Who Is God?

The pluralism of the planet we live on today is greater than any time in history. At the same time, that fact seems to be a contradiction to the growing merging of customs, cultures and convictions. When I was a child the countries and cultures of the world each had their own distinctive characteristics that plainly delineated one from another. Those differences are becoming less and less evident today. The Internet,television and the ease of travel from one side of the world to the other has caused much of global life to blend together in a way that syncretism seems to be the order of the day. Syncretism is the attempted merging of of differing belief systems.

One area where this "coming together" shows up plainly is the way we all perceive God. The word God is a title, not a name. To use the word elicits different meanings to different people. I remember speaking to a group of college students in China one time and mentioning Jesus Christ. They had never even heard His name and asked me who He is. I answered, "He is the Son of God." "Which God?" the replied. I think that was my first awakening to the fact that the word I've used all my life and took for granted that the word was understood by others the way I understood it doesn't mean the same thing to everybody. I remember another time when a young man in India told me he was fasting to his god and as we talked about it, I discovered he was actually fasting and worshiping a "monkey god" that day. Seriously, the man was fasting to a monkey.

So when we say "God," it seems important at times to clarify what we mean by our use of the word. Even among Christians, there is a foggy understanding of the word. Depending on where you grew up in church, chances are that your mind goes to one member of the Godhead while the others are marginalized. For instance, if you grew up in a liturgical church like Presbyterian or Episcopalian, you probably think of the Father. If you grew up in a Baptist or Methodist church, you most likely think of the Son. If your roots are in the Pentecostal or Charismatic world, the emphasis was on the Spirit.

Our God is a Triune God. He exists as three-in-one. Understanding the importance of the Trinity is of more importance than many Christians realize. Why does it matter that our God is triune in nature? It's because that reality sets forth the fact that our God is first and foremost relational. In the eternal realm, the Father, Son and Spirit have always and forever will exist in a circle of intimate love shared among the Trinity. That shared love is the most important truth we can speak about God.

John said, "God is love" (1 John 4:7-8). That is the most important thing that can be said about Him. When we speak of God, we speak of Shared Love. Unless we understand that, our own concept of Him will be skewed at best and completely perverted at worst. To understand the Circle of Love in heaven may be the most important thing we can grasp about Deity.

The God of the Christian is to be known as the One who loves. The very purpose for creation was to expand that circle of agape by bringing humanity into the Group Hug. By the work of the cross, that is exactly what has happened. To speak of God is to speak of Love. Anything we know and say about Him must point to Love. If our conclusions about who God is cannot be embedded in Love, then we have come to faulty conclusions.
Everything about Him must be seen through the lens of love. Love is the source for every action that flows from Him. For Love to act in a way that is unloving would be contrary to His very nature and God does not -- God cannot -- contradict Himself. His Integrity and character will not be impugned by an expression of non-love.

If you think you've seen something in the Bible that portrays God as unloving, I encourage you to realize that the way we know the character of God is by Jesus and only by Jesus. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1-2). If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus and only Jesus. Look any further and confusion is inevitable. I can't reconcile some of the things I see in the Bible about God, especially in the Old Testament, but I don't have to reconcile them. Jesus came to show me what my Father is like. I suppose that when I get to heaven I can get all the answers about some of those hard passages in the Old Testament if it still matters to me, but I doubt if it will. So in the meantime, I'll just keep looking to Jesus to understand God. That's what the New Testament teaches us to do. Jesus, Himself, said, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father" (John 14:9). So, look no further.

Our God is Love. God may exercise justice but He is Love. God may express wrath, but He is Love. God may possess wisdom, but He is Love. Add anything to the list you know about God, but be sure that you understand those qualities through the lens of Love or you'll miss the mark. Love is the Source of everything that comes from Him. When we understand that, it will reshape our faulty ideas that have contributed to a misunderstanding of God.

Many people talk about their god and describe him as a judge who must be appeased. Let's not fall into that trap. When we talk about our God, let's make sure that whatever we say about Him is fully flavored with the reality of the love He has poured out on all humanity. Who is God? God is love. That is is the DNA of the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is the message people need to hear and the truth that will reach them when nothing else will.

(For more teaching on this subject, check out my Sunday Preaching video at www.gracewalk.org. I'm currently going through a series called, "Dancing With Deity". This article is a part of what I'm teaching there right now.)