"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son..." - Hebrews 1:1-2a
The word 'God' is loaded with baggage. When someone hears it, they instantly recall a set of ideas about God that were handed down to them, or that they read in a book, or that they just conjured up in their own minds; most probably that set of ideas is some concoction of the three. N.T. Wright tells an amusing story related to this 'God confusion' (although I've cut out the amusing part, so now it's merely a story).
When he was chaplain at an Oxford college, he used to make it a goal to briefly meet each of the first year students; it was a sort of "I'm the chaplain, and feel free to come to me at any time" kind of meeting. Of course with many of the students attending the college being learned folk, they used to quip, "I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of me. I don't believe in god, you see." N.T. Wright would then respond with a question: "Which god don't you believe in?" This would take the students by surprise, so they would stutter out a few phrases about the god they didn't believe in: a being up in the sky, looking down on the world disapprovingly, waiting to punish bad people and reward good people, and occasionally intervening for the odd miracle or two. To this Wright would say, "Well, I'm not surprised you don't believe in that god. I don't believe in that god either. Rather, I believe in the God I see revealed in Jesus of Nazareth".
When Christians use the word 'God', who are we talking about? How do we know who God is? I think that too often we bring to the table the "spy in the sky" theology mentioned above, or some other notions of God that we have derived from a book, a television program, or even a misreading of Scripture. We then try and fit Jesus into that theology. The trouble is, He doesn't fit. Jesus of Nazareth simply doesn't conform to many of our ideas about God.
I'm only echoing Wright when I say that this needs correcting. That opening verse in Hebrews, along with numerous others in our New Testament, tells us that Jesus is the definitive revelation of God. If you want to know who God is and what He is about, look at Jesus. Don't try and fit Jesus into some other concept of God that you have developed. Start with the man born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. Start with the witness of the Gospels.
We will only understand the word "God" as a Christian should when we understand Jesus. The Father has chosen to speak to us through His Son made flesh, and it is to Him that we must listen. Jesus, through His words and through His deeds, reveals the Father to us, and when this is our starting point we are a million miles removed from any "spy in the sky" theology.
When I use the word "God", I need to be clear who I am talking about, because I too easily create a god who is far removed from the One exposed in Jesus. And also, when people like those in Oxford say they don't believe in God, I need to be sure that the God they don't believe in is the God I believe in. I need to be sure that they are not rejecting some abstract notion of God, but that they are rejecting the God revealed in the person of Jesus. I regret that too often, through my words and deeds, I have done the Christian understanding of the word "God" a disservice. I need to get back to basics and affirm with Wright, "I believe in the God I see revealed in Jesus of Nazareth".
When he was chaplain at an Oxford college, he used to make it a goal to briefly meet each of the first year students; it was a sort of "I'm the chaplain, and feel free to come to me at any time" kind of meeting. Of course with many of the students attending the college being learned folk, they used to quip, "I'm afraid you won't be seeing much of me. I don't believe in god, you see." N.T. Wright would then respond with a question: "Which god don't you believe in?" This would take the students by surprise, so they would stutter out a few phrases about the god they didn't believe in: a being up in the sky, looking down on the world disapprovingly, waiting to punish bad people and reward good people, and occasionally intervening for the odd miracle or two. To this Wright would say, "Well, I'm not surprised you don't believe in that god. I don't believe in that god either. Rather, I believe in the God I see revealed in Jesus of Nazareth".
When Christians use the word 'God', who are we talking about? How do we know who God is? I think that too often we bring to the table the "spy in the sky" theology mentioned above, or some other notions of God that we have derived from a book, a television program, or even a misreading of Scripture. We then try and fit Jesus into that theology. The trouble is, He doesn't fit. Jesus of Nazareth simply doesn't conform to many of our ideas about God.
I'm only echoing Wright when I say that this needs correcting. That opening verse in Hebrews, along with numerous others in our New Testament, tells us that Jesus is the definitive revelation of God. If you want to know who God is and what He is about, look at Jesus. Don't try and fit Jesus into some other concept of God that you have developed. Start with the man born in Bethlehem and raised in Nazareth. Start with the witness of the Gospels.
We will only understand the word "God" as a Christian should when we understand Jesus. The Father has chosen to speak to us through His Son made flesh, and it is to Him that we must listen. Jesus, through His words and through His deeds, reveals the Father to us, and when this is our starting point we are a million miles removed from any "spy in the sky" theology.
When I use the word "God", I need to be clear who I am talking about, because I too easily create a god who is far removed from the One exposed in Jesus. And also, when people like those in Oxford say they don't believe in God, I need to be sure that the God they don't believe in is the God I believe in. I need to be sure that they are not rejecting some abstract notion of God, but that they are rejecting the God revealed in the person of Jesus. I regret that too often, through my words and deeds, I have done the Christian understanding of the word "God" a disservice. I need to get back to basics and affirm with Wright, "I believe in the God I see revealed in Jesus of Nazareth".
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