God is awesome. The Bible is full of words describing just how good, powerful, holy, righteous, just, majestic, and glorious He is. Not only is He all of that, but He is also loving, kind, merciful, compassionate, gracious, and is patient with all of us. There really is no one like Him.
That said, have you ever noticed how these words keep on popping up in different parts in the Bible? They appear in different times and scenarios, and are heard through the mouths of different people in different settings. His praise does resound in every place and time.
Yet for all that, have we ever noticed that it's all because God wants to make Himself known to all of us?
A common problem
Perspectives of God can vary greatly from place to place. To those in the war-torn areas, He could be seen as the one who brings peace. To those living in the cities, He could be known as the God who surpasses understanding. To those living in the countryside or in places where nature is seen, He is likely known as the Creator who makes all things beautiful.
Sadly, many people have a distorted, if not totally wrong view and understanding of who God is. I'm not going to write about the causes of such wrong views, but I am going to share with you God's heart for the matter:
He doesn't like being misrepresented.
In many places, God is misrepresented. Worse, He can even be misrepresented by people in the church! Sadly, because of this many fail to know who He really is.
Who God is not
To help you filter out the wrong views about God, here are some things that God would never want you to think about Him. And why doesn't He want these? It's because He isn't like these things. Here are some of them:
1) That God is so heartless He would kill innocent people and send them to hell
They say that "if God is loving, then why does He command killings in the Old Testament?" Whoa. The explanation for that calls for another article but it is important to say here that the Bible is not a simplistic story book that one can pick up and flick through like a sports magazine. Its stories and teachings need to be carefully examined and considered within their context. And what I do want us to remember is that God DID send His one and only begotten Son that whoever would believe in Him would have LIFE and have it eternally. He wants all men to be saved; He wants no one to go to Hell. (see 1 Timothy 2:4).
2) That God hates us
Another lie. The Bible tells us that God loved us SO MUCH that He gave His one and only Son. The Gospel easily proves that is wrong.
The truth about this is that no one on earth deserves God's love and goodness. We are a sinful people, but because God is loving, He loved us. No matter who we are, He loved us enough to send His Son to rescue us from the sinful life we are living so that He can call us His own and make us a holy people.
3) That God wants us to work for our salvation
Another outrageous lie. Our salvation is found in no one else but Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12). He alone paid the price for our forgiveness and redemption, and we are saved by believing in Him.
So many people think that by being religious they will get to Heaven. That is a big, fat lie that puts people in bondage to a life of futile self-rescuing. Not only is it tiring to live a life like that, such a life still doesn't lead to Heaven. It's all useless.
God, however, loved us so much that He gave the full provision for our salvation: Jesus Christ. Believing in Him assures us of our salvation.
