It was not long after God made man in His image that man started to make God into his image. Little by little the true character of the Creator God took on the fickleness, selfishness, and meanness of those who assembled to worship. Our proclivity to feed our lower natures became part of the worship experience. When people wanted anothers’ lands it was convenient that God told them to take it. Others had no right to property or life because they were heretics or pagan. Men called themselves priests and claimed only they had access to God. If you wanted something you had to go through them and of course at a price. Human sacrifice to appease angry gods satisfied the sadistic hand that reached into a chest to rip out a still beating heart.
Lest we think of ourselves as being modern and past all that, consider that the past century was the bloodiest in history. We are off to a good start in this century. It seems where two or three are gathered one will soon become a heretic. He or she will no longer be God’s favored. I could speak of Belgrade, Bombay, Baghdad, and Beirut as prime examples of current religious unrest. Ethnic cleansing most always has religion embedded in its core. It is no wonder so many give up on religion proclaiming it to be the poison that will ultimately destroy the world.
While it is true Jesus came to the world to pay the price for our selfish stupidity, it is also true He came to give us a glimpse into the true character of the Father. If we want to know the truth about God read the Gospel of John, the finest picture ever written.
Written by Roger Bothwell on June 30, 2009
Spring of Life Ministry, PO Box 124, St. Helena, CA 94574
roger.bothwell.org