Does God Want Us to Know Him?

Not only does God want us to know Him, but He places top priority on it.

For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings. —Hosea 6:6

Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord... —Jeremiah 9:23-24

Just pause for a moment and ask yourself this question: Why wouldn't God want me to know Him?

Some assert that a revelation of the divine nature to man would increase the prospect of human pride. This eventuality is quite unlikely, however, since God will not reveal Himself to those who are not humble and pure of heart in the first place (Isa. 57:15). If He did, He would be attributing to their moral delinquency. God "resisteth the proud" and He has made it clear that it is the "pure in heart" who shall "see God."

The Importance of Understanding

There are those who regard knowledge as an evil to be avoided and understanding as wishful thinking. To them, the idea that man can involve himself with God in meaningful dialogue is ludicrous, and expounding knowledge as a virtuous pursuit is downright dangerous.

It is with utmost clarity that the Bible warns against the deceptive and futile nature of worldly wisdom. We are told unequivocally that "the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God ..." (I Cor. 3:19). We cannot advocate a wisdom sustained only by the finite. This "wisdom" must be rejected as being wholly inadequate.

Yet this provides no basis whatsoever from which to categorically reject knowledge. The Bible tells us, "How blessed is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding" (Prov. 3:13). The knowledge spoken of in the eighth chapter of I Corinthians as that which "makes arrogant" is not in itself evil. Paul in this passage is not discussing the merits of knowledge but rather the manner in which our knowledge is used. A. W. Tozer proclaims,

We have never gone along with the tenderminded saints who fear to examine religious things lest God should be displeased. On the contrary, we believe that God's handiwork is so perfect that it invites inspection. [2]

There is a great need for us to understand first who God is, and second what He expects of us. There are multiplied hundreds of scriptures referring to understanding and knowledge. In fact, the word "understanding" or an equivalent is found some sixteen times in the first parable (the sower) when it is read synoptically.

In Proverbs, God speaks to us as a father would, in heart-to-heart fashion, revealing the source of understanding.

Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding... Get wisdom, get understanding: forget it not; neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee: love her, and she shall keep thee. Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. —Proverbs 4:1,5-7

My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee; so that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding; yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; if thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; then thou shalt understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. —Proverbs 2:1-6

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the Holy is understanding. —Proverbs 9:10

Why is it so crucial that we understand God and fully take to heart all that He has said here? Tozer shares some very interesting insights into the dangers of participating in cosmic guessing games.

...the most portentous fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like. We tend by a secret law of the soul to move toward our mental image of God. That our idea of God correspond as nearly as possible to the true being of God is of immense importance to us. Compared with our actual thoughts about Him, our creedal statements are of little consequence... A right conception of God is basic not only to systematic theology but to practical Christian living as well. It is to worship what the foundation is to the temple... Before the Christian church goes into eclipse anywhere there must first be a corrupting of her simple basic theology. She simply gets a wrong answer to the question, 'What is God like?' and goes on from there. [3]

No Desire For Understanding

There are quite a number of Christians who, despite the fact they do not know what God is like, and despite divine solicitations to seek and understand, have no desire whatsoever to address the matter.

Why is this? Well, for openers, knowledge is painful. It is far easier to rest in tradition, or in someone else's research, than it is to search for understanding as a "hidden treasure." In addition, once the value and nature of that treasure is perceived, it is painfully easy to spot imitations and synthetics regardless of how well they may be outlaid and embedded in sermons, hymns and Christian literature.

Speaking of hymns, it might be an interesting sidelight to discuss the theological implications of hymnals. They have, it seems, acquired a reverence these days roughly equivalent to the Bible. While the hymns may be inspirational, they are not inspired scripture.

Very few of us would declare a prepared statement without first scanning the text to ascertain its content. Yet how often will we, without hesitation, sing a declaration to God and man without reviewing the "script" first? This is the process whereby a substantial proportion of the Church is indoctrinated. Doctrine is thus acquired by osmosis rather than through Berean* quest.

Another reason knowledge is not pursued by many Christians is the fear that it will diminish faith. The warning of many reformers was that as knowledge and understanding increased, there would be a proportionate decrease in faith.

