Throughout this study I have emphasized the importance of paying close attention to what God himself has to say about this matter, whilst at the same time acknowledging our own human difficulty in accepting the ultimate severity of his judgements against us. But, as I have worked on this book, I have had an increasing sense that there is a truth of overwhelmingly vital importance that I am completely failing to express; and that is how God himself feels about us, and the wrongs that we have done.

In approaching this subject I feel a desperate lack of the skills I need to illustrate what I am trying to say. So, please be patient as I struggle to find the words and images to do this …

God – the One Most Wronged

When pleading for God’s forgiveness in Psalm 51:4, David makes an astonishing statement:

Against you, and you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight; that you may be proved right when you speak, and justified when you judge. (Psa 51:4)

This was David’s response when God exposed David’s betrayal of Uriah the Hittite. Uriah was an army officer, so utterly dedicated to serving David and the men under his command that, when summoned back to Jerusalem to bring a report on the progress of a battle, he refused even to spend a night with his wife in the comfort of his own home while his men were enduring hardship on the battlefield. Meanwhile, David had been committing adultery with Uriah’s wife; and having failed to conceal the fact, arranged for Uriah to be killed during the battle – even having Uriah personally carry the fatal order to Joab! What on earth did David mean by saying that his sin was against God alone?

Such a claim seems ridiculous until we ask ourselves who felt the worst pain from David’s actions. Uriah probably suffered pain from his wounds: but it is unlikely that he felt any pain from his betrayal, because he did not know. Had he known, how much more bitter would his pain have been? But, as the prophet Nathan told David about the rich landowner who stole a poor man’s lamb, David’s indignation was aroused and, suddenly, the realisation struck him that God had known; and was personally feeling all the hurt and betrayal that David had tried to conceal from Uriah. You can read the full story in 2 Samuel 11:1-12:14.

What is God Like?

The Ultimate Artist

God is an artist; and, like any artist he is passionate about his creations. From the very first germination of an idea he invests himself, his time and energies, to draw out what is in his heart and bring it into physical reality. The work of a true artist is an expression of who he is – not just something that he does. He is intrinsically and inseparably bound up with his work. It is the object of his love. If we are ever going to understand God, we must begin with his creation. And what an incredible creation it is!

Where does one begin? Most artists start from their perceptions of the world about us: yet God begins by creating the senses and consciousness itself – the greatest and most amazing mystery of them all! From his very first word – “Let there be light!” – we have the glory of the sunset, the world of scents and smells, the majesty of mountains, the softness of silk, the symphonies of sound, the warmth of friendship and the awe of the incomprehensible. The world is bursting with wonders; and all of them expressing the unbounded creativity of God.

As we look at the complexity of the natural world, we see another wonder: we see an incredible variety of life-forms, sometimes pursuing their own interests and sometimes co-operating and synchronizing their own activities in amazing ways; from the single-minded stealth of the hunter to the collective murmurations of a flock of birds or a shoal of fish. Yes, even freedom and interdependence are there, embedded in the very nature of God’s creation.

And where is the artist in all of this? Is he aloof from it, just sitting back and watching? Not any artist that I know. His creations are an expression of himself. He surrounds himself with, and invests himself in, his work. It is his dream and his delight. If that is how any human artist views his work, can you seriously imagine that the ultimate creator would have any lesser commitment to his creation? There are, it is true, some artists who mass-produce their work; so, if one pot gets broken it is no big deal. But to the majority of artists, each piece is uniquely precious. And, as we look at the creation around us, we notice that practically no piece is identical to any other. Indeed, they appear to be deliberately dissimilar. What does this tell us about the kind of creator we are dealing with?

But it isn’t all wonderful. Not everything in the garden is rosy. The Bible tells us plainly that creation is broken; and, in spite of its incredible resilience, things appear to be getting steadily worse. And it explains that the reason for this is that there exists a sentient being, Satan, whose conscious aim is to pursue his own will in defiance of that of his creator.

The Perfect Parent

An appreciation of human creativity offers us a precious insight into the nature of the creator. And, as we study the natural world and our relationship with it, this helps us to gain an understanding of those aspects of consciousness and existence that seem to us to represent the ultimate expressions of excellence and virtue. Amongst the simpler life-forms, prosperity seems to depend largely upon rapid reproduction and being difficult to eat: but for animals of higher intelligence the emphasis shifts towards the value of mutual cooperation and parental nurture. In short, we find creation pointing towards the ultimate virtue of love; both social and parental.

One of the most radical distinctives of Jesus’ teaching is summed up in the first 2 words of the Lord’s prayer: “Our Father.” God is not just our creator, aloof from his creation: but has imparted to us something of his very own nature; and Jesus is at pains to communicate to us the depth of love and commitment that is implied by this Father-Child relationship. Perhaps the most striking example of this is Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son (Luk 15:11-32); where he portrays the father as having been exploited and shamed by an ungrateful son. Yet, in spite of this, and occasional reports of the son’s immoral conduct (Luk 15:30), the father persists in longing for his return; and when he does, rushes to embrace and welcome him back into full membership of the family.

