Good morning,
Society’s View of GOD
Various authors
(Be sure to LISTEN to the Audio, as you READ the text below.)
Psalm 115:3, Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases!“
Just as our culture has radically redefined sin, it has also radically redefined God. The God of Scripture has been replaced in the minds of most people, with a deity fashioned according to human preference–a god who exists to affirm, comfort, and accommodate us, but who makes no righteous demands upon us. The God of the Bible is infinitely different.
The God of Scripture is holy (Isaiah 6:3), yet society prefers a god who overlooks sin.
The God of Scripture is absolutely sovereign (Psalm 135:5-6), yet mankind prefers a god who exists to fulfill their wishes and desires. He reigns with absolute control over all that is, and ever will be. He governs the flight of every bird, and the rise of every king. There is no detail too small, no power too great. Our lives are not ruled by luck or fate, but by the omnipotent sovereignty of God.
The God of Scripture is truthful and unchanging (Numbers 23:19; Malachi 3:6), yet the modern mind wants a god who can change with the times.
The God of Scripture is righteous and just (Deuteronomy 32:4), yet our culture imagines a god who would never judge anyone.
Even God’s love has been distorted. Scripture declares that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), but biblical love is not sentimental approval. God’s love is holy, purposeful, and righteous. He does not love us by pretending our rebellion and sins are harmless. Rather, He commands us to repent, and graciously provides salvation from the very sins we are so eager to excuse.
A culture that denies sin, inevitably creates a god who cannot judge it. If there is no real sin, then there is no need for a holy Judge. If there is no judgment, then there is no need for a Savior. Thus the false god of our age ultimately leaves people comfortable–but condemned to eternal Hell.
The true God cannot be reshaped according to our preferences. He is the Sovereign Creator, Lawgiver, King and Judge. Yet astonishingly, this holy God is also merciful and gracious, “slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). His holiness should cause us to tremble; His justice should cause us to repent; and His mercy should cause us to flee to Jesus for salvation.
The question is not whether we believe in God. The question is which God we believe in. The God of our imagination cannot save us. Only the God who has revealed Himself in Scripture can.
“The Lord is righteous in all His ways, and kind in all His works.” Psalm 145:17 xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Tom Stearns, WASI Chaplain, 907 715-4001 chaplain@alaskaseniors.com
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