8. You Can Trust the Bible's God

What does the death of Jesus say to you about God?

Perhaps the best known verse in all the Bible is John 3:16. "For God so loved the world that He gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

The New English Bible offers this precise translation of the same passage and indicates by the use of quotation marks that the words are to be understood as coming from Jesus Himself. "'God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son, that everyone who has faith in Him may not die but have eternal life.'"

All of us know well the story of how the Son of God came to this earth, how He lived among us as the most gracious Person the world has ever seen, how still in the prime of life He died a most terrible death and then rose from the grave and returned to His heavenly Father.

But why did He do this? Why did Jesus come in human form? Why did He have to die?

If you had been in God's place on that day in Eden when Adam and Eve first sinned, what would you have done with them?

Would you have forgiven them and offered at least one more chance to stay in the garden? Human parents do this every day for their disobedient children. Since God is love, why was Adam banished on his first offense? (See Genesis 3.)

The wrong answer to this question can seriously affect one's attitude toward God and one's practice of religion.

Many believe that God has long been angry with the human race, most reluctant to forgive and bless His erring creatures. For thousands of years men have offered sacrifice–sometimes their children–to win the favor of an offended god. Even in the Christian world some teach that, were it not for constant intercession, God could not find it in His heart to live and save us sinners.

But need we do anything to make God love us?

Nothing is more emphatic in Scripture than that God has always loved–even His most wayward child. When God said, "In the day that you eat of it, you shall die," He was uttering no arbitrary threat. In love for His creatures, He was only warning of the consequence of rebellion.

Sin so changes the sinner that it actually results in death. Separated from the Source of life, he will surely die. Out of harmony with his Creator he can no longer endure the glory of His presence.

This glory that surrounds the person of God is often described in the Bible as having the appearance of fire. When God came down to Mount Sinai, "the appearance of the glory of the Lord was like a devouring fire on the top of the mountain in the sight of the people of Israel." Exodus 24:17, R.S.V.

When Daniel reported his vision of the heavenly court, he described God's throne as "fiery flames, its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him." Daniel 7:9, 10, R.S.V.

Even when so good a man as Moses asked to see God in His glory, the reply came, "You cannot see My face; for man shall not see Me and live." Exodus 33:20, R.S.V.

Yet when Moses came down from talking with God in the mountain, his own face reflected so much of the divine glory that he had to wear a veil out of consideration for the people. See Exodus 34:29-35.

When God said that no one could see His face and live, He did not mean that He would execute anyone He caught looking. To man in his present sinful state, the unveiled glory of God would be a consuming fire.

How, then, could God save sinners? How could He come close enough to win them back from their rebellion?

A distant offer of forgiveness would not repair the damage done. How could God make clear the truth about Himself, that man might come to love Him once again and so be healed?

God's answer was to send His son in human form.

Though He was Himself the very "radiance of the glory of God" (Hebrews 1:3, Phillips), Jesus "emptied Himself, ... being born in the likeness of men." Philippians 2:7, R.S.V. He veiled the dazzling splendor of His divinity that men might come to know God without being consumed.

When Adam and Eve first turned their backs on truth, they showed more faith in the miracle-working serpent than in the One who had given them life. How could God secure their allegiance once again? Love and faith are not produced by force. Only by love can love be won.

By the life that He lived and the death that He died, Jesus revealed so much of the kindness and patience of God that some are led thereby to repentance. See Romans 2:4. "We love Him, because He first loved us." 1 John 4:19.

No force. Just truth and love.

The universe was watching when God forgave Adam and Eve and granted them time to be restored. God had said in the garden, "In the day that you eat of it you shall die."

"You will not die," contradicted the serpent. "it is perfectly safe, in fact highly beneficial, to eat the fruit of this tree. God has lied to you and is unworthy of your trust and worship."

Had God permitted Adam and Eve to reap the immediate and perfectly legal consequences of their rebellion, the truth of His own words would have been clearly demonstrated, and Satan's falsehood would have been unquestionably exposed.

But "the Lord is ... not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9.

Instead of immediate death, He offered another chance for eternal life. Graciously He preserved the life of the sinner that he might have opportunity to understand the nature of the deception and turn once again toward the truth.

What a risk God ran of being misunderstood!

All His intelligent creatures are free to decide whether to place their faith in God or accept Satan's accusations of tyranny and fraud. Already the great deceiver had persuaded more than one third of the holy angels to side with him against God.

Even God's willingness to forgive was turned into evidence of divine duplicity. "I told you so," exulted Satan. "Sin does not result in death. You will not die."

But God was saving His answer until the most auspicious moment.

Finally, in the fullness of time, God gave His terrible reply. He sacrificed Himself in His Son.

The death He died was far more than crucifixion. "For our sake He made Him to be sin who knew no sin." 2 Corinthians 5:21, R.S.V. Jesus died the awful death of separation, the inevitable consequence of sin. This is what forced from His lips the despairing cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me? Matthew 27:46.

God's own justice had been called in question before the universe. His warning that the wages of sin is death had been ridiculed in Eden. But not so anymore. Christ's death had clearly demonstrated the righteousness of God. See Romans 3:25, 26. God was shown to be right in what He had said. See Romans 3:4.

For these reasons, and more besides, the only way to win back sinners and silence Satan's charges was for God Himself to assume humanity and live and die as he did.

This is why some 1900 years ago God clothed Himself in the body of a baby boy. As He grew to manhood and lived his matchless life, His one great purpose was to reveal the truth about God.