It is difficult for Western minds to fully grasp the enormity of the love portrayed by Jesus in this parable. In Hebrew eyes, the son had committed an offence for which he was liable to be stoned (Deut 21:18-21). And for an older man to be seen running was considered shameful. Yet this father was willing to make himself an object of public disgrace for the sake of saving his son.¹ But nowadays, not only have we lost sight of the significance of the father’s actions; many of us have lost sight of the meaning of fatherhood, and even love itself.

Tragically, many have been birthed and raised – or even abused and abandoned – by men whose conduct has been so far removed from the biblical image of fatherhood as to render it unrecognizable. Many, including Christians, think of fatherhood in terms of a strict, disciplinarian, Victorian-style father, never really satisfied with our performance and ready to wield a big stick at the first sign of failure or disobedience. So, as soon as we hear talk about the perfection of God, let alone ʻthe wrath of Godʼ against evil, we assume that his anger must be directed against us personally: but it isn’t.

So clear your mind, please, and try to imagine a scene like this: There is a father, who has laboured all his life to care for his family. They are his delight; and to him it seems that no sacrifice could ever be too much for him to make for them. But the country in which he lives has been torn by war. One day he returns home to find his house destroyed, his son dying and his family gone, except for his daughter, half-naked, cowering in a corner. Picture, please, his rage as he seizes hold of her, shouting, “Who has done this?!”

In her trauma and shame, the daughter shrinks away. Never has she seen her father so angry. But against whom is that anger directed? Not her. Nor does he immediately begin to question her for clues as to the identity of the perpetrator. Weeping, he takes her in his arms, ignoring the evidence of her humiliation, and begins to comfort her. Because, first and foremost his anger is an expression of his grief at the evil that has been done to her; and his most urgent desire is to begin to undo that harm.

We so easily misread the wrath of God because we see it from a human viewpoint. Our chief focus tends to be on the damage done and the loss suffered: but the Creator isn’t like that. In a physical sense, God is self-sufficient and invulnerable. Yet the Bible tells us that God’s adversary, Satan, is determined to oppose Him. But how? He cannot attack God directly: but he can attack the things that God loves. Mere things can easily be replaced; so this is only a temporary irritant: but there is a way of hurting God far more deeply.

Does God Feel Pain?

When you or I look at a person, we see their behaviour and from that we deduce their feelings. We can only feel our own pain or pleasure. But God is the originator of consciousness, and all existence. He can feel what we feel. So, when Satan inflicts pain, shame or suffering on the sentient beings that God has made, God feels it too.

The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. (Gen 6:5-6)

We don’t usually think in terms of God feeling pain and sorrow: but he does. (See Jeremiah 48:30-38 for another example.) We mistakenly suppose that, since God has made heaven a place of perfection, then God himself must be somehow totally insulated from his creation; aloof and indifferent to human pain and suffering. But the true situation is more probably the reverse. God made man in his image. What makes man so special, so different from all the other animals? Is it our physical shape? No; we don’t look all that different from apes. Is it our intelligence? Well, we do have a staggering ability to reason and understand: but some animals are pretty smart too; and in comparison to God we are pretty dumb, really.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

So think for a moment about where consciousness, feelings, our sense of morality, love, justice – even pain and regret – come from. What is it that makes human beings so special that they occupy an apex position in the natural universe? What is the great mystery about ourselves that no scientist can adequately explain? It is the phenomenon of consciousness: the ability to see, to hear, to personally feel sensations of pleasure and pain, hope, fear, love, etc. – not merely in behavioural or functional terms, or as an exercise in logic: but as a direct, personal experience. Yet, whereas the functional ability to correlate information and initiate appropriate responses is undoubtedly essential for any seemingly-intelligent behaviour, there is no demonstrable reason why this should result in any conscious experience. Indeed, the reality is that the overwhelming majority of the billions of tasks undertaken by my brain take place without my conscious knowledge; and there is no known central brain structure where my consciousness may be found. Rather, it appears that  my brain is a highly complex ‘control room,’ of which ‘I’ am in charge. But disrupt the nerve connections in my own body or brain and I may immediately cease to feel, hear, see – or even think. There are over 7 billion of ‘us’ in the world: yet I can only guess at what others feel; because I do not live within, and am not connected to, their brains or bodies.

