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Remembering God Again ... For the First Time

by Greg Williamson (c) 2006

COPYRIGHT RELATED INFO

 

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL SCRIPTURE QUOTATIONS

ARE FROM THE New American Standard Bible.

 

Do You Remember?

Do you remember when, as a child, you first believed in God?

Do you remember how your little mind struggled to take in his enormity?

God was bigger than you, bigger than your house, your street, your town, your country, the world!

God was bigger even than the universe!

Wow! God was HUGE!!!

 

Do you remember how you knew, almost without being told, that God was everything that was right, and true, and good?

 

Do you remember how busy God must have been?

After all, he had to keep the world spinning, and the rivers flowing, and the birds chirping.

And on top of everything else, he had a whole bunch of prayers to answer.

And he did everything, absolutely everything, all at the same time!

 

Do you remember how you knew, you just knew, that even as big as God was, and as right as God was, and as busy as God was, he would never be too big, or too right, or too busy to spend time with you?

Do you remember?

 

Do you remember how that made you feel inside?

All safe, and warm, and glad, so very glad, just to be alive.

 

Do you remember how with you and God nothing would be impossible?

You could be anything you wanted to be!

You could do anything you wanted to do!

Of course, you would have to grow up, first

But that was only a small detail.

 

Do you remember how, as you got older, God began to change?

 

You started going to school, and began learning all sorts of things.

And then, suddenly, God wasn't so big any more.

 

You began to hear about all the bad things in the world.

And then, suddenly, God wasn't so good any more.

 

You were taught how the world spins all by itself, and how gravity makes the rivers flow, and how birds chirp when they're hungry.

And on top of everything else, you were taught about all the different religions, and how they all have their own ideas about God.

 

You guessed that nobody really knows for sure what God is like.

 

Do you remember how, suddenly, you no longer needed God?

Do you remember how that made you feel inside?

Lonely and cold and determined, so very determined, never to believe in anyone the way you used to believe in God.

 

Almost without realizing it, you decided never again to be so open, so trusting, so vulnerable.

 

Almost without realizing it, you decided never again to be so childish as to believe in God with child-like faith.

On the Edge

Today we stand at the threshold of a new age filled with seemingly limitless possibilities. The future beckons as Science and its sister, Technology, pledge themselves to dramatically improving the quality of our lives. As proof of what lies ahead, we need only glance back to some of what has already taken place. The past two centuries alone witnessed an incredible array of breakthroughs, discoveries, and inventions: the telegraph, the sewing machine, steel, rubber, plastic, meteorology, pasteurization, the phonograph, electricity, atomic energy, photography, motion pictures, the combustion engine, air flight, open heart surgery, sonar, radar, short-wave radio, computers, etc., etc., etc.

As good and as needed as science is, however, some areas simply lie beyond its scope. This is evidenced by the fact that even as we as a society become increasingly technologically advanced, we face moral dilemmas that science can do little or nothing about. Microwave ovens cannot reduce alcoholism and drug addiction. New automobiles equipped with state of the art satellite tracking systems are unable to curb teenage pregnancy. And the world wide web is powerless to stop the person determined to use it for destructive purposes.

The Root

The seemingly endless assortment of mechanical and electronic gadgetry available to us today can never adequately address the root cause of the many and various problems plaguing our society and our world. Although the problems we see before us involve almost an infinite number of variables, they all share a common factor, a core element: sin. If you find the word sin to be a bit distasteful, please feel free to use rebellion instead. (If the word rebellion conjures up images of a bloody military coup, go with it; it's a valid, useful image.)

On a personal level, we begin to rebel against others, ourselves, and God the very instant we come kicking and screaming into this world. It's an intrinsic part of our nature, which we received from our parents, and they received from their parents, and so on all the way back to the first human pair. All of us are rebels. All of us are sinners.

Need proof? Name just one perfect human being. Go ahead, think hard. Name one person who has never in his or her entire life, even once, lied or cheated or stolen. While chances are all of us have done all of those things numerous times, it only takes a single act of a single wrongdoing to make a person guilty of sin.

But wait a minute. Who determines what sin is, anyway? If, as we often hear these days, all truth is relative and is solely contingent on what any particular group says is true for that group at any particular time, then I can decide that what I do is not sinful. In fact, I can decide that, for me, there is no such thing as sin.

There is, however, one major flaw in that line of reasoning: all truth is not relative. In fact, if you think about it, the very statement, "All truth is relative," is itself a blatant contradiction, since it seeks to assert at least one absolute truth. Rather than an abstract philosophy, what we need is a concrete standard. Then we can label as sin anything that falls short of or contradicts that standard. But where to find such a standard?