While the Bible is most certainly filled with admonitions to avoid the wisdom of the world (vain, humanistic philosophizing), it plainly encourages us to "add to (our) faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge" (I Peter 1:5). We may also consider Gordon Olson's observation:

If knowledge decreases faith, then God has no faith.

Others find it preferable to adhere to a nebulous, abstract understanding of God rather than discuss certain passages and questions that will, in their opinion, produce disunity.

This is truly a sad state of affairs. If the unity we are attempting to protect is rooted in love, then surely we are suffering from an unjustified fear of controversy. What can happen, so often in our effort to procure and maintain a sort of "lovey-dovey" Christian atmosphere, is that we forget that there are two ingredients in true unity—common unselfishness (love) and common understanding (knowledge). The result of this oversight is, as A. W. Tozer warns,

Union for union's sake... unity is so devoutly to be desired that no price is too high to pay for it... truth is slain to provide a feast to celebrate the marriage of heaven and hell, and to support a concept of unity which has no basis in the word of God. [4]

Englishman Arnold Lunn shed some real light on the issue at hand when he said:

The prevailing prejudice against controversy is partly due to our distrust of logical argument and partly to silly confusion which equates the quarrelsome with the controversial; silly because it is the inability to see another man's point of view which makes people quarrelsome, and the ability to understand the other man's position which makes a good controversialist. [5]

If the discussion is serious and if the ultimate objective is truth and not mere negation, then disagreement can contribute toward better understanding. Loren Cunningham (International Director of Youth With A Mission) once summed up the issue succinctly by suggesting that disagreements don't cause disunity, a lack of forgiveness does.

The Bible says "a fool does not delight in understanding...." (Prov. 18:2). For many today, the emphasis on love and unity is nothing more than superficial buoyancy, a sort of fellowship "in the clouds." Heartily clasping and pumping hands beneath the cloud layer, their heads remain shrouded in theological "mist-icism". This is undoubtedly due to the fact that when we stop thinking about knowledge in the abstract, we have to admit that what interests us most is what involves us as persons. We have a modern-day "sin of ignorance" whereby people don't know and they don't want to know. This desire to be vague and abstract when it comes to our understanding of God reveals a deep lack of love and discipline.

In any earthly relationship in which the flame of love is burning with fervency, is there any lack of initiative in discovering every detail concerning the object of our love? The answer may be simply put: A lack of discipline on our part to seek fuller understanding of God's marvelous Person and character reveals the stark fact that we just don't care!

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation? You must understand that God is not referring to passive ignorance but to the willing choice to remain ignorant.

Thine habitation is in the midst of deceit; through deceit they refuse to know me, saith the Lord. —Jeremiah 9:6

Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land... My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children. —Hosea 4:1,6

Theologian John Calvin in many of his writings refers to a God who cloaks Himself in mystery; a God who wills to hide far from inquisitive curiosity. Unfortunately this teaching has permeated many of the theological institutions of this country. How deeply it must grieve the heart of God to hear this teaching being propagated.

Why Did God Create Man?

Of all the questions that could be asked, this one is of the vital importance. If we can answer this question, it will enable us to understand the very core of God's thinking concerning the type of relationship He desires with man.

Before proceeding, it is necessary that we first understand exactly what the Bible means when it says "God is love." There are four Greek words used to describe what our limited English vocabulary calls love. Of the four listed below, see if you are able to determine which definition properly belongs to God's character.

Storge — A tender, motherly love-instinctual
Eros — A physical or sexual love
Phileo — A brotherly love-friendship, kindness
Agape — An unselfish benevolence

If you chose agape you were right!

Why is this so important? Because it helps us understand God's motivation in creation. We are not merely interested in what God did but why He did it.

I have asked many Christians to give their opinion concerning God's motives and intentions in creating man. Most have given remarkably similar answers. "God created us to worship Him." "We were made to glorify God." "He created us for His pleasure."

Now let me ask you some further questions:

1. Is it not true that God is totally unselfish, willing our highest good without expecting anything in return? (Agape love)
2. Didn't God already have a host of beings praising and worshiping Him prior to man's creation?
3. Wouldn't God be egotistical in creating more beings for the express purpose of worshiping Him?

First, let me mention that the Bible does not say that God created men to worship Him. What it does say is that we were created for His pleasure. Now, in the light of the fact that God is love and that His love is a totally unselfish, giving love, why would God derive pleasure in creating man?

