Understanding the Character of God
As I prepared for my first interview for My Story, His Glory, Book 2, I listened to previous interviews the host podcaster had done. It is a standard practice so that as an "interviewee,” I would know what to expect. Preparation is essential to a good interview. I thought it strange at first that my very first interview would be with an avowed atheist. So much so that I almost declined the invitation. As I thought about it more and I listened to some of the interviews he had done with Christians of various denominations, it made perfect sense why I had to do it.
The podcaster, Michael Wiseman, was a microcosm of the world at large – non-Christians seeking truth and understanding from Christians. The podcaster’s stated unbelief never wavered; he did not understand or agree with many of the things the Bible talked about, especially when it came to the nature and character of God. I could live with his questions; I had raised some of those same questions myself. What was disheartening was the responses that my Christian brothers and sisters gave to his questions. They were confusing and contradictory.
Each person Wiseman interviewed had a personal perspective on the Bible when it came to people and events and their interpretation. Unfortunately, that is what we have come to expect, but when it came to the nature and character of God there was general agreement. The following Scripture sums it up.
Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine. Matthew 25:24-25 KJV
Considering God’s judgment on wicked men and women throughout history, Wiseman, and some of the persons he interviewed considered God “an hard man.” I know many in the world and in Christian churches would agree with them. They find it impossible to reconcile God’s love and His justice. At one time in my life, I did too, but now I have a deeper understanding of God, the Bible, and our present conflict. Now, I understand that most people’s perception of the nature and character of God has been tainted by our ignorance of the great controversy.
Few people, and sadly many Christians, do not understand the cause of the great conflict and the positions of the parties involved in it. Few people understand why God cannot allow sin or sinners to exist yet, most people blame God for sin and the death that results from sin. Satan has blinded the minds of Christians and non-Christians alike to his creation of sin and subsequently our suffering and death.
The Bible is clear on how sin began. In fact, that is what started this great conflict, Satan’s disparaging of God’s character which led to his expulsion from heaven. Satan’s lies have only become more entrenched and elaborate since then. Satan accused God of being unjust and that started this great controversy. This may seem like a small thing to some, but it disrupted a perfect creation and bequeathed to us the world we now inhabit. It resulted in untold misery to human beings, the fall of one-third of the heavenly angels, and the suffering and death of our Creator Himself.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in himshould not p erish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. John 3:16-17 KJV
The Bible teaches that God is Love. Love and evil cannot co-inhabit the same being. Either God is love or He is not; there is no middle ground or gray area. Satan is evil; there is no good in him. That too is absolute. The world does not understand the character contrast of good and evil and unfortunately many Christians miss it too. So, why, and where does the confusion come in? I am glad you asked. We must start with the Bible.
We see wars, destruction, and death in the Bible. Only eight people are saved from the great flood. Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed and only three people were saved. God even commanded His servants to take the lives of whole kingdoms of people including their animals! There is no way around it; death is a horrible thing to absorb in a world where a loving God exists.
As sinners, death is our lot, but if God is love and He controls the world, then why does sin and death continue? The simple answer is; we are in a war! The expression, “War is hell,” has been coined for good reason. War is grotesque and has no rhyme or reason. War is resolute and without mercy. In war we witness man’s extreme inhumanity to man. Let us look at a recent example.
In the war in the Ukraine, the signs of the impending conflict were plain. For weeks suspense mounted as NATO nations warned Russia not to invade and threatened severe sanctions if they did. Ukrainians prayed and hoped for peace but did little to prepare for war as if they were paralyzed in unbelief. Then war came. Tons of artillery and bombs fell on innocent civilians, wrecking property and destroying lives.
People fled by the thousands. Suddenly whole communities, once thriving, became refugees without home or hope. Some came to the aid of those impacted, but most of the world did little but watch. The country was torn to pieces and there is still no resolution in sight. I can confidently say that most Ukrainians would have preferred peace to war.
That is the case for most of us also. That is also true of our Lord and Savior. Christ did not start this conflict nor did He want it, but war came and He had no alternative but to fight it. God’s enemy, Satan, could use the weapons of deceit and coercion. God is constrained by His love for us which is epitomized in our freedom of choice. God grants us life and the freedom to choose life or death. Love does not coerce or impel. Satan by his nature uses both of those things to force his will upon us.
God’s weapon is love, but even love cannot resolve all conflicts. This is how Christ explained it.
Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother-in-law. And a man's foes shall be they of his own household. Matthew 10:34-36 KJV
Christ is letting us know that although we would have preferred to avoid this conflict and that we did not choose it, the choice was made for us. We are in the fight, like it or not. We are part of this war to end all wars, and we are casualties.
Christ, Himself, was a causality of this war. He suffered, endured pain, death and He was completely innocent. He volunteered His life so that ours would be saved. Reflect for a moment that God, our Creator, died so that you might live. Christ died, so that your home and country could be restored and so that you could have eternal life.
Satan has lost the war even though the final battle is still to be fought. Even many non-Christians can sense that the world sits upon the precipice of historic events. Some Christians who interpret the Bible correctly know what comes next. The Michael Wisemans of the world want to know too. Christians, it is our job to display the character of God in the time of the end. The world needs to clearly see the contrast of good and evil, so that they can choose correctly.
Christ’s character shining through His servants, that is the greatest proclamation we can make, but to do that we must know Christ personally. Among Christians there should be complete agreement on the nature and character of God. Once that happens, we will spread our message to the whole world, and then the end will come!
Additional Resources
For a deeper understanding of the topic I just discussed, please read Unit One: Understanding Who God Is, page 32 of my book: My Story His Glory (Book 2) Decoding Daniel, Revelation, and America’s Destiny.
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