The Law

Actually, many such standards already exist: they're called laws. Take, for example, the law against speeding. If the speed limit is 35 mph and I go 36 mph, I am guilty of breaking the 35 mph speed limit law. Whether or not that law is actually enforced at the particular time I break it is a side issue. The main point is that I have broken the 35 mph speed limit law. I am guilty. I have sinned.

Laws, however, vary from one locale to the next. And so what we really need is a universal set of laws that applies equally to everyone everywhere.

Rapid rewind to the beginning of the world. As recorded in the Bible, out of his infinite supply of love, God created the earth and gave it to the first human pair, Adam and Eve. But since true love always includes the genuine possibility of rejection, God gave Adam and Eve a chance to reject him and his standards. Which is precisely what they did. By violating the one command God gave them, our great-great-great- ... grandparents chose themselves and their will over God and his will. They broke God's law. They sinned.

Fast forward to the nation of Israel. Remember the animated movie, The Prince of Egypt? The closing scene showed Moses coming down from the mountain, carrying two stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments of God ("Thou shalt not lie", "Thou shalt not steal," etc.). Those commandments actually embody the standard to which God holds everyone everywhere. And because God is absolutely perfect, he must fully enforce every commandment.

Which, for us, presents at least two major dilemmas. First, we are all born sinners. From the first breath we draw, our inclination is toward the selfishness and rebellion we inherited from Adam and Eve. Which means we begin breaking God's laws even before we learn to talk!

Secondly, the punishment for breaking even one of God's laws is death and eternal banishment from his presence. His absolute perfection simply will allow no sin -- and no sinner -- into his presence.

The Solution

The Bible tells us that: "God loved the people of this world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who has faith in him will have eternal life and never really die." (JOHN 3:16, CEV)

God cannot go against his own perfect standard. Therefore, he must hold all of us guilty as sinners (breakers of his law). However, because of his infinite love, God made a way -- the only way -- whereby he could both uphold his perfect standard and forgive us for falling short of that standard. The way? God took upon himself the punishment our sins deserve.

Jesus Christ was God in human flesh (see The Deity of Jesus Christ). Despite his complete innocence, he died a criminal's death on a Roman cross in order to pay the price our sins deserve. It is only by personally accepting his sacrifice on our behalf that we can be forgiven of our sins and be made right with God. Doing so involves confessing our condition and our need. As the Bible says: "God treats everyone alike. He accepts people only because they have faith in Jesus Christ." (ROMANS 3:22, CEV)

A Personal Step

True love allows for the possibility of rejection. God's love for you is true and perfect. He has proven his love by sending Jesus Christ to die so that you can be forgiven of your sins and enter into a right relationship with him. However, the choice is yours. God will not force himself on you. And so it comes down to your personal choice.

The salvation God offers is a two-fold process involving 1) turning away from your sins, and 2) turning toward God. This is what the Bible calls repentance. It means nothing less than the complete and total surrender of yourself to Jesus Christ. It is the most important commitment you will ever make, and thus in no way should it be made lightly.

However, if you have reached the point where you are ready to make that life-changing commitment, you can do so by praying along these lines:

  Dear God: I know that I am a sinner. I know that I have broken your perfect laws many times. I thank you for sending Jesus Christ to pay the penalty my sins deserve. I now turn from my life of selfishness and rebellion, and turn toward you. I accept Jesus Christ as my personal Lord and Savior now and forever. Amen.

The Benefits

Jesus Christ went to the grave in order to be our Savior, but then he rose from the grave in order to be our Lord. He is in heaven right now, and one day he will return to claim all those who have committed themselves to him.

In the meantime, God has given us his inspired, authoritative Word, the Bible, to instruct us in how to live a life pleasing to him (see An Introduction to the Bible). Although we will still fall short of God's perfect standards, the perfect sacrifice Christ made on our behalf allows God to forgive us, and thus allows us to keep going in spite of our shortcomings. As we read, study, and apply the Bible, we will gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding as to how to live the best life possible.

God loves us just the way we are --  but (thankfully) he loves us too much to leave us that way. Instead, he wants to change us from the inside out, to make us into the people he created us to be --  which means making us increasingly more Christ-like in our attitudes and actions. As we consistently seek to study and apply God's inspired, authoritative Word, the Bible, we will see our lives changing for the better as God both calls us to and blesses us with specific personal qualities, including (but by no means limited to):

If, for whatever reason, you have decided not to place your faith in Jesus Christ at this time, I nonetheless urge you to set aside any preconceived notions you may have and begin reading the Bible with an open mind. Doing so will lead you to the only logical conclusion: the Bible truly is the inspired Word of God.

If you have accepted Christ as your Lord and Savior, congratulations! You are now a member of God's own family. Now it is vital that you find a church home where Christ is honored and the Bible is taught clearly and accurately.

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