God has an enormous reservoir of love within His great being and it needs an object of focus. A Being possessing a character of total, agape love derives great pleasure in creating further objects to serve as receptacles for His love. He wants to give and give of the great overflow of His love. Through sin and selfishness, we have lost all concept of this kind of love. We cannot conceive of a Being totally satisfied by giving without any internal strings attached to His love. But this is God. C. S. Lewis adds some intriguing thoughts about God's love:

In that sense all His love is, as it were, bottomlessly selfless by very definition; it has everything to give and nothing to receive... If the world exists not chiefly that we may love God but that God may love us, yet that very fact, on a deeper level, is so for our sakes. If He who in Himself can lack nothing chooses to need us, it is because we need to be needed... from nonentity to the beloved of God... [6]

What a marvelous thought! The God of the universe speaks, and out of nothing the earth materializes in obedience to His word. Then this grand Being stoops to gather a handful of the freshly created substance. He uses it to form the shell of a man, Drawing in, He prepares to expel the most awesome, creative force in all the galaxies—the breath of God. Finally He falls in love with His man of dust—who moments earlier was a nonentity.

God designed man so that as he perceived and understood God's revelations of Himself it would be enjoyable to respond to this truth. This is praise; this is worship; this is glorifying God. "Our highest activity must be response, not initiative." [7] It is not worked up, it is a natural response to what we see. I believe David, like Adam and Eve, was loved by God because he recognized Him (Ps. 42:1-2). He admonishes in the Psalms to "sing praises with understanding," or, to put it in other words, sing "naturally."

We ought to see by now that God made man like Himself, not physically, but morally, in order to engage in a personal, intimate love relationship—like with like. If God is personal and has something in common with man, then there is no reason why He should not want to communicate truth about Himself in different ways to the minds of men.

If He really wanted to be mysterious and aloof, as Calvin taught, why did He give us His Word, perform miracles on earth and send His Son? He would have been far more mysterious had He not expressed Himself in these ways. The overwhelming weight of evidence leads to the fact that God wants to communicate Himself.

Or hath God assayed to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs, and by wonders, and by war, and by a mighty hand, and by a stretched out hand, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes? Unto thee it was showed, that thou mightest know that the Lord he is God; there is none else beside him. —Deuteronomy 4:34-35

Bow down thine ear, and hear the words of the wise, and apply thine heart unto my knowledge. For it is a pleasant thing if thou keep them within thee; they shall withal be fitted in thy lips. That thy trust may be in the Lord, I have made known to thee this day, even to thee. Have not I written to thee excellent things in counsels and knowledge, that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth; that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that send unto thee? —Proverbs 22:17-21

It is a wonderful passage, "...the certainty of the words of truth". Aren't you glad in this day and age that we can be certain about something?

Yet there are those "learned ones" who still insist that it's not in our best interest to try and get too close to God. It's almost sacrilegious to say that God can be understood and that you're attempting to understand Him. These individuals remind me of the disciples who tried to shoo away the little children when they attempted to get close to the master. Jesus desired that we should understand the scriptures for He knew it was good for us to receive God's communication of Himself.

Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures. —Luke 24:45

God will in fact often go to great lengths to assist someone who is struggling to understand Him:

And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south, unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert. And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship, was returning and sitting in his chariot reading Esaias the prophet. Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said: How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him... Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. —Acts 8:26-31,35

Bible reading in many churches and homes has become a pious routine, a religious symptom. The great desire of the Ethiopian eunuch and the Jews of old to read God's Word for revelation, to read it in order to understand God, has waned. Let's go back in time, with the aid of Nehemiah's descriptive narrative, to observe a most interesting and enlightening phenomenon—

And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women, and all who could listen with understanding... And he read from it... from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law... And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people for he was standing above all the people; and when he opened it, all the people stood up. Then Ezra blessed the Lord the great God. And all the people answered, 'Amen, Amen!' while lifting up their hands; then they bowed low and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground... And the Levites, explained the law to the people while the people remained in their place. And they read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading. Then Nehemiah... and Ezra the priest and scribe, and the Levites who taught the people said to all the people, 'This day is holy to the Lord your God; do not mourn or weep.' For all the people were weeping when they heard the words of the law... So the Levites calmed all the people, saying, 'Be still, for the day is holy, do not be grieved.' And all the people went away to eat, to drink, to send portions and to celebrate a great festival, because they understood the words which had been made known to them. —Nehemiah 8:1-3,5-9,11-12 (NASB)

