I came across a survey taken last December by the Pew Research Center. The title of the survey, “When Americans say they believe in God, what do they mean?”
The survey sampling revealed that 80% of people believe in God, and another 9% believe in some kind of higher power/spiritual force. That’s 9 in 10 Americans.
However, of the 80% that believe in God, only 56% percent of them believe in God as described in the Bible. More and more individuals feel free to describe God in their own terms rather than the terms He used to describe Himself!
This is the identifying characteristic that Paul uses to describe the pagan idolatry of the Romans. “…although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man—and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things” (Romans 1:21-23).
There is a human tendency either to define God in a way that is personally suitable, or to contend that He remains undefined by men. Both tendencies have their motivations. If I personally define God as I desire Him to be, then I control my own relationship with Him. If my God is tolerant, loving, and non-judgmental, then I can live my life as I see fit, with the assurance that I will not suffer any consequences when my eternal destiny is considered.
If my God is undefined, then He is irrelevant to my life. I don’t know Him, and can’t know Him. I have no relationship with Him, as He is a non-personal force that has no interaction with mankind. Therefore, I do not seek or receive any instructions at all. I am on my own, and free to live as I desire.
In contrast, if I allow inspiration to define God for me, there are far reaching ramifications. Yes, God is love (1 John 4:8); but God is also a hater of sin! (Psalm 5:4). As such, God will bring judgment upon the ungodly (Matthew 25:41-46). He will do this because He is a just God (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9).
This does not make God bad, it simply indicates just how bad sin is! A just God can not tolerate sin, just as a just society can not tolerate terrorists, murderers and other felonious individuals.
This definition of God makes men uncomfortable. However, if we accept the inspiration of scripture (another subject for consideration), then we accept the Bible to define God as He actually is!
When men define God, or leave Him undefined, they are simply exercising their own fantastical desires, rather than accepting what He identifies Himself to be. In other words, their standard is subjective (and fanciful) rather than objective (and true).
If the God of the Bible punishes sin, requires faith and obedience, and rewards only the righteous, then it serves no useful purpose to seek to redefine Him. Our fanciful desires for God to be otherwise, do not in any way alter the reality of who He is.
Truth is objective. The truth of God as revealed in the Bible describes a God who requires things of us. Any refusal on our part to accept that truth is irrelevant. Judgment is coming regardless. It is only by acknowledging God, the Savior He sent to us (Jesus Christ), and His requirements of man, that we can have the hope of eternal happiness.
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