Testament as Holy, judgmental, and demanding. I stress “generally” here because this is a very casual understanding that reflects the view of those who study God’s word infrequently.
Generally, how would you characterize God in the New Testament? As explained above, I use the term “generally” to say that God is seen as loving and forgiving in the New Testament. Once again, this is an opinion that is ignorant of scripture.
What do we know about God?
God is holy and just:
Habakkuk 1:13 Isaiah 6:3 Ephesians 2:13
Ecclesiastes 12:13 Hebrews 10:31 Matthew 10:28
God is love and mercy:
I John 4:8 Psalms 103:8 Exodus 20:6
John 3:16
As you can see, there are examples in both the Old and New Testaments of God’s complete nature.
What do we know about God’s will?
God’s will is both perfect and permissive. How can that be? How do you know if you are in God’s perfect will or not? How can you know if you are in God’s permissive will?
Simply put, you are in God’s perfect will if you obey His commands. God’s tells us His commands in His word.
If you are acting (or not acting – inaction can be sinful too) outside God’s commands, then you are possibly in God’s permissive will.
Can you define God’s perfect will? Can you give an example?
II Peter 3:9 – God’s original desire for humankind is shown in the relationship He had with Adam and Eve in the Garden. In this state, man was without sin, immortal, and could enjoy perfect fellowship with God, face to face. This is truly God’s perfect will.
Can you define God’s permissive will? Can you give an example?
Genesis 16:1-4 – When Adam and Eve sinned; humankind began to act in concert with God’s permissive will. All humankind has the choice to believe in and obey God, or not believe and disobey. God still accomplishes His will, but He does so in spite of our disobedience.
Therefore, God accomplishes His perfect will for our lives through His permissive will for our lives (through free will). God is willing that all would repent of their sins, believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and submit to His lordship. In doing so, His original fellowship with humankind is restored.
Why is it necessary to understand God’s will to understand God’s character? Because, they are one and they are the same. God’s perfect will for us is holy, just, loving, and merciful. God’s permissive will for us is the same. God’s standard is the same, and so is His character, unchanging.
We will sum up with this example: Revelation 20:11-15. In the New Testament, known for God’s love through the provision and sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, we also see judgment. This is reality. God is holy, loving, just, and merciful. Regardless of how you define fear (either as respect or as genuine fear), it is wise to heed God’s command to fear Him and keep His commandments. This is a wise, balanced, and mature Christian view of God.