Let's sum up what we've observed:

1. The people asked to hear the Law.
2. It was read to those who could understand, as it was to be intellectually perceived.
3. It was read from early dawn to midday—that's at least six hours.
4. When the Word of God was opened, all the people stood up and then bowed and worshiped.
5. The Levites explained to the people what was being read so they would understand it.
6. All the people wept when they heard and understood the Law.
7. Finally they left to celebrate and rejoice because they understood the Word of the Lord.

To me, this is one of the most moving and remarkable scriptures I have ever read. It reveals the incredible result of realization. That we would return to reading and studying God's Word like these Jews! It's important that we remember the Bible "is not a collection of embalmed truth," as A. W. Tozer astutely points out. Nor is it "as some appear to think, God's last will and testament; it is, rather, the written expression of the mind of the living God." [8]

God is fundamentally a creator, and He has not relegated Himself to using the printed word of the Holy Scriptures as the sole means to communicate Himself to man. The Bible itself only claims to be propositional truth about God and his dealings with man. Certainly all the vast realms of creation "declare" Him. His handiwork speaks distinctly of a master workman's presence. And there are many other sources of moral enlightenment, but none so eloquent or articulate regarding the nature of God's great heart and its expectations, as when He cloaked Himself with flesh and dwelt among us for thirty-three years. The man, Jesus, no less than the Son of God, came to earth to put the Godhead on exhibition. We read that

(God) in these last days has spoken to us in His Son... and He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature... —Hebrews 1:2-3 (NASB)

For God, who said, 'Light shall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light (or revelation) of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. —2 Corinthians 4:6 (NASB)

Jesus, who is referred to as the Word of God (Greek, logos), the mind of God in expression, stated clearly, "I have told you everything the Father told me."

The Deceived and the Deceivers

Every individual in the world today can be classified as belonging to one of three groups of people: the deceived, the deceivers, or the reconciled. For the moment, we will concentrate on the first two groups. Who are the deceived and why are they deceived?

The deceived represent the majority of men who have never committed their lives to Jesus Christ, and who have no desire to respond to the moral enlightenment that they do have. In our American culture, this group is typified by the average Joe Six-pack sitting in front of the T.V. set with his feet propped up on the coffee table.

It is very important to keep in mind that no man is deceived unless he wants to be deceived.

How long, O naive ones, will you love simplicity? And scoffers delight themselves in scoffing, and fools hate knowledge?... They hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord. —Proverbs 1:22,29 (NASS)

But what about those remote Pacific Islands, or the recluse tribes of South America, Africa or Indonesia? What about those who have never read the Bible—who have never heard of Jesus Christ?

There is a very interesting passage of scripture in the first chapter of Romans which answers this very question in great detail:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in (by) unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them... For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse. For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God, or give thanks; but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened... And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper. —Romans 1:18-21,28 (NASB)

To analyze what we have just read:

1. God is not angry with those who have little truth, but with those who suppress or hold down the truth by unrighteousness.
2. There are two major sources of moral enlightenment that all men have, regardless of where they live:
   
   1. their inner consciousness and
   2. nature.
3. These sources of revelation concerning God are not obscure, they are "clearly seen."
4. They "knew God" but did not honor Him as God and began to speculate or explain things away.
5. Thus, unrighteous men are left without excuse.

Romans 8:28 tells us that "they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer." This seems to indicate that they had "known" God in some way previously. But how? We can go a long way toward answering this question by carefully examining the two universal sources of moral enlightenment mentioned In this passage.

Nature

The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard; yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. ---Psalm 19:1-4 (RSV)

When men are committed to living for themselves supremely, they cannot admit that the things God has made are wonderful, that they are testimonies to His wonderful character, and that they declare His glory. To do so would be tantamount to admitting disobedience and recognizing their responsibility to commit their lives to their Maker. This, then, is the basic intention behind the totally unfounded, foolish Theory of Evolution: The message of God's creation must be silenced. And "they became futile In their speculations." (Romans 1:21).

