KCU/04/Smarties

Topic 5: View of God matters?

Question: What difference does our view of God make? (Be sure to do more research into the issue. If the group cannot come to a consensus, feel free to each express your own opinions.)

Introduction

“Who is God?” “What is he like?” “How does he relate to people?” “How does my view of him affect my everyday life?” “Is God even real?” These are some questions which many people wrestle with daily. Although there are not any single, simple answers to these questions, there are a few major views of God which have been adopted by people throughout the years. For each of these different views there are some major effects which these ideas have on people’s relationships with God.

What does the Bible say about God?

First, let us look at what the bible says about God. In Psalm 23, God is described as our shepherd. What does that mean exactly? Using the word "shepherd" instead of "king" or "deliverer" to describe God implies a close relationship with him and a dependency upon him. A flock can find everything within their shepherd. He is their guide, their protector, their provider, and their friend.

If you break this chapter down, the first thing you can see that God rests his sheep. However, he does not rest them just anywhere, but rather in "green pastures." This tells us that God does not simply settle for letting us rest just anywhere, but rather that he wants us to rest in the best place available. Not only does he want us to be able to take time off to rest, to revitalize and to be comfortable, but he wants us to be comfortable while doing it.

The next part of Psalm 23, "...he leads me beside quiet waters…" leads us to believe more than one thing. First of all, a shepherd will lead his sheep to the water to allow them to get a drink of water. Water is vital in sustaining life. However, even more important than that is the fact that the water which God provides us with allows us to have eternal life. In John 4:21, Jesus tells us, “… whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.” This shows us that God should be “living water” to us and that we should thirst for him daily.

In addition, we find that God “…restores my soul.” This could have a couple of different meanings. First of all, it could be saying that he brings us back to him just as a shepherd brings a lost sheep back to his flock. However, it could also be referring to the fact that God will heal our wounded souls and help us get back onto the “path of righteousness.”

Verse 4 of Psalm 23 goes on to tell us that God is always with us. No matter what we are going through, God is there to protect us and to comfort us. Also in this verse, we need to realize that life is not going to be easy. We will all have to “walk through the valley of the shadow of death” and experience bad things. However, through these bad times, we can take comfort in the fact that God will be there with us. No longer will he be guiding us by walking in front of us, but he will be walking beside us, protecting us.

God is shown through Jesus. Jesus is the perfect image of God. Jesus came to show us what God is like. In John 14:9-10, Jesus says to Philip, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the father.” God, at various times and various ways spoke to people through the prophets. Jesus healed people because God likes to heal people. He became like God at a human level. Jesus is our clearest sign to what God is like. God is powerful (Genesis 1:1-3&27) God is Loving (Psalm 36:5-7) God is Perfect (Psalm 7:9-11) Above all else God is Holy & Pure (Luke 5:4-9).

Another way the bible describes God is as being love. This is stated in 1 John 4:8, however to have a full understanding of what this means, it needs to be compared to 1 Corinthians 13. If you replace the word “love” with the name “God” in this chapter, it gives you a full understanding of all the characteristics of God. According to 1 Corinthians 13, God is patient and kind. He does not envy, does not boast, is not proud, is not self-seeking, and is not easily angered. God keeps no record of wrongs and does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth. He always protects, always trusts, always hopes, and always perseveres. God never fails.

Revelation 4:8 says that God “…was, and is, and is to come.” This means God is everlasting and that he will always be there. He can always be counted on. Also, God is unchanging. Not only can he be counted on to be there, but He will never change; his love and mercy will always be perfect. People who realize this are able to talk to God frequently because they realize he will always be a part of their life. Even when everything else is changing in somebody’s life, God remains constant and can be counted on to be stable.

One of the more confrontational views of God is of him as a judge. This is shown throughout the Bible. God judged Adam and Eve when they ate the forbidden fruit (Genesis 3), he sent a flood to destroy the corrupt world in Noah’s day (Genesis 6-8), he judged those who worshipped the golden calf (Exodus 32:26-35), and the list could go on and on. However, we need to realize that God is not sitting around just waiting on us to screw up so he can judge us. To understand God’s role as a Judge, we need to transform our view of a judge.

A judge is someone with authority. Throughout the Bible, kings are shown as being the supreme judges of their lands. If we look at it that way, God is the supreme judge of His land. He has the right to make laws for his people and to judge his people because they are his creation. Also during Bible times, a judge was supposed to be someone who wanted to see goodness and justice prevail over evil. That is exactly what God wants to see. He does not want to see us treat one another badly and he does not want evil to reign. God is a being of wisdom who judges by getting all the facts and seeing the depths of one’s heart. He knows our every thought and feeling and therefore is the only one who can judge us fairly. After judging us, God has enough power and authority to punish his people. He wants what is best for us, and sometimes that is punishment of some sort.

When we realize these things about God, we may become afraid of him. Although the Bible tells us to “Fear the Lord your God…” in Deuteronomy 6:13, that does not mean we need to run from him when we do wrong. He already knows our hearts and it does no good to run from him. The type of fear the Bible is referring to is a reverent fear for God which will bring us closer to him. No matter what, we will be judged by God for our wrongdoings. However, if we run from God now, we will have no hope when we encounter him on judgment day. But if we run to God when we do wrong and seek his forgiveness, he will pardon us and we will find that we can look forward to our future in the Lord.

