I Believe In God, Just Not That One

I am always a bit hesitant in my answer when someone asks me if I “believe in God”.  I believe quite fervently in God, and always answer in the affirmative, but know that in many cases I haven’t answered the real question that the person was asking.  My self-identity and world view are quite closely tied to my faith and devotion to God.  However, my concept of God does not include a literal sentient being that is all powerful and all knowing.  I don’t endorse the idea of a being that literally created the universe and presides over some parallel existence where the “souls” of the dead continue to reside with their memories and personalities intact and able to sense the physical universe and perform cognitive functions without the benefit of their physical bodies.  I, like the writers of the Hebrew Scriptures, have a concept of God that has little to do with what happens after we die. 

So, let me tell you about my concept of God.  The concept of God through the ages has been one where we subscribe what we believe is truly legitimate, noble, powerful and worthy; what we see as reality and the fundamental nature of, “the Universe”, and our place and role in it.  How we characterise God is how we believe the, “world works”, and what is valuable and laudable, what should be defended and what should be discouraged.  God is a personification of these things, the representation of these abstract qualities in a human like form.

Being part of the mainstream Protestant Christian tradition, my concept of God is informed, but not limited, by the Gospel writers in their telling of the teaching and action of Jesus of Nazareth.   From the Gospels I take a non-literal, figurative and literary understanding of God.  Jesus’ teachings and actions characterised God, what is legitimate and fundamental, as primarily loving, generous, impartial and forgiving.  He spoke about social justice, inclusion, and peace.  For him, the “kingdom of heaven” exists among us when we respect his Heavenly Father’s “authority and will” by acting out of this spirit. 

One of my favourite sections from the Gospels comes from the 21^st chapter of Matthew where, in response to the chief priests and elders questioning of his authority, he tells them a parable about two sons.  At the request of their father to work in the vineyard, one son says he will not go, but changes his mind and later does, while the other initially says he will go, but in the end does not.  When the chief priests and elders identify the first as doing what his father wanted, Jesus responds with one of my favourite verses, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did.“   And what was John’s, “way of righteousness”?  "Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same." (Luke 3:11).

To me, one of the most beautiful, fitting, and right metaphors in the New Testament is the casting of this man as the Incarnation of God, as the “Divine Son of God”.  This title of course has many layers and nuances of meaning.  It was partially a subversive jab at Caesar who was called the son of a god and whose imperial cult had stories of his divine birth.  It was also a reference to the Jewish tradition of calling their kings and their expected messiah, “god’s son”, with the early followers of the Way of Jesus affirming that his was the true interpretation of Judaism after the destruction of the Temple.  The early Gospel of Mark has little to no mention of Jesus being divine, but the later the Gospel, the more this apologue gained traction, with the latest Gospel, the Gospel of John, using it as a full blown theme.  However, to me, Jesus as the incarnation of God, is one of the best allegories I know of what is True and Legitimate, and one that I believe in with all my heart.

I don’t begrudge anyone a more literal interpretation of God, or Jesus as the Son of God.  As long as that interpretation leads them to act in the spirit of Jesus’ teachings and characterisation of God, I have no problem with them and count them as a compatriot, “For whoever is not against us is for us” (Mark 9:40).   I do have a problem with those who claim to be followers of Jesus who preach hatred and violence in direct contrast to his teaching.  To these, I recommend my earlier passage from the 21^st chapter of Mark about who is in the lead in entering the kingdom of God.