Consciousness

I have seen the task which God has given the sons of men with which to occupy themselves. He has made everything appropriate in its time. He has also set eternity (Heb.: Olam) in their heart... —Ecclesiastes 3:10-11 (NASS)

The interesting thing here is that the Hebrew word "olam" carries the connotation of a love of eternity or love of eternal things. There is an inner longing inside every human being that will never be satisfied until he comes in contact with "the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity." It is this longing, "that of an unsatisfied desire which is more desirable than any other satisfaction," which C. S, Lewis called "joy." In his spiritual autobiography, he wrote:

I had been equally wrong in supposing that I desired joy itself. Joy itself considered simply as an event in my own mind, turned out to be of no value at all. All the value lay in that of which joy was the desiring... Last of all I had asked if joy itself was what I wanted; and labeling it 'aesthetic experience,' had pretended I could answer Yes. But that answer too had broken down. Inexorably joy proclaimed, 'You want—I myself am your
want of—something other, outside, not you nor any state of you.' I did not yet ask, who is the desired... But this brought me already into the region of awe... [9]

Who are the deceivers and why are they deceivers? The deceivers are a coalition of the religiously affiliated who know quite a lot about God but fail to relate to Him on a personal basis. They include faithful churchmen, Bible school and seminary graduates, fundamentalists and evangelicals. They are the people who are incredibly active doing good works under the banner of Jesus Christ, but who have never slowed down enough to get to know the One they think they are serving. Carnal theological professors, whose hearts may mutter in secret, "God has a wonderful plan for my life," have failed to realize that Christianity, in its naked essence, is nothing less than a relationship. Whatever else may issue forth from the Christian life must be rooted in that sublime relationship—God with the soul. Jesus incisively spoke to this group.

Not everyone that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity. —Matthew 7:21-23

What an eternally conclusive indictment! "I never knew you." What chilling words to come out of the mouth of God. So utterly unexpected. These people approached God on what they thought were familiar terms. They came using His name. As I read this passage over again, I noticed something I had never seen before, and it staggered me. One solitary word—"many". Jesus is not referring here to a small, isolated group. He says many will approach the Father on Judgment Day in this pathetic condition: spiritually barren and out of relationship.

I couldn't help asking: "But where do these people come from?" It is evident on two counts that they are not the clientele of local bars and brothels. First, they approached God with an air of familiarity. They assumed at least there would be some reciprocal recognition. Second, the works listed in this passage seem to indicate these individuals are ardently religious. Where, then, do they come from? The answer is, of course, from the churches.

These people are extremely harmful since they present a warped and incomplete rendering of the nature and character of God. Unfortunately, because of their words and deeds, it is easier for those in the world to rationalize their position.

There are, of course, those who do know God. Their lives are mobile portraits of God's character, although only miniature replicas of the one God painted on Calvary. This group has been reconciled to God. They have responded to God's mighty efforts to repair the relationship that was ruptured.

Each of these three groups have four basic concepts of God, and on the basis of these concepts their response to God is determined: intimate, religious or blasphemous.

Basic Attitudes of Christians Toward the Lost

I will give a further explanation of this diagram shortly, but first we need to deal with a basic attitude many believers have in regard to non-Christians. When expressed it often includes some combination of the following:

"I don't have to explain God to anyone. It is their responsibility to simply believe Him at His Word. I can't save them! We can't understand God's ways anyway. We should stick to the simple gospel."

This is typical of the arrogant attitudes displayed by many Christians today. Though it may be cloaked in less offensive terminology, the underlying attitude is still present. Often, their unwillingness to answer specific questions and to thoroughly explain the plan and purpose of salvation is due to their own ignorance and lack of discipline. The "God said it—I believe it—that settles it" syndrome is sorely lacking that magical quality the Bible calls charity.

Our duty today is identical to that of John the Baptist—we are forerunners. "For you will go before the Lord to prepare His ways, to give to His people the knowledge of salvation" (Luke 1:76-77).

No, certainly we cannot save anyone ourselves. But we can inform people concerning their obligation to God and try to remove any misconceptions they may have so that when Jesus follows up they are ready for Him to salvage their lives. Peter admonishes us to always be "ready to make a defense to every one who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you...." (1 Peter 3:15).

