Thursday, December 25, 2008
My last post was the short answer, but we must be careful not to miss the point. It is far too easy for us to define God down to someone we can manage. Something I noticed years ago in reading the Old Testament was the care with which God would identify Himself when addressing mankind. The burning bush incident with Moses is a good example. God wanted Moses to know He was the same God who had appeared to Abraham.
People have a natural tendency to view God as being less than He really is. We are not comfortable with concepts beyond our comprehension and God exceeds our rational abilities at every level. I frequently meet with Christians who instinctively see God as someone with who they can bargain. It is the old joke of - "Lord get me out of this one and I will serve/give/go (you fill in the blank) you for the rest of my life". That is not the way the scriptures show Him.
Jesus did not fit the mold into which first century Israel had cast the Messiah. We all know how that ended. I often wonder why we believe we are not subject to the same errors today.
People have a natural tendency to view God as being less than He really is. We are not comfortable with concepts beyond our comprehension and God exceeds our rational abilities at every level. I frequently meet with Christians who instinctively see God as someone with who they can bargain. It is the old joke of - "Lord get me out of this one and I will serve/give/go (you fill in the blank) you for the rest of my life". That is not the way the scriptures show Him.
Jesus did not fit the mold into which first century Israel had cast the Messiah. We all know how that ended. I often wonder why we believe we are not subject to the same errors today.
