Let’s get this out of the way right off: I’m not going to try to convince you God exists. Philosophical discussions have never been my forte–that aptitude roosts on another branch of the family tree–and besides that, I don’t have much interest in God as a concept. Concepts are all well and good, but when my rubber meets life’s road, I’ll take a real, live Deity every time.
So where does that leave you, if you don’t believe in God? In my prayers and with my recommendation that you check out a few writers who were/are gifted when it comes to that kind of persuasion. You might, for example, try Francis Schaeffer’s elegant Trilogy, which includes The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason and He Is There and He Is Not Silent. And, of course, there’s always the classic Mere Christianity by the brilliantly uncomplicated C.S. Lewis. But if you’re not into logic and you still doubt His existence, I suggest you ask Him to reveal Himself. More than one person has become acquainted with Him simply by sincerely asking, “Are You really there?”
If you do believe in a “Higher Power,” “Supreme Being” or “the Man Upstairs” (a thoroughly disrespectful phrase I detest, by the way), the question isn’t, “Is God?” but “Who is God?” And there’s the rub!
What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. (Tozer, Knowledge of the Holy)
If God is objectively real, then He’s objectively real as He is, not as we imagine Him, right? Furthermore, if He is objectively real, there really isn’t anything more important than knowing Who He is. I mean, think about it: you’ve got this Being, He created and sustains the cosmos and everything in it, including you … what could be more important to you than knowing what He’s like?
I think it’s fair to say, most people imagine a god just a little larger than themselves, one they can sort of manage and reason with, one who understands them and loves them just as they are, loves them too much to hold anything against them in the end. Well, they’re partly right ….
God is, and He wants you. That’s not just a nice idea, but something I know based on hard-core personal experience, first-hand knowledge, evidence I’ve gathered as I live this life.
Here are some of the things I’ve learned about God, since I made His acquaintance on February 7, 1997, just before I reached the ripe old age of 46:
- God isn’t like us. You really need to know that. He’s as far above us as we are above ants or earthworms or garden slugs. Farther. You’re not His equal. You should probably get used to it.
- God is big, really big, as in infinite. That’s impossible to comprehend, seeing as our minds aren’t … infinite, I mean. Think of it this way: our universe is massive … who knows how many light years across? One light year, mind you, is 5,878,625,373,183.6 miles–although most folks round it off to 6 trillion. The Crab Nebula is 11 light years (or 66 trillion miles) across, and it’s far from the biggest of the billions of formations in our universe. And taken all together, they’re nothing, compared to God.
- God is eternal. He didn’t start, He won’t end. Period.
- God doesn’t learn; He knows and understands everything, always has, always will.
- God is, indeed, love. He does, indeed, love you just as you are. He can’t, however, give you a “Get Into Heaven Free Card” no matter what you’ve done, and I’m going to tell you why.
Brace yourselves, beloved … here’s the part you may not like.
- God is unspeakably holy, infinitely pure and perfect. We’re not. If we were to walk into His Presence on our best, most virtuous day … well, let’s just say not one of us would survive the experience. Moth + flame = incineration. End of story.
- God is absolutely just. Justice is as much a part of Him as holiness or infinitude or love, and perfect justice demands a fitting punishment for every crime. He can’t turn a blind eye to transgressions, because to do that, He’d have to act contrary to His nature, and that’s the one thing God can’t do, because if He did, He’d be someone else, and then He wouldn’t be God. And by way of reminder … we’re not perfect.
Why am I going into all this? Because if we don’t know we need a door–a safe entrance into God’s Presence–we won’t look for one, much less go through it. And trust me, we need that door.
We are creations of a holy God, and when our imperfection meets His perfection, the result will be instantaneous, flame to moth. We are creations of a just God, and His very nature demands punishment for every crime. But we … in spite of our best intentions and our very best efforts … do wrong things.
Enter God’s love and mercy. Punishment is called for. Someone has to pay our bill, serve our sentence. And God so loved the world, He sent Someone to do exactly that. Only Jesus–who, by the way, was and is perfect–could make a payment acceptable to God. A perfect God claims a perfect Sacrifice.
The last thing you need to know is this: It’s not enough to say we know all about Jesus, and yes He died for the sin of the world. According to the Good Book, demons know that much, and I’m pretty sure not one of us wants to be in their shoes. What we need to know is, Jesus died for my sin, and I need to own up to that, admit I need it. It’s got to be personal, as in, “I’m not perfect. God is. Jesus, thank You for paying the price for my moral failures. You’re my Rescuer, and I welcome You into my life.”
That’s how you walk through that door: you believe it for yourself and say it for yourself. It’s that simple.
Jesus said, “I am the door.” But as we all know, doors are entrances, not the journey’s end. When you enter God’s Presence through the door Jesus provides, you discover Love is waiting. The most exciting adventure of your life begins after you cross the threshold.
See, as it turns out, Jesus also said, “I am the Life.”
And that, beloved, is putting it mildly.