The Bible is explicit in its teaching that an understanding of the Word of God is an imperative in salvation. Take the first parable, for example. In this parable both men hear the Word, yet one man is lost while the other bears fruit. What was the sole difference between them?

Hear... the parable of the sower. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what has been sown in his heart. ...And the one on whom seed was sown on the good ground, this is the man who hears the word, and understands it; who indeed bears fruit... —Matthew 13:18-19,23 (NASS)

The so-called "simple gospel" is only simple if it is understood by our hearers. So often the plan of salvation has been oversimplified to the extent that it has been stripped of its health, vitality and very essence. It becomes instead an ugly, deformed collection of theological cliches. Only the man who hears and understands can be expected to produce any spiritual fruit.

Let's take a closer look at some of the basic concepts unbelievers have about God. These four misconceptions comprise the pillars of all the arguments that I have heard nonbelievers use to undergird their rejection of God.

1. God is unjust!
2. God is a tyrant!
3. God is vindictive!
4. God is alien!

How would you respond to questions that embody one or more of these false concepts about God? Did you ever wonder where people obtained these concepts?

I remember a conversation not long ago with a young humanist. This young man wasn't your run-of-the-mill, passive humanist. Educated at U.C.L.A., he devoted much time to propagating his ideas through journalistic channels including several campus newspapers. He picketed one of the largest churches in our area on several successive Sundays carrying a sign which read, "Let Man Live."

I don't think I'll ever forget my dumbfounded silence when, in response to my statement, "Jesus died for you," he replied almost sadly, "I wouldn't have wanted Him to." Response?

Maybe you've heard yourself lately, perhaps in response to current vogue, declaring, "I've been born again," only to be shocked by a sudden, "Great! What reincarnation are you in?" Response?

And then how do you deal with individuals who have everything? They are hard-working, happily-married, moral people who tell you life is great. Response?

Then there are those who have nothing: The Jew who rolls up his sleeve to reveal a tattoo that identifies him as a bearer of incomprehensible memories from his residency in a Nazi death camp. What do you do with him when he turns to you and says, "Never shall I forget that night... which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent, blue sky. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams into dust." [10] Response?

The responses and questions will be as diverse as people are, but the basic concepts of God are few. I hope you will try to feel, especially in this last case, part of the reason why it is so difficult for some to see God as just, and therefore, why they refuse to worship Him.

There are, I'm sad to say, throngs of cold-hearted Christians who, with a pedantic air, declare that God is inscrutable. This is a word that the Orientals have traditionally used to describe logic within the illogical. So these Christians, aghast at the insinuation that the facts do not speak of a good, just and loving God, declare that the facts are irrelevant and ought to be ignored.

Thrashing through their Bibles, they rush to find their pet scriptures which always work well in situations like these. Once armed with their scripture, they move abjectly away from the light of reality to their dark, obscure holes of theological abstraction.

For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts. —Isaiah 55:8-9

In their haste to wield their prized sword, they fail to notice they have gripped the weapon by the blade. Any scripture taken out of context becomes lethal to those who quote it, as well as to those who hear it. Isaiah 55:7 is rarely quoted along with verses 8 and 9 of the same chapter and the resultant concept is totally different than what God is attempting to convey.

Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to Our God, for he will abundantly pardon. —Isaiah 55:7

God is simply saying that His thoughts are not like the unrighteous man's thoughts and His ways are not like those of the wicked. The only difference here between God and man is in the elevation of his moral conduct. Once the unrighteousness and wickedness is repented of and forsaken, which is what God is pleading for in this scripture, then our ways and thoughts are like God's! When we are walking in obedience to God, then God doesn't think differently, only better.

Certainly no one enjoys tyrants, especially those employed by one. Whether it be a secretary, mail clerk, accountant or vice president, the result is predictable whenever requests are made or new ideas shared. Policy will remain unchanged; procedure will not be modified. Even before the entreaty or proposal reaches summation, the fist hits the desk and the NO is bellowed forth. The uncomfortable aspect of this situation lies in the knowledge that be there a tyrant, the future is as rigid as the present.

