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<\/source><\/picture>Recently, I watched a video by a young former pastor who has renounced his Christian faith. He was gracious and not hostile toward evangelicals. Rather, he explained why he had jettisoned his relationship with Jesus.<\/p>\n
The reason came down to this: How could a loving God reject people who were sincere in whatever faith they held? Would He truly condemn them because they understood Him differently than those professing faith in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord?<\/p>\n
In a word, this young man\u2019s issue was not the historical credibility of the resurrection of Jesus or the reliability of the Exodus narrative. Instead, he was offended by the idea that a God of mercy would not welcome into eternal life everyone who seemed to be earnest in whatever faith they have.<\/p>\n
Put simply, this former pastor decided to create a new god, one in his own image.<\/p>\n
In reading various \u201cde-conversion\u201d stories, accounts by and about people who have left their once-vibrant Christian faith, I\u2019m struck by this persistent theme. It\u2019s not about the reasonableness of Christianity, its intellectual coherence, or the credibility of its propositional claims. Rather, the \u201cExvangelicals\u201d come to a point where their dislike of certain doctrines or practices emboldens them to abandon their walks with Christ. They jettison their faith because it does not comport with their preferences. Or, put another way, the God of Scripture is not Who they want Him to be.<\/p>\n
Former evangelical pastor Rob Bell turned from biblical faith several years ago by denying the reality of Hell. None of us like to imagine people suffering for all eternity. It seems excessive and even inconsistent with the nature of the God Who is love. Yet God is also holy, infinitely pure, and therefore rightfully enraged by our sin. He cannot turn a blind eye to human evil.<\/p>\n
In sum, God is not like us. He cannot denigrate the purity of His character by acting as though our transgressions really aren\u2019t a big deal, a grandfather in the sky who pats us on the shoulder and tells us to behave a little better. And that\u2019s the sticking point: the eternal Triune God is not concerned with conforming to our expectations. His character is not malleable, and He is not accountable to us for what He does.<\/p>\n
Consider the story of Job. God allows Job\u2019s entire family to be murdered, his vast wealth stolen, and his health broken. Job calls out to God, demanding to know why He has permitted these things given that he, Job, has been so faithful to Him. God is uncompelled to justify Himself to Job. Instead, He says, \u201cWill the faultfinder (Job) contend with the Almighty? Let him who reproves God answer it\u201d (Job 40:1).<\/p>\n
Similarly, when Paul debates with an imaginary rhetorical opponent about God\u2019s sovereignty and human free will, the apostle does not try to dissect something beyond man\u2019s grasp. Instead, he affirms that \u201cthere is no injustice with God\u201d and asks, \u201cWho are you, o man, to answer back to God?\u201d (Romans 9:14, 20).<\/p>\n
But this same God is infinitely loving and desires no one to perish but all to come to repentance and faith in His Son (II Peter 3:9). This is why He invites us into relationship with Himself. In His great, undeserved kindness, God has revealed Himself to us. \u201cHis invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made,\u201d Paul asserts (Romans 1:20). His power, intelligence, and love are displayed in a world that is complex, ordered, and abundant. The heavens, \u201cthe work of His fingers,\u201d declare His glory (Psalms 8:4, 19:1).<\/p>\n
He has revealed Himself in our very natures, with the weight of moral duty \u201cwritten on our hearts\u201d (Romans 2:15) and eternity placed within them (Ecclesiastes 3:11). He has revealed His character and desires, His demands, and His offer of everlasting life, in the pages of text composed by numerous men over the course of many centuries. The Bible is His written revelation.<\/p>\n
Most profoundly, He has revealed Himself in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of Man and Son of God, sinless and righteous, Who took the penalty for sin we deserve as He died on the cross and Whose resurrection heralded His victory over sin, death, and the devil. Trusting in Him and Him alone for forgiveness, we receive life, eternal life, that He alone can give.<\/p>\n
This is news so grand that it invites adoration of the One offering it. It should create in us a longing to know and follow Him, not turn our backs on Him because He does not seek to appease our finite indignation about things we can\u2019t grasp. Would you really want to serve a God so eager to be liked He debases His majesty to plead for our approval?<\/p>\n
\u201cA man can no more diminish God\u2019s glory by refusing to worship Him,\u201d wrote C.S. Lewis, \u201cthan a lunatic can put out the sun by scribbling the word \u2018darkness\u2019 on the walls of his cell.\u201d He is Who He is and invites us to know Him \u2014 and that\u2019s the best news of all.<\/p>\n