“If the Bible is God’s autobiography, how can I get something meaningful out of it? What is the right way to read it and to know the context — which parts are metaphors or historicals or visions of the past or future?
How can I get anything out of it for my life today? “
Do you see God as the God of the “Thou Shalt Nots”? That probably constrains your view of God to being opposed to you and your happiness doesn’t it? When we view God as the denier of fulfillment, we have a significant barrier to believing He cares about our welfare. Add to that His intention to send us to Hell for doing life our way and you probably have a jaded perception tilted against God or at least the God of the Bible.
If you grew up in the mid-twentieth century, you probably saw a sermon by Jonathan Edwards in either History or English, a message titled “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”. This was presented as the typical view of God by early colonialists. Delivered as a sermon in 1741, this perception of God was not an accurate summary of Edward’s view of God but became a literary example in contradiction of his life’s work of teaching about God which was harmonious with the Bible.
God receives our perception through the emphasis of the negative without consideration of the context. Let us consider that if the Bible is Truth that God has the right and the responsibility to have His say on the ways of Truth. If as Genesis 1:1 says, that “In the beginning, God…” first of all was already and then secondly created all that exists, He would have a perception beyond that of the created. We are come lately to what exists and yet endeavor to define all that is by our senses and intellect. Although in Genesis 1:26, God says, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…”, mankind has insisted upon turning the tables and ‘creating’ God in our image, after our imagination. There is a foundational fault in the created forcing an image upon the Creator and expecting God to conform to our desires.
Consider that God knew what He was doing, that He actually had a solid plan for all that He did, that He had a scope of knowledge beyond our comprehension, that He knew the beginning from the end, that He had purpose and that all He did was complete and viable—that He truly knew what was best for us and He created us with that plan in mind, that we were not accidental or purposeless. He not only created us but He provided us with complete environs for life which included everything we needed which provided the opportunity to fulfill purpose and to be in full relationship with Him in the context of Creator to created. Yes, we are lesser beings. We are not infinite, do not have all knowledge or wisdom and do not have all power but we do have the capacity to learn, to receive understanding, to comprehend as we are living in relationship with Him. But, there are limitations, we do not know everything inherently, we are limited to learning. But, God provides guidance, instruction, overview of what will be in our best interests from His view of Entirety. Everything is as complete as we need.
But, even with the guidance flowing from the Creator, we decide we want to do it ourselves, to discover meaningfulness on our own terms, to reach out and grab the gusto for ourselves. Hence, apart from God’s guidance and instruction, even in direct opposition to His encouragement, we set off to “know” on our terms and use the means we perceive to be appropriate for our personal quest to fulfillment and irrespective of Him.
Let me submit that God’s creation of us in His image was first and primary relational. The ‘in the beginning’ God is ‘elohim’ a Hebrew word for God but is plural in Hebrew. When in verse 26 the ‘let us’ in ‘our image’ emphasizes the God speaking is already in relationship with Himselves and is acting—creating—in agreement with Himselves. After creating mankind, He equips man with everything necessary for life in relationship with God. Note that man’s relationship includes both a companion like himself (albeit with some special differences) and the presence of God ‘walking in the garden in the cool of the day’.
Now, with that context in mind, that God created completeness, everything we needed, instructed us in what was best for us to be in relationship with Him and each other, we say, “No” and do what severs the relationship. We want what isn’t best for us, we don’t believe God knows better than we do and that we can do it our way. We do not know wisdom, understanding and have yet to comprehend opportunity, responsibilities and consequences. But we are about to.
We should be able to see God’s Values in God’s character and His provisions and expectations for us but we have a disconnect most easily seen in our modern differentiation between Values and Virtues. Values are those standards which are foundational to who we are, to who He is. Virtues should have the same context but we believe we can ‘soften’ basics and not impact the viability of the structure. Virtues have become ideals, goals, premises, things we see as worthy but not essential and therefore do not expect to fulfill in our daily lives.
If you want to live in relationship with God, you have to see His Values as the standards of the relationship, goals that you want to live in and not something to be avoided. The concept of you defining your relationship with God comes to late for He has already created you for His style of fulfillment after His design.
God has created us in the image of Himself and He is Personal, not ephemeral. Many religions see God as impersonal, a vapor or wisp, almost an imagination but that is not the God of the Bible. The I AM reveals Himself as a person, not an idea. He has Identity and unfolds that throughout the Bible. One of the better reasons for reading the whole Book is that it is a progressive revealing of who He is and what He values.
“Elohim” “us” “our” are each indications of the relational character of God and the importance of this value is reinforced in His creating us in His image as relational both toward Him and fellow man. It was God who knew that it was not good for man to be alone. God had from Eternity known relationship between the three individual entities which together are in One entity.
Throughout the Bible you will find God’s fidelity first to Himself (His nature and character) and then expressed to His creation. He faithfully endeavors to fulfill the plan of creation for us to be in relationship with Himself. BUT. Because God remains totally faithful to who He is, His nature, He must remain true to the value of who He is. You cannot change the terms of relationship with God to simply match your expectations or whims. Just as God is always in agreement with Himself, so you can only enter and stay in relationship with Him on His terms.
