"god"

Dear friends in Christ, and His children through the cross,

Last month I included a review of the book The Anonymous God in place of the usual article. The book discusses the nature of the “god” believed in by many Americans—a God with no real identity, not the Christian God, but not the god of any other major religion either. In our culture, when you mention “god,” everybody fills in their own definition. For example, take the phrase, “In God we trust.” If you were to go to the streets of any major city and ask 10 people what “god” that is speaking of, I would bet you would hear at least 12 different answers.

It used to be that when we used the word “god,” we could be certain that the people who heard us speak held the same definition we did and that we all were talking about the Christian God. Perhaps this is still the case with many of our neighbors in our local communities, but no longer is this the way all of our neighbors think. For many of them, “god” means whomever you or your hearer make it to mean, and all too often the identity is immaterial for them anyway. Elected leaders and celebrities do not hesitate for a moment to talk about “god” in their interviews or speeches, but what “god” are they talking about? Pay careful attention to what they say about their “god” and you will find that it is certainly not the One True God revealed in the Bible.

Even many Christian books and songs fall into the trap of talking about God in this way. I do not mean to say that these authors and composers are in doubt about God’s identity, but if they or we speak generically about God, our hearers will most likely fill in their own definition at the expense of the Truth. However, as Christians, this should not be the case for us. We do not believe that one “god” is as good as the next. We do not believe that the definition of “god” is variable based on the hearer’s point of view. We have the certain truth that God has revealed Himself as Triune in the Scriptures and become man in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we must be careful about our speech. We believe in the True God, and how we speak of Him matters if we care about the souls of our neighbors. Faith in “god” benefits no one, but faith in the One True God, the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, saves from all sin, from death, and from the power of the devil.

Consequently, as the ideas of our culture have changed, so our way of speaking must also change if we wish to communicate the truth clearly. Talk about “god” and nobody will be offended, but neither will anyone be saved. If we continue to speak of God in generic terms, the non-Christians with whom we speak will continue to believe in a generic god and will be condemned forever. If we talk about Jesus, then people might be offended, but the door will be opened for them to hear the Gospel and turn from their false “gods” to the truth of Jesus Christ. Many people believe that what is necessary for salvation is belief in “god” and an attempt to live a moral life. This could not be further from the truth. Make it a point in your everyday speech to introduce people to the God who takes away the sin of the world, our Lord, Christ Jesus.

[Pastor's article from St. John's Messenger newsletter June 2008]