(re)Learning Who God Is

Luke 11:11-13

What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent;  or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!"

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This chapter begins and ends with passages that challenge us to relearn the nature of God.

The first passage, on the surface, is just about prayer. But it is also about the nature of the One to whom we pray. And that nature is summed up in the word "father."

We are so removed from this first century Jewish context, but this characterization of God is just as radical today as it was then. Why else would Jesus have to appeal to these contrasting examples of bad friends and bad fathers who know how to give good earthly gifts? He is having to help us unlearn and then relearn who God is - really learning for the very first time that God is an abundantly generous and attentive father who listens and cares for his children. The contrast is both quantitative ("how much more") and qualitative (fish/egg vs. Holy Spirit). God is not just a father, but the preeminent father par excellence.

The chapters closes with another passage that challenges prevailing notions of who God is:

While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table. The Pharisee was astonished to see that he did not first wash before dinner. (Luke 11:37-38)

At this dinner table, we are confronted with a vision of God that threatens our religious habits and preconceived notions of what is right and proper in the eyes of God. Ceremonial hand washing appears to have been so basic to Jewish decorum that neglecting to do so was astonishing. Again, what is really going on here is a revelation of God's character in contrast to the notions of the time, even among the religious leaders, who should have known better.

Why does this misconception of God really matter? It seems like a small matter to mistake some aspect of God's character, like his fatherhood or his distaste for extra-biblical rituals. But, in fact, these blind spots in our vision of God are paramount and have severe repercussions, which is why Jesus reacts so strongly to the Pharisees. In their case, he uses the hand washing topic as a springboard to describe how their false metaphysical position has resulted in a litany of injustices and sins, often committed in the name of the God they had so grossly misunderstood.

We must strive to see God for who He really is, and thus avoid the woes of the Pharisees ourselves. Do I really grasp the Fatherhood of God, his generosity and grace, or his version of justice? Have I searched and submitted to God's Word in order to have a more balanced and accurate view of God's character? Because of the fall and the lingering affects of our sinful nature, this will not come naturally. In fact, it takes an act of God's Spirit to open our blind eyes to the truth of God's love and justice displayed in Christ.

I pray for the humility and faith I need to unlearn and relearn who He truly is. Fortunately, if we ask, seek, and knock on this door, we have assurance that this request will be met by a gracious Father who wants us to know Him and receive the good gift of Himself.

And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.  (Luke 11:9-10)

Is God Good?

Psalm 27:5

For he will hide me in his shelter
in the day of trouble;
he will conceal me under the cover of his tent;
he will lift me high upon a rock.

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Will God protect us when we pray for shelter?

Will God heal my child if she becomes threatened by some terminal illness?

If I'm not guaranteed protection in this life, then why pray for it in the first place?

These questions have been on my mind recently. Lately I've seen several people I care about deeply going through painful trials. Dear friends have lost loved ones. In one case there is the added grief and questions associated with losing someone who was most likely not a believer. I have also been a shoulder to another friend who is suffering great physical pain and whose wife was just diagnosed with cancer. In tears, he asked me point-blank, "Why is God letting this happen?"

Why? For what good purpose do we endure such unbearable pain in this life? How can God be called "good" in any real sense when he stands by and let's us suffer?

These questions are often heartfelt and genuine expressions of our real human experience. But they also reveal certain assumptions about how we view the world. When I ask "why?" am I motivated by a desire to know God more deeply? Or, am I looking for a reason to doubt his goodness? Am I perhaps revealing an assumption that I know better than God in regards to what is good for me? Am I revealing a basic assumption about what I think I deserve in this life? Am I forgetting my place in this cosmos?

Each person must answer these questions for themselves. But there are some themes in Scripture that help us see the bigger picture and how God's definition of "good" may be slightly different than our own.

1. There are levels or degrees of "good."

If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you again. (Philippians 1:22-26)

In this passage, Paul strangely welcomes death, which we normally (and rightly) think of as something sad and unfortunate. Even here, Paul accepts that it is good and vital that he remain and minister longer in this life. But for the Christian, in another sense, it is also "good" to die and be finally and perfectly reunited with our Maker-Redeemer. There are levels of good, and at times they may compete or contradict each other. The implication for us: God may have a "good" purpose in our suffering that is yet unknown, and may in fact remain unknown until we see his face in Heaven.

2. An event may be both "good" and "evil."

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will... (Ephesians 1:11)

If all things work according God's purpose, then it is tempting to blame God for evil and suffering. However, the Bible clearly does not allow us to blame him for evil (Deut. 32:4, Hab. 1:13, James 1:13). So, in order to understand how God's sovereignty and goodness co-exist, theologians speak of "compatibilism," which means that God can be sovereign over events that are both good and evil, often at the same time, but in different ways - i.e. Joseph's suffering which ultimately resulted in the good deliverance of Egypt and Israel from a horrible famine; and of course, Jesus' heinous execution which resulted in eternal salvation for those who trust in him (Gen. 50:20, Acts 2:23). This topic could be drawn out to fill many books, but for our purpose here, I mention it as a biblical position that allows many apparently evil events the possibility of some corresponding "good" value, even if that goodness is mysterious and hidden in the providence of almighty God.

3. "Good" is defined as what makes us more like Jesus.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:28, 29)

Verse 28 is an amazing promise that has undergirded many believers in the midst of painful trials. But if we miss verse 29, then we may find ourselves disappointed by the type of "good" that God works into our lives through pain and suffering. Verse 29 clarifies that this "good" is really defined as becoming more like Jesus - being conformed to the image of Christ. If we lose sight of the blessedness of this conforming purpose, our disappointment in God will lead us to doubt his goodness, which is a tragic misunderstanding indeed.

4. "Good" may ultimately be delayed.

Hebrews 11 tells us about scores of God's people who lived by faith and are honored for their trust in God's promises. However, verse 39 plainly tells us that these men did not see the promises fulfilled in their own lifetimes. This is the reality of delayed "good:"

And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. (Hebrews 11:39, 40)

So why pray for help if God is mainly after our conformity to Christ and may delay our deliverance until the next life? As I've thought through this, I come back again and again to the refrains of the Psalms, which so often lament life's trials and cry out for God's intervention and deliverance. Psalm 27 is no exception. But if "good" is defined by conformity to Christ, and is often delayed, how can we pray and expect the protection and healing we so desperately crave? My answer is to keep on praying desperately, knowing that God is truly good, and that he does in fact promise ultimate protection for his beloved children, even if that protection is finally delayed all the way to the next life in Heaven. Even if my only hope in this fallen world is of a very distant glimpse of eternal life, I will keep my eyes fixed on that glimpse and endure to the end, knowing that his goodness will be proved in time and will be sweeter than any version of "good" I could have ever imagined. If that means a life filled with crosses, at least I know that at the end of this life there will also be an empty tomb and an eternal resurrection. So, this will be my prayer, my meditation, and my hope:

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living!
Wait for the Lord;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the Lord! (Psalm 27:13, 14 ESV)