It is dangerous to know very little about God

One Bible truth that is known
believed by followers of Jesus as well as those who do not submit to His authority is that God is love. Even folks who are lost, as long as they suspect that there is a God in Heaven, believe Him to be a benevolent, kind, loving God.

 

 

Well, that is certainly true. Our God is love (1 John 4:8, 16). And the more we dig into God's Word, the more we come to realize just how much He loves us. It's an incredible, liberating truth!

But, if folks believe that God's love is essentially the only quality He has, then there will be all sorts of problems that arise. For instance, some will think that it is a license to sin. They can live however they want because, after all, God is going to love them regardless. They will presume upon God's grace and forgiveness because their view of him is that He is nothing but a big teddy bear, essentially harmless, always overlooking everything.

Well, as with everything else, the Bible always presents balance. One truth can be distorted or at least misunderstood if we don't put it in juxtaposition (side-by-side) with the other truths.

For instance, Deuteronomy 4:24 says: "The LORD your God is a devouring fire; he is a jealous God." This is the sort of verse that will never be heard in many of the self-help, man-centered, positivity churches led by pastors who are more interested in drawing the crowds than exalting Jesus.

Yet, the Bible tells us that this is what God is like so we cannot ignore it. He is a God that should not be trifled with. He takes sin seriously. As a good judge, He cannot let the guilty go free ... and He won't. He will also claim full possession of what and who belongs to Him.

But, it is possible for folks to focus primarily on these "hard" attributes of God and neglect the love of God. In doing so, they come up with a religion that is based on fear and rules that must be abided by.

The key is always balance. God is a holy God, One who takes sin seriously and claims full ownership over what belongs to Him. Yet, at the same time, His love 1) in particular for what/who belongs to Him and 2) in general for the world is so vast that it is humanly impossibly to fully understand it.

It is only as we come to understand and believe ALL that the Word of God has to say about Him that we can truly come to know Him. And knowing, really knowing and enjoying God is the only ultimate remedy for the longing in our souls.