God Loves the Lost – Part 2

Believe it or not, God loves the lost.

There are plenty of people around who hear something from ‘a religious person’ and accept it at face value, rather than verifying what is said with the Word of God. These people hear “God hates sinners,” and since they don’t know any differently they assume that it’s true. They are only parroting what misinformation, what bad teaching, is in their hearts. This point is critical in understanding why some Christians respond one way to a situation and another will respond in the opposite way. Christian responses to the problems and issues that we go through have a great effect on how those around us perceive God. Our reactions will be based upon our relationship with Christ and the Father. Understanding that God is love will give us peace to endure the current situation as well as allow us the chance for us to be the witnesses Jesus wants us to be! If we walk in love, as God is love, then we will respond in love to the people around us. If, on the other hand, we have a misconception of God (“God hates sinners”) we are tainted with bad teaching. It affects us personally in how we deal with situations and circumstances. We ask ourselves, “Why is God doing this to me?” Instead of asking for wisdom and discernment we become critical. Whatever misconceptions we have will come out in how we interact with people. As Christians we constantly see people involved in sinful lifestyles like homosexuality, stealing or adultery. Sometimes, instead of praying for that person and offering a way out of their problems, we condemn them. Instead of proclaiming the truth of a new life available for them in Christ, what we often see is a lackluster or contradictory response from people who don’t really understand the nature of the One Who lives inside them. In the place of shouts of potential victory over sin, we shout “God hates sinners!”

The natural response for this kind of mistreatment is that people become antagonistic toward God and those who love and serve Him. It’s no wonder they feel rejected and despised! They ask “If God hates me that much then why should I come to Him?” These people suppose God is their enemy, and they doubt anyone who says anything contrary to that perception. They assume that since Christians are supposed to be God’s children, and Christians ‘hate’ them, then God must hate them as well. They question the love God has for us. They question the nature and character of God, and His ability (or capacity) for love and forgiveness. They feel like the dog that has been perpetually beaten and kicked. They wonder why they should go to the One they think is the cause of all this hatred and ridicule. Believe it or not, I think these are some valid questions which deserve to be answered. I believe there is another component to talk about as we consider the  way we understand God’s love for us. Many answers are found simply by looking at our earthly relationships and how they developed.

Most of the time, the impressions we have concerning our relationship with God were formed by the way we were treated by our earthly parents. Numerous studies have been done validating this fact, and it seems especially true when it comes to the relationship we have (or don’t have) with our fathers. Most people have an innate understanding of how authority operates from early in their lives, whether they want to admit it or not. Almost universally, fathers play a tremendous role in the formation of how children respond to authority, and this is by God’s design. God orchestrated the nuclear family as a loving and devoted father and mother, and has provided parental authority as the vehicle used to train children. As long as parents submit themselves to the Word of God and prayer, parental authority helps to demonstrate the love, care and concern that our heavenly Father has for each of us. Again, this is especially true when it comes to fathers, and is why God specifically addresses this issue concerning the relationship between parents and their children, again with special emphasis on fatherhood;

Eph 6:4
And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.

Why all the emphasis on fathers? Does this mean that God doesn’t care about the way mothers treat their children? Of course not! Instead, this passage reinforces the flow of authority that God has established in the family. When parents (and fathers in particular) develop a personal and ongoing relationship with God through Christ, it supplies power to the authority of their position as parents. When fathers assume their rightful place as the head of the house, it allows for a direct representation of the relationship God desires to have with each of us. However, when parents (and fathers in particular) fail to develop their own personal relationship with God they allow misunderstandings and misconceptions to take hold. Without the Word of God in daily application, people stray from the truth. As a result, their children will likely have a skewed or incomplete understanding of how God relates to them. Sometimes these children never get the chance to have any understanding of God at all!

Some fathers are good and some are bad. Some fathers are drunkards or drug addicts. Some fathers are mean, spiteful and cruel. Some fathers are just nice guys. Some fathers are thieves, gamblers or extortionists, others are sexual deviants. Some fathers are very religious but they are hypocrites; they are overly critical and harsh; they show no love, forgiveness or compassion toward themselves or those in their family, much less to others. Some fathers are chameleons and change their actions based on current circumstances in order to ‘fit in,’ instead of standing for what is right and true. Then there are those fathers (the majority, I’m sure) who are just ‘good men’ that have no – or limited – knowledge of God or His Word.  They try to ‘do the right thing,’ but they are powerless because they have no relationship with Christ. They do the best they can, but they are limited in wisdom and authority, and are unable to effectively deal with many of life’s complex situations. These people do the best they can, but often with insufficient or even disastrous results. Most of these people have misconceptions about God, and have almost always invariably gotten those ideas from equating their earthly fathers (with all their faulty actions and outlooks) with the One True Father. Unfortunately, the comparison between the earthly and heavenly that is made keeps them from seeing God for Who He truly is. In fact, the qualities of God’s character are often just the opposite of what many think they are.

To correct these misconceptions we need to understand that there are some fundamental differences between earthly fathers and our heavenly Father. The first thing we need to see is that God is not as we are. The destructive and negative things which happen in our lives are a direct result of godless men and women, not God. This is true because just as God set the nuclear family to be the source of authority in the home, He has set up governments to be the source of authority in societies;

Rom 13:1-7
Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God’s minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience’ sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for they are God’s ministers attending continually to this very thing. Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due, customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor.

Why do we have strife in families? It’s due to a departure from the Word of God and the introduction of sin (either by one parent, both parents, by children or any combination of these). Why do we have strife in our communities? It’s due to a departure from the Word of God and the introduction of sin (either by individuals, public servants, by local/state or federal government agents or any combination of these).  Why do we have strife among nations? It’s due to…you get the point. We live in a world that has become subjected to sin because of men (not God), and our world is populated by godless men and women.  When I refer to people as godless men and women, I don’t necessarily mean only those who sacrifice their children to pagan deities!  However, Man (by nature, due to Adam’s rebellion) is warped and twisted, and the nature of Man is centered on self.  Why do you think you don’t have to teach a two year old to say ‘no’ to you? This rebellion is inherent; it is a genetic trait passed down to each of us from Adam.