Afraid to Know God - Part 1

Why don't Christians know God better? Why does He seem distant from many Christians? Christians know God, of course, but how many actually KNOW Him? I believe much of the reason for a shallow relationship with God is that believers are scared to know Him - not so much fear that He will aggressively harm them, but more fear of what they will find God to be.

After all, every other relationship brings disappointment, so why would one with God be any different? Reluctance to build a relationship with God may stem from a belief that God is like people. It is reasonable to evaluate the relationship with God in terms of human relationships, since God does use common relationships to picture His relationship with Christians. Unfortunately, imperfect human relationships can damage one's perspective regarding his relationship with God. For example . . .

God is a Father. Human fathers fail. Some are completely absent. Others fail to clearly demonstrate love. They may be physically or verbally abusive. They make bad decisions and at times cause pain to their children.

God identifies Himself as the Bridegroom to His bride, the church. No earthly marriage is perfect. Husbands sometimes lack sensitivity. They may overlook needs or forget special days. They can be too distracted for conversation, can say hurtful things, and can initiate heart-rending arguments.

God calls Himself a Friend to sinners. Human friendships can be a wonderful blessing, but they are never without problems. The issues can range from minor slights, perhaps unintentional, to major blowouts, perhaps even agonizing rifts or termination of the relationship.

God is a King. Even the best human kings leave much to be desired. They have the tendency to abuse their power and to enjoy wealth and pleasure by taking advantage of their position. Their poor choices can destroy individual lives or adversely affect entire populations.

God is a Judge. That's a frightening role in today's society. Even the best judges can make faulty decisions. They can minimize consequences and deny justice. Too frequently judges misinterpret the law so badly that they violate morality and protect the guilty while the innocent suffer.

God (Christ) is a Priest. An earthly priest (or pastor) could be hypocritical, living a shameful life while preaching otherwise. He may be unworthy of his position. He may be overtaken in serious sins. He might take his ministry lightly, failing to give it proper reverence.

God is a Shepherd. While perhaps not seeming to be intrinsically negative, neither is a shepherd typically seen as glamorous or respectable. He could easily be perceived as uneducated and undignified.

Each of these relationship pictures that is intended to help believers understand aspects of God's character has potential weaknesses. Every believer has seen examples of the faulty relationships described above, and has perhaps been personally damaged by them.

Christians consider their experience with a neglecting father, an insensitive spouse, an unfaithful friend, an oppressive king, an unfair judge, an unworthy priest, and a lowly shepherd; they argue that if God is like that, why should they bother getting to know Him? Why should they work on another relationship when it will inevitably just lead to frustration and disappointment like all the others? After all, how great can a relationship with God be?

There is a major flaw with this line of thinking, and it is this: God is not a human. Each of the shortcomings described above is what humans do, but none of them are what God does. People perform each of these roles imperfectly, and human failures cannot be used as a basis to judge God's divine character.

To be sure, there are positive relationships with fathers, spouses, etc., that partially illustrate what God is like. There is no earthly picture, however, that is capable of adequately portraying the blessed relationship that is possible with a perfect God.

God is a perfect Father. God is a perfect Spouse. God is a perfect Friend. God is a perfect King. God is a perfect Judge. God is a perfect Priest. God is a perfect Shepherd. God takes every positive aspect of these roles and performs it beautifully, while avoiding each of the negative pitfalls that plague others in those same roles.

If a believer's reluctance to get to know God is due to his fear of disappointment in what God might be like, that fear is unfounded. If one knew what God is really like, he would have no such fear. He would have no hesitation in seeking to know Him better. Because God is perfect in every way, there is no other relationship that can surpass the one that can be enjoyed with Him. God is worth knowing!

"Remember the former things long past, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me." Isaiah 46:9 (NASB)