WHO IS REALLY GOD?

So much disagreement. So many misconceptions. Who is God, really?

The way that God has been represented most of the time, by most Christians, by most churches, it is hardly to be wondered at that many people reject the very thought of him. Or - if they don't outright reject him, they accept his existence in such a way as to keep him at a distance. How do they do this? Through making a ritual of him. By keeping him impersonal. By making a religion out of what was meant to be relationship. There are hundreds of ways to do it!

Quite honestly, it has occurred to me more than once that the message that is often given out by churches and by Christians - however sincere, deserves to be rejected. Though many Christians are sincere, the accusation of being a hypocrite fits far too many.

As Gandhi once said, "I like your Christ. I do not like your Christians. They are so unlike your Christ."

But the problem is more than just frail humans who fail to measure up. It is that so many have swallowed a picture of God which is much less than who he really is.

So what is the right representation of God? What is he really like? Who is God? Is he harsh? Judging? Preoccupied with getting people to follow the rules? Obsessed with pointing the finger at sin?

Is he a stern disciplinarian? A frowning school headmaster, principal?


Or is he the Man-Upstairs? A grandfatherly type with a long beard, jolly like Santa - who wants to give you whatever you want?

There are a thousand different ways to view God that are less than who he really is, and most of them deserve to be rejected. If he were really that way, you could be commended for being an atheist.

This question matters, whether you are a skeptic about all things spiritual or a long-time believer. Most of us need an occasional check-up at the eye doctor if we want to continue to see clearly. Our picture of God gets obscured through filters: such as through traditions, our culture, opinions of friends, relatives and colleagues, the teaching of our denomination, and even through such things as gradual changes in the meanings of words over centuries. All of these filters make it difficult to understand the Bible's representation of God as he really is.

So who is God?

The question "Who is God?" is a good question.  It is better than asking "What is God?"  This is because God exists, created us, loves us, is concerned for our being, desires to provide for us, and sent the Son to redeem us.  If we were to ask "What is God?", we might be tempted to say that God is the infinite being, the creator, a presence, or something like that.  In some respect, this would be true.  But the first question "Who is God?" brings us closer to understanding more of who God really is in His character and His love for us as revealed in the Bible.

The Bible teaches us that in all existence, from all eternity, there has been and always will be only one God.  God was never created, is completely loving, completely just, completely holy, completely merciful, and that He desires the best for us.  God is holy and He can have nothing to do with sin as the Bible says, "His eyes are too pure to look upon evil," (Hab. 1:13).  This does not mean that God cannot see what someone does that is wrong.  It is a way of describing how holy God is.  God cannot sin.  He is perfect.

In Christianity, God is a Trinity.  This means that God is three persons, not three gods. Technically, the doctrine of the Trinity states that in the one God is the person of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Each is not the same person as the other; yet there are not three gods but one.  This is similar in analogy to the nature of time.  Time is past, present, and future.  The past is not the same as the present, which is not the same as the future.  But, there are not three times.  There is only one thing called time.

The reason the word "person" is used in describing the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is because each exhibits attributes of personhood -- not in a body of flesh and bones, but in personality.  In other words, each has a will, loves, speaks, is aware of others, communicates with others, etc.  These are attributes of personhood and we see the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit each demonstrate these qualities.