Here again we see the work of religious deceivers. They have eagerly disseminated the concept that God is fixed, and that all future events are seen as complete and consummated by Him. We've been told that God sees a person seeking truth in heaven or hell as a certainty. All this teaching is supposed to produce a warm sense of assurance in the hearts of believers everywhere. We have lovely plaques and decoupage hanging on our walls with the inscription, "Prayer Changes Things." Changes what? What can be changed if the future is fixed? Essentially, what you get when you adopt a God who is not able to think new thoughts, change His mind, realize changing circumstances and make new decisions, is a condition of static or motionlessness. It becomes a state of fate. It would be a pretty weak sovereign indeed who could not "handle" an influx of new data and crises without seeing them all first. This entire concept is not only unbiblical, but it fuels the world's concept of the rigid, stark, static tyrant of Judeo-Christianity.

Ever since the Garden of Eden, man has demonstrated belief in a vindictive God. The concept of vindictiveness is that of an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. If you hurt me, I'm going to hurt you back. It is most interesting to note the behavior of Adam and Eve immediately subsequent to their sin. The fact that they hid themselves from One with whom they had enjoyed frequent intimate encounters is indicative of a radical change. Somehow, because they had changed, they thought God had changed. Down through history we have observed one pagan society after another engage in self-mutilation and self-torment as a kind of penance to appease the wrath of God. Even in our so-called civilized society, we have ample evidence that at least a residual belief in God's vindictiveness still exists.

One of the deceivers' most damaging deceptions centers around, of all events, the atonement. Like the Pharisees of old, they portray a God who is only interested in things legal. The idea perpetrated here probably is derived from the words "ransom" and "redeem" and in essence it is that Jesus paid in an exact, literal sense for our sins. [11] Although the Word of God repeatedly declares that Jesus Christ bore the sins of the world, they insist on presenting a vindictive God who demands a payment before He will forgive. Surely this is in obvious contradiction to Jesus' parable on forgiveness, where the man was forgiven his debt solely on the basis of compassion—without payment of any kind!

Certainly there were governmental considerations for God to weigh. There was the necessity to uphold the law and justify the Lawgiver in the issuance of a pardon in opposition to His words, "the soul that sinneth, it shall die." However, to in any way confuse God's governmental role with His personal feelings is a gross error. God has always wanted to forgive. He holds no grudges. Remember His agape love? He needed only to find a way to do it wisely. He is not bitter and does not want to be personally paid back for anything.

We will discuss the matter of redemption in a later chapter, but I trust you can see how the portrayal of a strictly legal God encourages many people to view Him as a vindictive Being. This was precisely what my humanist friend had in mind.

Then a large proportion of those who shrug God off do so because they view Him, if He exists at all, as distant and alien. It all goes back to the point we discussed earlier concerning the necessity of fellowship like with like if there is going to be intimacy. People simply cannot relate to a God they are convinced is irrelevant and divorced from there everyday lives.

This concept of God's impersonality has been fostered, to a great extent, by the inflamed, hyper-mysticism found in many churches today. This mysticism is due in part to the fact that often biblical descriptions of God's personal feelings are explained away by calling them anthropopathisms. An anthropopathism is when you attribute human feelings to God. We are told that God's emotions are described as being like ours only to help us to understand Him. My good friend Harry Conn asks, "If mad doesn't mean mad, or glad, glad or joyful, joyful—what do they mean?" To put it another way, when God is talking about His character using personal words that in essence are meaningless because they are nondescriptive of reality, the prospect of intimacy evaporates.

Fortunately there are no anthropopathic statements in the Bible. God feels and reacts exactly the way He says He does. Where God helps us semantically is in our understanding of His Being. For example, His power attributes are omnipresence and omnipotence. These semantic analogies are called anthropomorphisms. These statements we do indeed find in the scriptures. A good example would be "He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust..." (Psalm 91:4).

It has somehow become a symbol of spirituality to leave one's mind parked in the church foyer before entering the sanctuary. Many Christians, as we have said before, simply do not want to take the time and effort to get to know God. So alternately they will do a variety of things to produce "spiritual goose bumps" in the realm of the mystical.

It is true that Christianity is a relationship to be experienced. But since our emotions respond to what our minds think, Christianity is experienced both intellectually and emotionally. The latter flows from the former. Again this is what David meant when he encouraged us to "sing praises with understanding."

