Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you."
John 5: 14 NKJV
Growing up in the church, I learned quickly just how I was supposed to behave if I wanted God to be on my side. Obviously, there was a slew of rules and behaviors to follow to ensure that the Lord would bless and protect me. I needed to avoid everything from stealing to telling the most innocent of lies. For if I crossed that line and did something bad, I could be assured that God would not be happy with me. If God was not happy with me, then bad things in my life would surely follow. We expected God to act when we acted out. It was that simple. After all, we were sinners, right? Didn't God need to keep discipline in the ranks somehow? I mean, what good were followers of God if we misbehaved all of the time? That is a good question, and one that deserves an answer. I don't know about your church experiences, but I was always led to believe that good behavior and the Lords favor went hand in hand. When we behave well, the Lord blesses us. That's a good story if you can sell it. It turns out that it's the same story the institutional church has been pushing for years. I can recall walking into church on any given Sunday morning hoping to find solace from Christian friends for whatever trials I was facing in my life. Well, it never failed that there was always more than a few people who were convinced that I had committed some offense in order for God to allow hardship into my life. Somehow God was angry with me because of my behavior and now He was punishing me. Of course, this is the very same God who punished David and the people of Israel when they stepped out of line as well. Now it was my turn to feel the wrath of a God who was not pleased with whatever it is I had done to displease Him. Does anyone see a issue with that line of thinking? That the same God who loved me enough to save me from myself would somehow harbor enough anger and resentment against me that He would punish me? I remember thinking one day in my late twenties, "God, did you lie to me?" 'Was all of that talk about love and the forgiveness of sins just something to get me to follow you?" If we trust God at His word, we know that all He has ever spoken to us is true.
Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
1 John 4: 7 - 8 NKJV
How many people out there grew up knowing a distorted image of God? I know I did. Like I said, I believed that God was there to keep watch over me for when I misbehaved. As a result, I came away with a image that God was a God who would just as well punish me than forgive me. This is the distorted image of God far too many people carry with them. Today, I know a God who loves me and has provided for my sins to be eliminated from His sight {Romans 6: 11}. So what happened to change my perspective of God? Well, some might call it His revelation, but I believe that it is more about seeing God for who He really is. There are a lot of things that can influence our own view of God. Our own bad experiences, world events and tragedy can all have a hand in our seeing who the Lord is. Yet, if we listen to those who knew Him best, we see a different reality. How is it that you see Jesus? Funny, but growing up I had a much kinder view of Jesus than I did of God. See, Jesus came to heal and to forgive us of our sins. He's not like God who waits and watches for us to screw up. Yet, Jesus and God are one in the same. That's right, when we look upon Jesus, we see the Father as well {John 10:30}. Jesus claimed that He could do nothing which He had not seen the Father do {John 5:19}. It is impossible, therefore, to carry the belief that Jesus and God are somehow separated. Jesus carries the characteristics of the Father and vice versa. We also carry within us the characteristics of Jesus. The apostle Paul has proclaimed the truth of Christ that it is Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}. So, if you would still hold to the belief that God is waiting for you to screw up so that He can punish you, you will be surprised to know that when the Lord looks upon you He sees His Son. That's right, when God looks upon us all He sees is Jesus who lives in us. You might be even more surprised to know that when we approach the Lord to seek forgiveness for our sins that we will be surprised at His response to our request..."What sin?"
And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.
1 John 4: 16 NKJV
~Scott~
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