For a long time, I’ve wondered why it seems like there are so many differing–even conflicting–pictures of God. I don’t even mean different religions, I mean: even in Adventism.
It felt like conservative, middle of the road, progressive, or even liberal–we all have different pictures of God. Even within a certain group (no matter the label) it feels like there are so many conflicting pictures of who God is and what exactly His character is like. Even when describing Himself, God uses many different adjectives that can feel opposite.
- To Moses: merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and to the fourth generation. (Exodus 34: 6-7) WOW. Not going to lie, I have struggled with some of these. There are a million ways to correctly understand them and parse them for which we do not have time here.
- To Job: Creator, Sustainer, The One with Ultimate Wisdom, Justice Dispenser, the Most Creative, Monster Wrangler, All Powerful One (Job 39-41)
- To David: Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, Shield, Lord, Salvation, Trustworthy, Faithful One, Just
- Through Jesus: Like a Mother (Mtt. 23:37), Father (John 10:29)
Of course there are, like, a billion more but both of our attention spans are waning.
What if it were intentional? Not that God is ever intentionally confusing, but rather, maybe, that He like an exquisitely cut diamond, is infinitely faceted. He’s not some flat character (we see you Henry Cavill’s superman). Rather, He is infinitely complex–which is SUCH a relief to me because the church & really all of humanity are SO complex. It grows my faith to think that maybe (besides the whole infinite thing) He is too big to understand in the same way that we are all so different.
Maybe God is infinitely complex on purpose so each of us terribly complex individuals can find something in Him to relate to, to understand, to find comfort in.
Now, there are some people who might think I’m saying that we get to pick and choose what aspects of God we want to believe in and accept. I’m not saying that at sll. I’m saying maybe instead of explaining away every aspect of God we are uncomfortable with, we sit with that discomfort and realize that maybe for someone else different from myself, that aspect of God actually brings comfort.
