God. It appears as though in modern day civilization God has become more of an idea, or an expression than an actual being that desires to express and make covenant with humanity. In one of my Seminary classes I was tasked with reading God is Love: A Biblical And Systematic Theology and Christian Theology: An Introduction. This reading focused in great detail on the attributes of God and the viewpoint this generation has toward Him.
One of the main points brought up in this reading is the understanding or the expression of who God is. To the common believer, especially in the western culture God is looked at as “the supreme being[1]”. This is an idea of “Unitarianism [2]” or the “cult of the supreme being[3]”. In present day culture, it has become common to express God as being “a feeling”, or “a figment of our imagination”. It’s also common to those who are spiritualist and who hold an inclusive point of view to say that He is simply a being and all roads lead to Him. Gerald Bray offers extensive argument by stating that “[God] is not a figment of our imagination, nor is he some elusive idea that cannot be identified in any very precise way[4]”. He further states that “He communicates with us in personal terms, but his voice is not a sound in a void; there is substance behind it[5]”.
Another key idea that was expressed in this reading is the Omnipotence of God as found in Alister E. McGrath’s: Christian Theology[6]. Although the basic sense of Christianity is belief that God is almighty.
However, what is not common is a true sense of God’s omnipotence. McGrath defines God’s omnipotence as this “if God is omnipotent then God can do anything[7]”. McGrath then explores the idea of omnipotence by dealing with C.S. Lewis thoughts expressed in “The Problem with Pain”.
In the basic sense C.S Lewis states that “If God were almighty, he would wish to make his creatures happy. Therefore, God lacks either the goodness, or power, or both[8]”. Lewis further argues that when God decides to do something in a certain way then other possibilities are excluded. The sum of the idea is that although God is all powerful, He chooses to limit himself as it pertains to the will of man. He is not a tyrant but “chooses to stand alongside people in their powerlessness[9]”.
God is all powerful, but He is also a God who stands behind His reputation and behind His honor. He will never override the will of man. He is a complete gentleman. Until we are willing to surrender our entire being, all of our essence, mental paradigms, and even theology to Him, we will always find that we are not fully engulfed or engrafted into His perfect will as we should be.
On top of that, the Lord does not just solve all of our problems and make them go away at once because He is concerned about our development. In fact, our development is more important to Him then all the reluctance, frustration, and resistance that we manifest our disdain through when we are displeased with our situations.
“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ[10].”
But thank God, that He never puts more on us than we can bear. If He sent this trial it’s because He knows that you can survive it, and that it will make you all the better in the end.
“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it[11].”
Character development above all, and we grow in our connection with the Lord Jesus through the suffering we endure.
“Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead[12].”
Bibliography
Bray, Gerald. God is Love: A Biblical And Systematic Theology . Wheaton : Crossway, 2012.
McGrath, Alister E., and Wiley Blackwell. Christian Theology: An Introduction. Blackwell Publishers, 2017.
[1] Gerald Bray, God is Love: A Biblical And Systematic Theology (Wheaton, Crossway, 2012)
[2] Gerald Bray, God is Love
[3] Gerald Bray, God is Love
[4] Gerald Bray, God is Love
[5] Gerald Bray, God is Love
[6] Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction (Blackwell Publishers, 2017)
[7] Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction
[8] Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction
[9] Alister E. McGrath, Christian Theology: An Introduction
[10] 1 Peter 1:6-7 (English Standard Version)
[11] 1 Corinthians 10:13 (English Standard Version)
[12] Philippians 3:8-11 (English Standard Version)
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