2.  What Is God Like?

Most of us have a picture of God in our minds that we have drawn, usually based on a series of ideas, feelings and past experiences from our life. Christianity presents a picture of God that is both unique and compelling, but it may be a picture that is very different than the one you've drawn before.

The Cosmic Cop
Some images of God portray him as some kind of "cosmic cop", a Being whose mission in life is to catch us doing something wrong in order to punish us. There is no doubt that Christianity presents God as a God of justice and truth, right and wrong, but the Bible also teaches that God is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in love. (Psalm 103:8) The Bible contains countless references to God's tenderness, His patience, His sensitivity to our weaknesses, and His desire to be friend.

Santa Claus
Some images of God seem to portray Him as a celestial Santa Claus, a grandfatherly type who smiles at everything we do, and then pats us on the head while giving us whatever it is we want. This is a picture of God that is safe, comfortable, convenient, warm and fuzzy-regardless of how we live. According to the Bible, this is every bit as distorted as seeing God as the "cosmic cop". Instead, the Christian faith presents a God who is to be taken very very seriously.

A Big Man
Some pictures see God as little more than a "big man," a John Wayne figure that is like us, only more. But while God is a person and is personal, he is not an advanced human being. Instead, the Bible says that "God is spirit" (John 4:24 ), who is "the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God" (I Timothy 1:17 ). While the Bible often uses physical imagery as a literary device to discuss the personality of God he is not made of flesh and blood. His nature and being goes far beyond a superhuman version of us.

The Force
Finally, some ideas picture God like the "force" in the Star Wars movies, seeing everything as God. Therefore God is not "He," or even personal, but an "it." The Bible does teach that God surrounds and guides the universe, and that God is present everywhere; He is Spirit - but that's where the comparison ends. The very basis of the Christian faith is that God is person, and wants to be in a personal relationship with each one of us.

The Real God
A man once expressed to his Christian friend the frustration of many spiritual seekers when he asked, "Why doesn't God make it clear - why doesn't He just come down and make His existence conclusively known, letting everyone know exactly who He is and what He is like?"

His friend's answer surprised him:

"He did. That is why Christians believe that Jesus is so important."

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