Our View of God

Something that I have been learning over the course of this past year is that to rightly interpret the Word of God, one must have a right understanding of God's heart. If to us God is an angry judge, then we'll interpret His Word differently than if we see Him as He truly is, a wise, powerful and loving Father.

Take for example what Richard Dawkins in his book The God Delusion,  has said about the God of the Bible. “The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomaniacal, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully.” Why would someone say this about God? Because his understanding of God's heart is wrong.

 Now for some they want to get in this man's face and tell him how wrong he is and with words condemn him.  I know because I used to be one of them.  My heart hurts for him, somewhere along his life's journey something happened that cause his view of God's heart to be misplaced.  Today I read of the story of the woman caught in adultery and brought before Jesus (Mark 2:23-28). What was Jesus reaction to her?  What was his reaction to her accusers? Isn't it interesting his response to both. Jesus answers with both Grace and Truth. Grace is getting what we don't deserve. Truth is the application of God's Word rightly to life. In Christ we find a perfect balance of Grace and Truth.  "I don't condemn you, now leave your life of sin." It is often our misapplication of truth that leaves people feeling condemned and isolated according to Andy Stanley in Deep and Wide. 

When we encounter people either in the church or in the world that don't understand the heart of God, we must act in grace and truth.  Honestly as I look at myself I realize I do not completely understand the heart of God.  I can only hope that people will treat me with grace and truth when those times come and they will come.