HOW DO YOU PERCEIVE GOD?
Job 7:20 If I have sinned, what have I done to you, O watcher of men? Why have you made me your target? Have I become a burden to you?
How do you perceive God? It is amazing how it differs even in Christian families that all go to the same church. It is even more amazing when we start looking all over the world to the many religions and beliefs within those religions. One thing is common and that is people have a natural instinct to believe that there is a God that they need to obey. With this there is also a natural instinct or belief that sin has consequences regarding life after death regarding God. This is certainly true in the Christian faith. The Bible tells us that while there are many gods or idols that people look to either as divine or simply occupy a priority in a person's life, there is only one God.
Some of the attributes of Christianity’s God
ENUMERATION: He is spirit, infinite, eternal, unchangeable in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth
ASEITY: He doesn’t need anything
GOODNESS: Worthy of approval
GRACIOUSNESS: Merciful, compassionate
HOLINESS: Separation from sin and incorruptible
IMMANENCE: Being in the world
IMMUTABILITY: God can not change in who he is
IMPECCABILITY: He does not sin
IMORPOREALITY: He is spirit
INCOMPREHENSIBILITY: Not able to be fully known or understood
INFINITY: Eternal and his immensity
JEALOUSY: Zeal to protect his relationship of love
LOVE: Shows affection
MYSTERY: He reveals only a portion of his being and plans
OMNIPOTENCE: All powerful
OMNIPRESENCE: Present everywhere
OMNISCIENCE: All knowing
PROVIDENCE: His activity in the world
RIGHTEOUSNESS: He is just, absolutely fair
SIMPLICITY: Unity of his being
SOVEREIGNTY: He has ultimate control
TRANSCENDENCE: Separate from time and space
TRINITY: The oneness of the Father, Son, Holy Spirit
VERACITY: Always truthful
WRATH: Hating everything opposite his will
The reason I listed these attributes of God is that they will all play a factor in how we relate to God. The two major factors for all people in general regarding all religions are grace that brings an assurance in the relationship with God, and works righteousness that has no assurance. Christianity is the only religion that relates to God on a relationship based on grace. Every other religion relates to God in some sort of performance on the part of humanity. We call this works righteousness. Job felt that he had a target on him that God was constantly hitting to bring tribulation to him. Job was continually either trying to win God’s approval to avoid punishment, or avoid his attacks. This is why he wanted to confront God and defend his righteousness, or just have God kill him and end it all.
It is sad to see Job see God this way, because God really loved him as he does everyone. God was not against him by looking for ways to attack him. God does not love the sin we may do, but he still loves us. And it was God’s love for Job that he brought the tribulations. Job had the sin of self-righteousness in his life. This is a hard for the religious person to accept as sin, because they feel that they are only becoming what God has expected of them all along. This pride is a false belief from the point that no one is righteous on their own. We can not earn our salvation, because when we do what is right we are only doing what we were created to do.
What God was trying to do was to help Job become more Christ-like. Sin not only robs us of being like God, but happiness too! This is why Jesus said we must be born again. With the Holy Spirit’s baptism, we are daily being changed into becoming more and more like Jesus in our character. Job’s self-righteousness brought him to the point that he felt more righteous than God. (Job 32:1)
We can see God’s love for Job when Job repents in chapter 42, and God in turn blesses Job more than he was ever blessed before. For the Christian, being right with God comes by faith in the grace of Jesus’ atonement. And it is because of this on God’s part we have peace and assurance based on grace and not our own efforts. God is for us and not against us. He is the lover of our soul, and the atonement of his Son Jesus Christ proves it.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, thank for your wonderful love for us. Please help us to always remember that you are for us and not against us. We love you and ask this in Jesus name.