The Bible explains that God ‘fills all things’ (2Chron 6:18; Eph 4:10) and that He is our Creator, who formed us ‘in His image’ (Gen 1:27-28). Is it even credible to suppose that God imparted all these mysterious qualities to us, his creations, without actually knowing what they feel like himself? And if love can stir us to go to almost unthinkable lengths for others, is it reasonable or rational to suggest that a perfect, infinite, God would love less? If it grieves us when we see others suffer, will not God grieve more? If we are angered by injustice, and demand retribution, why not God? What is man compared to God? Our ability to feel pain beyond our own physical limits is strictly limited by our lack of connection to others: so who suffers most from all our wrongdoings and cruelties against one another?

God’s Chief Concern is our Hearts

What is it about human beings that make us so special to him? The Bible tells us that God looks at the heart (Hebrew, ‘labe,’ meaning, ‘the midst’) – not simply the pump: but the core of our conscious feelings and motives.

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart.” (1Sa 16:7)

After removing Saul, he made David their king. God testified concerning him:

‘I have found David son of Jesse, a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.’ (Act 13:22)

David, as we have already seen, was far from perfect. Yet he was capable, when confronted, of seeing and feeling things from God’s perspective. This sensitivity, coupled with his willingness to acknowledge his faults and change his ways, were the key factors in his relationship with God.

If love can stir us to go to almost unthinkable lengths for others, is it reasonable or rational to suggest that a perfect, infinite, God would love less? And if it grieves us when we see others suffer, will not God grieve more? If we are angered by injustice, and demand retribution, why not God? What is man compared to God? Our ability to feel pain beyond our own physical limits is strictly limited by our lack of connection to others: so who suffers most from all our wrongdoings and cruelties against one another? Is it not God, who knows and feels them all? If a mosquito bites us, do we question our right to swat it? How much more right does God have to destroy those who wantonly afflict and destroy his creation and repay his benevolence with contemptuous insults?

The Demands of Justice

The Bible tells us that when God created the world, it was ‘very good’ (Gen 1:31). We are talking here about ‘goodness’ in the sense of the aesthetic beauty and functional harmony of the creation. Initially, Adam and Eve lived in harmony with God and under his protection, with no conception of evil. Their destiny was to be trained up as the overseers and guardians of the natural world. Then along came the devil, accusing God of being selfish by depriving them of access to the tree of knowledge.

This was the biggest con trick ever. They already had direct access to the one true source of all goodness and knowledge; the only new knowledge they got was evil.² But now their actions were harming God’s creation; and intervention was necessary.

God as Judge

Those who choose to oppose God seek to tie his hands by accusing him of unfair conduct. They variously claim that they did not choose to be created; that they could not have understood the consequences of their rebellion; that the penalty exceeds the severity of the crime; that they were not strong enough to overcome the temptation to sin, etc. But to all of these arguments God can rightly respond, ‘I made you with the power of choice; and I designed this world for you to enjoy. I warned you: but you refused to listen. You have no idea of the eternal suffering and deprivation you have caused to others. You were never meant to face temptation alone. In spite of all you have done I still long to love you and rescue you. I have provided a way out for you at a personal cost exceeding all your powers of imagination; and still you reject it. How can I be the God of justice if I do not give you the justice your actions demand?’

Therefore you are without excuse, O man, whoever you are who judge. For in that which you judge another, you condemn yourself. For you who judge practice the same things. We know that the judgment of God is according to truth against those who practice such things. Do you think this, O man who judges those who practice such things, and do the same, that you will escape the judgment of God? Or do you despise the riches of his goodness, forbearance, and patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath, revelation, and of the righteous judgment of God; who “will pay back to everyone according to their works:” to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory, honor, and incorruptibility, eternal life; but to those who are self-seeking, and don’t obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, will be wrath and indignation, oppression and anguish, on every soul of man who works evil, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. But glory, honor, and peace go to every man who works good, to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God. (Rom 2:1-11)

God, who Desires Mercy

God does not merely love people; he is the source and definition of love itself (1Jn 4:7-18). Love is bound up in his very nature: 3 distinct persons; yet bound together in such complete interdependence and unity that they function as One. And his desire is that we should inherit that nature.

Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me. The glory which you have given me, I have given to them; that they may be one, even as we are one; I in them, and you in me, that they may be perfected into one; that the world may know that you sent me, and loved them, even as you loved me. (Joh 17:20-23)

How miserably we have failed! Yet still God refuses to abandon us; offering a way of restoration if we will only surrender to Him, much as a criminal on the run hands himself in, hoping for leniency from the judge. And anyone who does so will discover that this amazing God of mercy has already gone to every conceivable length to settle the demands of both love and justice, in order to set you free!

Footnotes

1. Thanks to Kenneth E. Bailey for pointing this out in his writings. Two of his books dealing specifically with this parable are: ‘The Cross and the Prodigal’, 1973 Concordia Publishing House (ISBN 0-570-03139-7) and ‘Finding the Lost Cultural Keys to Luke 15’, 1992 Concordia Publishing (ISBN 0-570-04563-0).
2. See ‘The Original Eden Project‘ in the ‘Can We Do No Wrong?’ series.

says