Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. Acts 17:29
One of the leaders of the ‘God is dead’ movement of the 1960s was a so-called theologian named William Hamilton, who taught that Jesus Christ was no more than a wonderful example who we should all seek to imitate. Hamilton taught that we need to redefine Christianity as a possibility without the presence of God. Although Hamilton found plenty of people as confused as himself to pass on and promote his nonsense, he also prompted many Christians to search their roots and examine their conviction about the reality and power of God. One of the best responses to the ‘God is dead’ doctrine came from bumper stickers and posters that declared, ‘If your God is dead, try mine; He is still alive!’ I heard of one Christian who asked a ‘God is dead’ promoter to describe the God he believed was dead. The cynic described God as an abstract, fun-hating despot who took delight in punishing people. ‘I don’t blame you,’ said the Christian. ‘If I believed in that kind of God, I’d want Him to be dead, too.’ Like the apostle Paul, we encounter many people who have not a sweet clue Who God is and what He is like.
Paul saw many idols in Athens. He also saw the altar to the Unknown God, and knew that the Athenians were placing God on the same level as the false deities that they worshipped. Their concept was all wrong, just as the concept of most people around us today. Even those who are religious have their concept of God seriously distorted from the truth described in the Word of God. Those who will admit that God exists – or that He might exist – will declare that God is irrelevant to them. Some will angrily blame God for allowing all of the evil around us. Some will relegate God to a fuzzy concept of one who will overlook our bad deeds and reward us for our good deeds. Yet others will declare God to be One who demands rigid adherence to the doctrines of their specific religion. We shake our heads at the ignorance of such people. God has not left us to wonder and speculate and debate as to His nature and character. No, He has revealed Himself in His Word, in the giving of His Son to bring us to Himself.
Before we criticize others for their failure to understand God, we need to be careful that we are not guilty ourselves. Of course, we are finite in our abilities and can never fully understand God. But does that which we understand correspond to that which God declares in His Word? Is our grasp of His holy nature accurate? Only by studying the Scriptures can we know God and learn more about Him. And only by studying the Scriptures can we make sure that our concept of God does not deviate from the truth.
Read your Bible. It will keep your understanding of God in harmony with His truth. -Jim MacIntosh