Our God concept and freedom

On the last 2 blog entries, both the comments on miracles and on the Church as a consumer item relate to our 'God concept'. Our couples small group (not to be confused with the men's group that is reading the discipleship book) is reading a book by Bill Bright's son, Brad, entitled God is the Issue . We were discussing the first chapter last week and noted that quite often we Christians unwittingly communicating a concept of God that does not exactly match what the Bible teaches. For instance, when asked about why the World Trade Center was attacked we may say something such as its being a judgement of God, that God has removed His protection, or the like. Yet, we don't stop to think that there have been bad things that happened in America since the country was founded, including such calamities as slavery, the Civil War, World Wars I and II, the Great Depression, the flu epidemic, the polio epidemic, etc, etc. It might seem to imply that God's protection comes and goes rather often. We unwittingly communicate with these comments that our concept of God is that He exists to protect us, to keep bad things from happening to us. In fact, if freedom is to exist, then it must be possible for bad things to happen. Freedom is very risky. If we are to be free, there is the option of choosing evil, choosing for the bad. Without that, there is no freedom. It may or may not be a sign of God removing His protection that the World Trade Center towers fell. When Jesus was asked about a tower falling and killing a number of people in Luke 13, His response was not that those people were such sinners that God had removed protection; instead, He responded that the question is not why did they die but rather why didn't you die? We all deserve to die because of our sin, and the fact that we don't is purely grace. Similarly, the Islamic terrorists hate Christianity just like they hate America, so they may still have attacked had we been a more holy nation. These are things we cannot know.

When we look at the 'God Concept' that we unwittingly communicate, the larger Christian community often communicates that God exists to serve us rather than our existing to serve Him. We communicate that we became believers so that God would protect us, or make us prosperous, or provide fulfillment, or give us a good marriage. While it is true that God loves us, He also warned that His enemies would hate us, would think they were serving their god when killing us, would persecute us however they could. We are Christians first and foremost because it is true, and that truth has set us free from this world. And that freedom is risky.