He wanted to show how infinitely loving the Father is, so He loved everyone, including little children. The disciples assumed that the Saviour was too busy to have time for boys and girls. But Jesus said, "Let the children come to Me, and do not hinder them." Matthew 19:14, R.S.V.

He wanted to show how infinitely patient the Father is, so He treated everyone with utmost courtesy and understanding, even though He was often rebuffed and insulted in return. One day the disciples asked if Jesus desired them to command fire from heaven to consume the rejecters of His love. But God's Son replied, "The Son of Man is not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them." Luke 9:56.

Jesus wanted to show how every detail of our lives is of concern to the Father. In all the excitement following the raising of Jairus's daughter, it was He who directed, "Be sure to give her something to eat." See Luke 8:49-56.

All of this was leading up to the final supreme demonstration of what God is like.

On Thursday evening Jesus was arrested. He was illegally tried. He was falsely accused. He was grossly insulted. But not once did He become angry. For God is like that.

Twice He was horribly beaten. All night long He was allowed no sleep, no food. But did He become irritated? Not for a moment. For God is like that.

Men made a game of slapping His wounded head. They jeered at His mysterious birth as illegitimate. They even spat in His face. But did his patience run out? Did He become angry with His tormentors? Never! For God is like that.

Even as He hung on the cross, enduring the pain of crucifixion and the mocking of those He came to save–even as He passed through the unspeakable agony of separation from His Father–He prayed, "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do." Luke 23:34.

This is the kind of Person our God is. All love and strength and dignity and compassion.

And the Father is just as loving and forgiving as the Son. For Jesus said, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." John 14:9, R.S.V.

For six thousand years God has worked to win us back, to persuade us to love Him as He loves us. During all these years He has mercifully veiled us from the glory of His presence that we might have time to know Him better.

Soon all will have decided. Then the glory of God will flash forth again throughout all creation. In that day the righteous will not be afraid. But the wicked will be slain by the brightness of His coming. See 2 Thessalonians 1:7; 2:8.

As Ellen G. White has expressed it in The Desire of Ages, "By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them." Page 764.

But what about the many references in the Bible to God's wrath? Is it anything like our human anger?

In the first chapter of Romans Paul describes how the wrath of God is poured out on those who reject and suppress the truth. Three times he explains that God gives up such people and turns them over to the results of their rebelliousness. See Romans 1:24, 26, 28.

"For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature, namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse; for although they knew God they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man or birds or animals or reptiles.

"Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed for ever! Amen.

"For this reason God gave them up to dishonorable passions....

"And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a base mind and to improper conduct." Romans 1:18-28, R.S.V.

How consistent this is with what we already know about God! Since faith and love cannot be forced, what else can God do but sadly give up those who reject Him?

God's wrath, as Paul seems to describe it, is simply His turning away in loving disappointment from those who do not want Him anyway, thus leaving them to the inevitable consequences of their own rebellious choice.

Surely no more awful sentence could be pronounced upon a sinner than for God to say, Leave him alone.

Such a picture of God's wrath was not new with Paul. The Old Testament had taught it long before. In the sad but wonderful book of Hosea, the prophet is asked by the Lord to marry a woman of dubious character. Soon she leaves him and takes up a life of prostitution.

"Go and find her," God says to Hosea, "Bring her back, beg her to stay with you and be a faithful wife from now on."

This is how God had long sought to persuade rebellious Israel to return. But they mocked His love and spurned His every advance.

What now was left for Him to do but give them up?

Without His protection the results would be terrible.

Sadly God recalls the long centuries of frustrated love.

When Israel was young I came to love him,

And called him out of Egypt to be my son.

But the more I called them

The further they went from me.

They made sacrifices to the Baals

And burnt incense to idols.

Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,

Picking them up in my arms.

Yet they never knew it was I who healed their bruises.

I led them with gentle encouragement,

Their harness was a harness of love.

I treated them like the man

Who eases the yoke to free the jaws–

Yes, I bent down to them and gave them food.

They must return to the land of Egypt

Or Assyria must be their king,

Because they have refused to turn to me.

The sword shall whirl around in their cities,

Break the defence of their gates,

And destroy them within their fortresses.

My people are bent on turning away from me;

The yoke is all they are fit for–

I can love them no more.

How, oh how, can I give you up, Ephraim!

How, oh how, can I hand you over, Israel!

How can I turn you into a Sodom!

How can I treat you like a Gomorrah!

My heart recoils within me,

All my compassion is kindled." Hosea 11:1-8, Phillips.

This brings us back to John 3:16. "God so loved the world."

He is not angry with us, even though we are sinners.

"That he gave His only-begotten Son." And He has given Him forever as eternal proof of His love, a continuing reminder of what He was willing to do to restore man.

"That whosoever believeth in Him." That is to say, all those who have accepted the truth about God revealed in Christ and thus been won back to faith and love.

"Should not perish." That is, should not be consumed by the glory of His presence.

"But have everlasting life." In spite of our rebellion and all that we have cost Him, God wants us to live with Him–forever.

Could we ask to be treated more generously? And all God asks of us is that we love Him in return, and love Him enough to be willing to do things His way and so be made fit to live in His presence.

This is the Biblical picture of our God. As John said, "He who does not love does not know God; for God is love." 1 John 4:8, R.S.V.

God can be known. And surely to know Him is to love and trust Him.