God is the only savior there is. This makes him unique and “one-of-a-kind.” He is the one true God who controls everything. He is also righteous, which means he is to be worshipped. When people realize this, they respect and are fearful of God, as all people should be. Those who see these qualities of the Lord know that he is to be looked up to as one with the ultimate authority, and are more likely to follow Him and His word.

What are some other views of God?

In a survey performed by The Baylor Institute for Studies of Religion it was concluded that, excluding atheism, there are four major diverse views of God expressed by people in the United States. These include people viewing God as Authoritarian, Benevolent, Critical, and Distant. Each one of these different outlooks has their own set of diverse beliefs about God.

According to the survey, people who see God as an authoritarian believe he is involved in world affairs. This group of people includes about 31.4% of the people surveyed. They suggest that God always assists in decision making and therefore influences global events. However, this group of people also sees God as being very angry all of the time. They see God as someone who is just waiting for humans to sin or be unfaithful so he can punish them. People who believe in this type of God are more likely to be afraid of Him and are hesitant when it comes to talking to Him and asking for comfort and help when they need it. When these people actually decide to talk to God, they are probably just asking Him to influence some sort of decision they have no control over.

Another popular view of God is of him being a distant God. People who fall into this category consider God as simply our creator. They believe he created human beings, put them here on the earth, and then just left them here with absolutely no help. This group of people does not believe God is angry with us, but that he just does not want to be actively involved in our lives. They also do not think God really has any opinion of the world or of humans, but that he is just sitting back and watching his creation. This group of people consists of about 24.4% of the surveyed group. These people do not likely talk to God very much at all because they do not think he cares for us or wants to talk to us.

When surveyed, about 23% of the public recorded their view of God as benevolent. These people believe God is actively involved in human’s lives and that he has a positive influence on all of them. This group also believes that God is not angry with us and that he does not like to punish us. Overall, people that fall under this category believe that God is kind and compassionate and wants what is best for his people.

The fourth view of God that was stated by about 16% of the people surveyed was a God who is critical. This is exactly what it sounds like. This outlook basically says God is distantly watching with displeasure. It also states that He does not like to be involved in the lives of his creation and that the sinful people of this world will be punished in another life.

Some of the other information found in this study showed that women are more likely to believe in an authoritative or a benevolent God, whereas men are more likely to see God as being distant. Also, authoritarian and benevolent believers are more likely to attend church on a regular basis and also to pray more frequently. The Baylor Institute also found that what a person believes about God affects how they feel about certain political and moral issues. On the subject of abortion, authoritarians were found to be two times more likely to believe that abortion is wrong than any other group. In the gay marriage debate, 80% of authoritarians believe gay marriage is never acceptable, whereas only 30% of people who believe in a distant God do not believe in gay marriage. But overall, the study found that 20% of Americans believe God does not favor any particular political party.

“For most people, it would seem that belief in God has little to do with organized religion or with the ‘official’ Christian faith. We are all so familiar with small groups of committed believers who are prepared to press their version of belief in God as if it were the only possible option.” (Bray, 13). With so many small groups of believers, it is hard to know what is right and wrong because they all have different ideas. They can’t all be right, so how do we distinguish fact from fiction!?

This is why we should press our version or view of God. (Spoken) People aren't confused by the gospel, they are confused by us. Jesus is the only way to God, but we are not the only way to Jesus. This world doesn't need my tie, my hoodie, my denomination, or my translation of the Bible, they just need Jesus. We can be passionate about what we believe, but we can't strap ourselves to the gospels. Jesus is going to save the world and maybe the best thing we can do is just get the petty things get out of the way. The Casting Crowns song, “What This World Needs” tells us it does not matter how we dress, what our denomination, or which translation of the Bible we use. The only thing that matters is that we know that Jesus is the only way to God.

Sometimes the way a person views God is in direct correlation with those people’s values, and with what kind of person they are. It has been shown that if a person has a positive view of God, that person is more likely to be an upstanding citizen, make right decisions, and live a more peaceful, less stressful life. In the Bible there are several passages that tell people how to live their lives by simply trying to follow God's word. In doing this they do the right things without even having to think about it.

Other times people that have a negative view or no real view of God are more likely to be people with low values. This means they are making bad decisions because they feel like there isn’t anything that will happen to them because of their choices. They feel that there is nothing God can do to them that can make their life worse than it already is, or just because they don’t believe there is a God at all. When you embark on your journey with God you are not going to “get to know" God, but rather “get connected” to God. In the words of Klaus Issler, “I find myself in conversation with God more. As I rely more on God… I feel more connected with God.” The further into our journey with God the more we will feel connected to God. God wants to know everything about us, so we should make the effort to get to know him. James 4:8 tells us, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

How well we know God and trust in God is often determined when our life is turned upside down. When life seems to not be going our way we often turn from God or blame God for this. It is times like these when your faith in God is most important. You never want to lose sight of what is most important: your relationship with God.

