How would you describe God? I suppose to some he is a distant deity in the sky, while to others he is one's personal psychiatrist; to some he is seen as a friend, and to some an enemy; many would point to atrocities in history and describe him as cruel, whereas many would point to stories they have seen of his loving kindness and describe him as good. I tend to describe God as loving, merciful, and quite difficult to understand. I tend to embrace what I see of his forgiveness and redemption and ignore what I see of his judgment and wrath. Sometimes I find it difficult to give a concise, well-balanced description of God.
As I was thinking about that this week I stumbled upon what is quickly becoming some of my favorite few lines of scripture:
the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished (Exodus 34:6b-7a)
So often my view of God is formed by culture, experiences, or just general lack of intentional thought. All the while Scripture tells me exactly who God is. So, if at some point in the future I am ever asked how I would describe God--I would like to quote these lines from Exodus. They are concise, well-balanced and better yet, true. They refreshed my understanding of God this week, and I pray they can do the same for you.
(And regarding punishment of the guilty, see Isaiah 53 and Romans 3--the punishment that brought us peace was upon him--God presented Christ as a sacrifice to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus)
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