If I were a good writer, (which I’m not) and if I had the time, (which I don’t) I would write a book. It would be autobiographical in nature and in particular it would chronicle how my understanding of God has changed over the years, most especially in the 25 years I have been involved in local church ministry.
I can put my change in a nutshell here, we don’t have time to go through every detail. You can read the book that’s never going to be written, or we can talk about it sometime, I love to talk about it.
I once thought that God was a loving God until you ticked him off, then you better “watch out.” I now believe, with every fiber of my being, that God is not just a “loving God,” rather God IS LOVE!! God can be nothing else.
The word is “agape.” It means self-giving to the point of not expecting anything in return. It is the love that loves, no matter what. It does not change. There is no “less agape here” and “more agape” there. God’s very nature, God’s character, God’s love, is not based on merit. God loves all us sinners the same. You couldn’t be loved more by God than you are right now, but you can experience it more, if you will let go of the idea that God is a monster.
A big part of my transformation, a big part of the change in my thinking (repentance), came in a study of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. 1:15 jumped out at me like a jack in the box, and I haven’t been able to stop winding it up. Paul writes, “He is the image (eikon, “bust, exact replication) of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation…” (NRSV)
The Contemporary English Version reads, “Christ is exactly like God…”
If Christ is like God, then God is like Christ. If we want to know what God is like, it’s very simple, we look at Jesus!

More to come…