One of the primary reasons why so many people have a skewed image of God is for a very legit reason, and that reason is us. I speak to myself and I write this under the conviction of the Holy Spirit knowing I have personally not done a terrific job of showing who our God is to the skeptic. I ask many people how they would describe God, and many choose a very beautiful description, but does that description reflect in their lives and their witness?
Dealing with the skeptic is very taxing on the patience of many believers. While I do believe I can refute many arguments thrown at me, and I do know that I have forgotten more about the Bible and apologetics than many of these skeptics have ever learned, please do not take that as a boast. I recognize my intellect but I am constantly brought to conviction when 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 is brought to my ears. I may be very capable of explaining all of Scripture and refuting many arguments against the Bible, but I do not often show a genuine love and care for the soul of the skeptic. Paul reminds us that such efforts are done in vain.
I’m stealing this description from Voddie Baucham, but when I deal with skeptics, there is another side of me that loves to come out of hiding. Voddie calls his “Bad Voddie.” It’s the side that wants to go out and refute every argument made out there and pound it down until all sides cave in and acknowledge that I am right. I have such a side too, and when I hear some of the comments I see made, “Bad Charlie” tries to escape, and he does so more often than I’d like to admit. And when the skeptic gets belligerent with “Bad Charlie,” he really gets excited and says, “Challenge accepted.” And afterwards, I’ll look back and I’ll know I could have handled that one better.
There are two major problems I see in American evangelism today. The first is an over emphasis on God’s “fluffy” attributes: his love, kindness, gentleness, and mercy. This is often done before a wide audience or before a friendly audience. The problem is when this is done without addressing sin or making an appeal to the flesh that God and heaven will take you in your sinful state without changing you. The other problem I see is an overemphasis on God’s wrath and judgment. The problem here is that when it is brought up, it is usually when a skeptic refuses to listen to what we are saying. This is usually brought up without sharing God’s offer for mercy or giving them a way out. I have been guilty of doing both. What kind of God are we demonstrating to the rest of the world?
It is really easy to talk about the theory and the logic and the Bible, but what are we actually showing those we speak with? I can safely say that in many of my online debates with skeptics, the God I know and preach about is not always reflected in my manner and my speech. That is one of the great dangers of trying to share your faith in the flesh. It simply does not end well.
Today, the idea that God is love means God is going to let us be as we are, not change us, and despite all our wickedness, he’ll still take us to heaven. The idea of God being just seems to mean that he is an instable, tantrum-throwing God who will lash out at anyone for hinting at stepping out of line. Both these images are blatantly false. How could an executor of justice be loving, if not by punishing the crimes that are against the law? You need both aspects of God working together holistically, among the rest of them, for the whole picture to make sense.
What about us? Do we portray just one aspect, or do we portray both? What image of God do others receive out of us? A God that lets us live however we want to live with no regard for holiness? A God that is a divine butler who is there to serve us and follow whatever command we ask of him? A God that is out to get anyone who steps out of line? Or do we show God for who he really is? The same Jesus who spared a woman caught in the very act of adultery is the same Jesus who made a whip and cleaned out the temple twice. The same Jesus who called out Pharisees for their hypocrisy and false teachings is the same Jesus that had compassion on the multitudes.
When we witness, we need to demonstrate the one true God that we proclaim. And to be dead honest, we cannot do that perfectly. Here is the secret (one I am still learning): the only way God can be revealed to mankind is when God himself does the revealing. He often chooses to use us as his vessels in doing so. As Christians, we are supposed to have the living God dwelling within us as his temple. Let him show himself in and through us. When we do it that way, that is when it all works. The hardest part of all that is we need to get out of the way. We do not need to be God’s spokespersons, we need to be his microphones. Microphones don’t speak on their own behalf and won’t misrepresent the speaker, they will just project what the speaker says. That is my mentality whenever I give a talk. I need that mentality in more than just my speaking engagements.
The last thing I will say as I wrap up this series is this: regardless of our representation of God, it does not change who he is or what he is like. Several of the people/groups I have referenced in this series have a legitimate complaint against the image of God they have been shown by Christians. However, they are often trying to make a god that fits what they would prefer instead of going back to Scripture and discovering the true God who reveals himself. Paul tells us what to do when we see a false image of God in Romans 3:1-4. God is the standard, not us. If we fail to represent God accurately, he is still a faithful God who will reward those who diligently seek him. We must check what everyone says, including myself, with what Scripture says to find out whether what is being said is true, including the images of God we portray. Let God be God and only believe what anyone says if it lines up with what God says and who he says he is. All will be found out one day. Make sure you know now.
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