What We Must Know About God

There have been books written in recent days stating that the only vital ingredient in salvation is faith. The important thing is not that we understand but that we believe! I'm indebted to Mr. Conn for the use of one more illustration: Suppose I were standing before your church group as a visiting guest speaker from Korea. I had an interpreter with me, but I neglected to use him at all during the course of my thirty-minute message. Then, putting my hand on my interpreter's shoulder, I say to him, "Now ask them if they believe what I've just said." What do you think the response of the English-speaking audience would be? "How can we believe what he's said—we don't even understand it!"

This is exactly the point Jesus made in His parable of the sower. We need to understand something before we can give—or should give our lives to God. A man doesn't need to know a lot in order to come to Christ, but he does need to understand something, and then live up to that something.

There are those who resist embracing any theology at all. They are put off by doctrines or any attempt to explain God. To "feel God" or "sense His presence" is for them the only matter of consequence. "Experiencing God" is certainly in current vogue and the thrust of a growing number of churches. What has happened experientially to many of these "anti-doctrine" people may have been real, and was certainly exciting;

...but nothing comes of it. It leads nowhere---there is nothing to do about it. In fact, that is just why a vague religion-all about feeling God... and so on—is so attractive. It is all thrills and no work... but you will not get eternal life by simply feeling the presence of God... [12]

In other words, if we are going to know God, grow in grace, and shed old character traits, we must do more than feel. We must obey. To obey, we must know and trust our Commander. We must understand His orders—not the why necessarily, but the what, and that means We must give attention to doctrine.

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth. —2 Timothy 2:15 (NASB)

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine... for instruction... —2 Timothy 3:16

Now, when we look at God there are two fundamental things we can say about Him: He is uncreated and He is a creator. If you will look closely at these two words, you will notice that one is a fact while the other represents a choice. All God's attributes can be summed up under one or the other of these fundamental aspects.

How many who are married felt that it was imperative to thoroughly understand the physical abilities of their partner before committing their life to them? How many of you ladies took your prospective husband down to a track and timed his exertion in the100-yard dash, or drove him to gym in order to obtain a tape measurement of his biceps? Sound ridiculous? Of course it is. I'm quite sure, on the other hand, that most of you would agree it is absolutely vital to know a person's character before committing your entire earthly life to them.

Doesn't it make sense to admonish the non-Christian to understand God's character before committing themselves to an eternalrelationship? When the world asks us questions that relate to God's character, and we respond by saying that we can't understand God's ways, we are dangerously distorting the picture. No, I cannot understand God's omnipotence, nor can I explain how He can be present everywhere simultaneously. But I don't commit myself to God because He is omnipresent or omnipotent. I commit myself to Him because He is loving, just and kind!

We must distinguish between God's Being, what He is, and His character or what He has chosen to do with what He is. Only when this is understood will we cease our foolish and dangerous generalizations that we cannot understand God.

The God concepts of the reconciled reflect a true understanding of His character. We can tell the man who thinks God is unjust that He is not arbitrary but reasonable in all His dealings with men. God will share His reasons with any sincere seeker to whom the information is necessary to bring that person to Himself.

To the man who views God as a tyrant, we can reveal a Being of unceasing creativity a God of flexibility who is never arbitrary and whose hands are not tied by fate. For those who secretly fear a vindictive supreme being, there is a great need to understand the unconditional love of God. Finally, to those who through Calvinistic theology, or some other means, have come to consider God as an alien, we must introduce a personal God who cries out for them to know Him intimately. Much theology presents God in such a light that He resembles some type of Eastern philosophical greatness. This I'm sure must bring unspeakable grief to a God who longs to be recognized as a living and loving personality. If we made known a God who was reasonable, creative, loving, and personal, it wouldn't be easy for the world to resist Him.

Therefore, since we have this vital ministry let us not be:

...walking in craftiness or adulterating the word of God, but by commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. And even If our gospel is veiled (covered), it is veiled to those who are perishing. —2 Corinthians 4:2-3 (NASS)

What is Salvation?

Jesus undoubtedly summed it up best at the beginning of His high priestly prayer when He said, "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). In 1 Timothy we find the words—"to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4).

We need to exercise caution that we not become religiously obese, constantly taking in spiritual knowledge and never making a heart commitment to the truth—one who is "always learning and never able to come to the knowledge (or recognition) of the truth" (2 Tim. 3:7).

Making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, ...walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called. —Ephesians 1:16-18; 4:1 (NASS)