Who IS God, Really?

The LORD is a jealous God, filled with vengeance and rage. He takes revenge on all who oppose him and continues to rage against his enemies! The LORD is slow to get angry, but his power is great, and he never lets the guilty go unpunished. [Nahum 1.2-3a]

The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. But he will sweep away his enemies in an overwhelming flood. He will pursue his foes into the darkness of night. [Nahum 1.7-8]

Two things are very evident in Nahum's writing: God opposes those who oppose Him; and, God protects those who depend upon Him.

I regret that we live in a time where people are so unsure of who God is. What is most regretful however is that the people most confused about God seem to be those associated with Him in religion. I say this because those who claim to know God are highly divided among themselves. Across numerous sects and denominations, all of whom claim allegiance to the God of the Bible, there are not only variations of belief, but absolute stark contrasts to one another. What is worse however is that the contrasts do not work together as the various colors of a sunset make one beautiful picture. Instead, the contrasts serve as ugly reminders of irreconcilable differences lived out in dissention, distrust, and disassociation.

With the previous statements made, there is one notable difference between God's followers that has to do with God's character and treatment of His followers. There exists a large faction in Christendom about the actual source of what we deem "bad things." There are books written and countless hours spent teaching that 'bad things indeed happen to good people.' So convincingly has this idea been taught that it has become incorporated into the basic core beliefs of some of the sects of religion (or denominations).

I will only point out here that the basic premise of the "bad things happen to good people" idea is flawed from its very outset. Jesus was very clear that there are none good except the Father God (Matthew 19.17). Furthermore, if the instructions given in the Bible are unclear and their just reward is undeterminable, how then is anyone to live with any assurance of anything? If the blessings found in the book of the Law cannot be distinguished as God's blessing and, to the contrary, the curses found in the same Law cannot be distinguished as God's punishment for sin, then how do we make any determination between right or wrong? Do we dare look at an obvious curse upon a person and still declare them righteous?

Without doubt, this line of thought is dangerous and potentially revolutionary within the Body of Christ. We must all consider it though. We must all constantly review what we believe about God and follow what we genuinely believe is God's Spirit leading us in harmony with the Bible. We must know and trust God and we must know and distrust human nature (especially our own). How else will we ever move forward in a dynamic relationship with God if we don't at least begin to sort this out?

Father, thank You for revealing Yourself throughout the pages of the Bible - especially in the Advent and revelation of Your Son, Jesus the Messiah.