What We Talk About When We Talk About God
Dear Friends and Members of IBC,
On Sunday, we sang in our worship songs and heard in the sermon that Jesus of Nazareth has many names. He is our Messiah, Redeemer, and Saviour. He is God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. He is both our suffering servant and mighty warrior. When we talk about God, we may sometimes struggle with the notion that the One who we are talking about is just like us. We might even put ourselves in God’s shoes to figure out why he would allow something to happen. But if the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is anything to go by, he really isn’t just like us.
One of the many verses in the Bible that I find humbling is when God explains to Isaiah and the people of Israel just how different He is to them. In Isaiah 55:8-9, He says: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” He is just different. His thoughts, his ways, everything. I mean, for one thing, He is Spirit. For another, He is invisible.
But, you see, what we really need in this life is actually what the Christian faith provides. Humans need a God who is awesome and set apart and massive and can save us and do amazing things. A God who is a loving Father and will never let us down. And we also need a God who understands our emotions and relates because He has been there.
Jesus the Son grew up in a big family but was shunned by His brothers and sisters. He was often misunderstood. He knew manual labour and worked a trade. He had some close friends who betrayed Him. He was mistreated, abused, insulted and beaten. He went to a lot of parties. He knew the comfort of his own bed as well as having nowhere to sleep. He was on a real mission. He experienced grief and sorrow.
When the Christian faith talks about God, it talks about a God who is on a completely different level, set apart, so we should recognise and even fear that. And it talks about a God who knows all about us, never stops loving us, relates to our trials and temptations, and fiercely wants a relationship with us. So much so, that He was willing to die for us.
God bless you
James