Integrity is the concept and reality of being singular, whole, complete, consistent. God draws the line by saying, “I change not” (Malachi 3:6) or “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 13:8).
How God was is how God remains. There is a stability in knowing that God is not capricious or given to whims. But then again, ‘in His image’ implies that we created beings are also capable of living complete in Him. There is an inborne need to be singular of purpose, to not be given to chasing vapors. One of God’s reminders to us is that, “The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8) or that “there is a way that seems right to a man but it end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25).
We mere folks have problems with forgiveness: we deserve it but others don’t—we certainly don’t want to forgive others! But, “The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 1 God does not seek to condemn but rather our refusal to agree with Him about our need to repent (turn our attitude and then actions) condemns us. He is not the one breaking the terms of relationship. In Matthew, Jesus Himself says, “… and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will you Father forgive your trespasses.” 2 And as Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “… and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” 3 Repentance, turning to God’s perspective on the nature of our will and actions, is a key part of coming into God’s forgiveness and then living in agreement with Him. And it is not just a magic incantation for absolution but a total capitulation of ourselves into His standard and relinquishing of our will to His.
We were not created for strife but rather for fulfillment, contentment. Paul writes to Timothy, “Godliness with contentment is great gain” 4 in the midst of a passage about “stuff”. The following verse is, “For we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.” He goes on to address cravings for more as a root of all kinds of evils. God desires relationship with us and fulfillment of us as He intended in our creation but be aware that God will not be less if you refuse to agree with Him. Part of us being in His image is that we have the ability to make choices, to be determinate. This was a gift according to His image and as a gift, He will not override your ability to “do it your way”. While God clearly doesn’t want you to perish, spend any of life or eternity apart from Him, He is also not willing to force you to have relationship with Him on His terms. He would never subject anyone to endure a relationship outside of the terms He offered from the beginning. If you have determined to spend this life in disagreement with His desires for your best, He would never force you to spend the rest of forever in His presence where the only possibility is agreement with Him. Remember that little phrase of Jesus: “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” 5 In heaven, only agreement with God, relationship on His terms, exists. If Satan and one-third of the angels were forced out of heaven for wanting to take the place of God, do you have any greater expectation if you insist on living out your expectation without God?
The “Laws” of the Bible were never meant as withholding the good stuff from mankind but rather to point us away from challenging the values God sees as fitting a life in the image of His creation. I give a couple simple examples for your consideration:
Proverbs 6:16-19 “There are six things that the LORD hates,
seven that are an abomination to him:
haughty eyes,
a lying tongue,
and hands that shed innocent blood,
a heart that devises wicked plans,
feet that make haste to run to evil,
a false witness who breathes out lies,
and one who sows discord among brothers. 6
Haughty Eyes – pride, arrogance, the seeing others as less than myself
A Lying Tongue – from someone claiming to be in image of God
Hands that Shed Innocent Blood – one who would take the place of God as Judge
A Heart that Devises Wicked Plans – not likely interested in God’s plan or provision
Feet that Hasten to Run to Evil – chasing after what God says to flee away from
False Witness breathing out Lies – hardly an accurate representative of a righteous God
Sows Discord Among Brothers – again, with relationship the priority, division and separation?
Exodus 20:3-17 7 is the ‘first’ list of the Ten Commandments (paraphrased)
No other gods before me – priority of relationship would make other gods ridiculous
Not take the Lord’s name vainly – if the relationship is intimate how could the Name be empty
Sabbath rest – if God indicates it is worthy of rest and reflection, would relationship not honor
Honoring family – honoring what God established for provision, instruction, modeling of relationship
Honor Life (not murder) – respect what only God can give
Honor Marriage – the first human relationship given of God that we should not be alone
Contentment (not steal) – contentment with what God has provided
Truth-bearer, not lying against those close, no slander, gossip; building up with word
Contentment (not covet) – fixing desires of heart on satisfaction in God and not stuff
Yes, you can take these as negative restrictions denying your fulfillment if you want to have your fulfillment in things outside of a meaningful relationship with God. But, if you want a relationship with the personal God as He created it and is willing to restore you into that relationship, looking at His values as facilitators rather than blockers likely is more in order. Or, if you desire a ‘softer’ expression of the same concepts, we can go with Matthew 22:37-40 where Jesus states it possibly more to your liking albeit no easier:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.
This is the great and first commandment.
And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.
On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” 8
Note: There are Blogs which expand on the values of God with several more to come.
FOOTNOTES:
1 2 Peter 3:9 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/2pe/3/9/t_conc_1159009
2 Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/6/12/s_935012
3 Luke 11:4 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/luk/11/1/t_conc_984004
4 1 Timothy 6:6-10 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/1ti/6/6/t_conc_1125006
5 Matthew 6:10 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/6/1/t_conc_935010
6 Proverbs 6:16-19 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/pro/6/1/t_conc_634016
7 Exodus 20:3-17 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/exo/20/1/s_70003
8 Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/mat/22/39/t_conc_951037