God Came Near

How do you see God?

According to a recent study released by researchers at Baylor University, Americans have four different views of God. Approximately 28% of Americans view God as “authoritative,” meaning that God will punish evildoers and hold us accountable for our actions, both in the hereafter and also in our present lives. 22% of Americans see God as benevolent, wanting to bless their lives and for them to bless others in return. 21% see God as critical, arguing that God will set all things right at the end of time; those who are poor will be made rich, the righteous will be rewarded, etc. God doesn’t intervene much in this world, but he keeps account and delivers justice in the next. Finally, 24% see God as distant and detached; he set the world in motion, yet he has very little to do with it since.

So, how do you understand God? How do you see and perceive God’s actions? Is God authoritative, benevolent, critical, or distant?

I think it is ok to argue that God is a combination of some of the above. Sometimes God is authoritative, and we are held accountable in our own lifetimes for our actions. We bear the burden of the consequences of our sins. God is also critical; sometimes good people suffer while evil people prosper, and justice won’t be fully realized until the end of time. God is benevolent, calling us to make a difference for his Kingdom here on earth. We are called to continue Christ’s good works here in the world, to make a difference in the lives of people.

However, I don’t think we can argue that God is detached. Sometimes he might FEEL distant, but the truth of the matter is that God came near. God didn’t just set the world in motion like a cosmic science project. He is intimately involved with our world. “God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son…” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… The Word became flesh, and made his dwelling among us…” “For while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly…” The Bible is the story of God’s interaction with our world. God cares, and so God came near.