The Nature of God
There is a growing trend and tendency among believers (and the world, although I will focus and aim my attention on the body of Christ) to accept only the nature of God that is the most palatable to them, and what their own limited experience has shown them. Let me explain… Some people see God as gentle, mild, compassionate, all loving, one who would never enact any kind of violence. They would be “somewhat” correct in their thinking but it would not be the whole truth. Some people see God as a tyrant, a supreme judge, one who can cast people into hell. Again, they would be “somewhat” correct but it would not be the whole truth.
Job 26:14 says, “these are parts of His ways; but how little a portion is heard of Him? But the thunder of His power who can understand.”
First we must begin with the foundation, which is Christ and Christ crucified. But who is Jesus Christ? Simply, Jesus IS God (Jehovah, Yahweh, the alpha and omega and the list goes on). Jesus was there in the beginning when the earth was spoken into existence, he was there when he “rescued the nation of Israel from Egypt, but later destroyed those who did not remain faithful.” (Jude vs 5). Also, scripture tells us that “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. Christ existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,” (Colossians 1:15). So then, we can see the character and nature of Jehovah/Yeshua/Holy Spirit throughout the whole of scripture. The Lord is above all things!
I know I am not writing anything new, but I want to emphasize that he is both dreadful and terrible and also as gentle as a lamb. The God that healed the guards ear that Peter cut off with a sword (John 18) is the same God that made a scourge (whip) and drove out the people in the temple courts (John 2:15). The God that raised up Esther to speak out for her people in order that they may be saved, is the same God that burned up Sodom and Gomorrah and the same God who gave David the tactical knowledge he needed to kill the Philistines (1 Chron 14). The God who did “not retaliate when he was insulted nor threaten revenge when he suffered” (1 Peter 2:23) is the same God who will one day wear a robe dipped in blood and the armies of heaven will follow him to battle (Rev 19). There are so many more scriptures that show the awesomeness of God, Habakkuk 3 comes to mind as well.
That being said, the Lord is my best friend, my counselor, He is my biggest encourager, my provider and my prince of peace. I love Him dearly because He loved me dearly first. He is kind and gentle with me…He is also my King, He is my Father who has to discipline me at times, He is a consuming fire, He is my judge and He is the only one who can save me, or throw me into hell should I reject Him…so, we have to eat the whole lamb of God, the bitter herbs and all (just like He showed us in the first Passover). We cannot just eat and accept only what is palatable to us.
The Lord is the good shepherd, if we are called to be like Him, if the body of Christ is to be like Him, then we will all have different roles but with the same goal. A shepherd protects his flock, if a wolf tries to kill one, will he not defend his sheep? If an intruder comes in to your home, are you a good mother or father (aka shepherd) if you just let the enemy take your child? That which has been entrusted to you?…is it noble if you spare the enemy and let them kill you or your loved one because you didn’t want to take a life and get your hands dirty?…it is an entirely different matter to willingly lay down your life or the life of someone else for your faith and your testimony. That, I will gladly do, but I am not willing to throw away my life carelessly or the lives of those whom I love or have been charged with protecting for the belief that Jesus wouldn’t do that. Some parts of the body are more presentable, while other parts are not (1 Corinthians 12). What if those called to rescue kids out of sex trafficking see and do things that you deem improper to do and see as a believer? Yet God uses these people to deliver His children from unthinkable evil.
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven. A time to be born and a time to die. A time to kill and a time to heal. A time to tear down and a time to build up. A time to cry and a time to laugh. A time to grieve and a time to dance. A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones. A time to embrace and a time to turn away. A time to search and a time to quit searching. A time to keep and a time to throw away. A time to tear and a time to mend. A time to be quiet and a time to speak. A time to love and a time to hate. A time for war and a time for peace.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-8).
Fear the Lord and He will give you the discernment of the times He has set in place… Who can fathom His infinite wisdom? Yet we will have eternity to discover all the layers and nature of our savior and I look forward to it with anticipation! But for now, may our Heavenly Father give us a discerning heart for the times we are living and for everything we are encountering and have yet to walk through.
Humbly,
Kayla Bernier