What does God want from us and for us?

God wants us to be honest with him. Although he already knows every one of our thoughts and feelings, he longs for us to be open with him. He would much rather us own up to our downfalls and ask for forgiveness instead of trying to hide things from him. In Psalms 51:6, David says of God, “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.” God does not want us to fail. He desires what is best for us and what will make us happy.

Although this means he likes for us to succeed, it does not mean God expects us to be perfect. We are all human beings, and by definition, that means we will all fail. When we fail, God still loves us and does not want us to be mad at ourselves or at him. Unhealthy anger distances us from God. It gets in the middle of our relationship with God and keeps us from receiving blessings from him. At the same time perfectionism causes us to miss out on life because we are stressed and focused on success instead of being focused on joy and creativity.

We were created to depend on God. In the beginning, it was Adam, Eve, and God. Adam and Eve depended on God for absolutely everything. They were not dependant on themselves for anything, but they trusted that God would provide for them. In return, God never let them down. He provided them with everything they needed. We need to follow the example of the first humans by trusting in the Lord to provide for all of our needs.

Klaus Issler says about our view of God, “if God is viewed as an exacting, legalistic judge, he would keep track of every jot and tittle in our lives, including each lie, each angry moment, and each lustful thought. Would not this “god” plague us with guilty reminders of our sins or punish us at each opportunity? Or maybe we conceive of God as a jovial grandfather type with a twinge of Alzheimer’s disease and an elastic sense of grace. He would largely ignore whatever we do and excuse any wrong actions. Or maybe God always enjoys a good bargain. If we do something good for him, he will come through for us. But what happens when it appears that he does not hold up his end of the bargain? Our ideas about God influence how we conduct our lives. Indeed, it may well be that the most important about is what comes to mind when we hear the word God.” Our view of God should correspond to the true God as much as possible.

In order to truly understand the greatness of God, we need to take two critical steps. First we must remove any thoughts we have that make us think God is small. Second, we need to compare him to powers which we see as great. God can do absolutely anything. There are no limits on the power of God. He created the heavens and the earth and everything on the earth. Surely if he can do these things, he can help us out with our problems. However, if we put limits on the power of God, there is no way we will trust him to help us out in our lives. Isaiah 40:28 tells us, “… The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.” We must never underestimate the powers of God.

Knowing the God who created us is essential in living our lives. If we try to go about life not knowing the creator of the world, it is an extremely scary, intimidating, disappointing place. We need to understand the creator of our world in order to be successful and enjoy life. God put us on the earth with every intention to make us happy; however we need to understand the meaning behind life and the creator of life in order to be completely satisfied. Otherwise, we will find ourselves empty and searching for answers.

Those who know God show evidence of that every single day of their lives. One way is by having great energy for God. People who know God on a personal level are excited to be his children. They rejoice in the fact that they are going to spend eternity with him and they let this shine through in their everyday lives. Also, people who know God think very highly of him. They put him on a pedestal, which is his rightful place. His children call him King of Kings and Lord of Lords and bow down to worship him because he is holy. They are also willing to do whatever it takes to spread the gospel and to spread the word to people of all nations. People who know God realize the road as his follower will not always be easy and they may be killed for what they believe. However, it does not matter to them because they know saving others from the fiery pits of hell is more important than their own lives. This illustrates the fact that children of God are content in him. They have a peace in their lives which can only be obtained by knowing God as your personal Lord and Savior.

Another thing we must understand about God is that he is the giver of grace. Some people believe this grace must be earned; however this is not the case. God gives grace freely to any person who believes in him and puts their faith completely in him. Grace is God’s way of pardoning us from our sin. We cannot do anything to earn this pardon because it is God’s gift to his children. All we can do is simply believe in him, confess our sins to him, and genuinely be willing to turn from our evil ways.

Conclusion

In order to live our life to the fullest, we must form a biblical view of God. There are many characteristics of God we can read about in the Bible which will help us understand and get to know him better. The bottom line is our view of how we can relate to God makes all the difference in how we live our life. We must understand that God loves us and wants what is best for us.

This makes us wonder, “If God is for us, who can be against us?” The idea behind this is that God is all-powerful and nothing can defeat him. If we are followers of God, he is our protector who is committed to us. This means he will do whatever he can to protect us if we call on him and trust in him.

Bibliographic Information

Issler, Klaus. "Wasting Time With God." Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press. 2001.

Kinder, Derek. "An Introduction and Commentary on Books I and II of the Psalms. London, England: Inter-Varsity Press. 1973.

McGeee, Robert. “The Search for Significance.” Nashville, Tennessee: W Publishing Group. 2003.

Packer, J. I.. “Knowing God.” Downers Grove, Illinois: Inter Varsity Press. 1973.

Spencer, Aida Besancon, and William David Spencer. "The Global God: Multicultural Evangelical Views of God." Grand Rapids, MI: Bridge Point Books. 1998.

Williams, Donald M. "The Communicator's Commentary: Psalms 1-72." Waco, TX: Word Books. 1986.

The Holy Bible: New International Version

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