Today, I continue to talk about “negative” words that some people use to describe God.\u00a0 Of course, when I use the term “negative” I am already beginning to show my disapproval of the term.<\/p>\n
Punisher – Does God want to punish us?\u00a0 No, God would be much happier if he did not have to punish us.\u00a0 Punishment is never God’s goal.\u00a0 God’s goal is that we all know his love and seek to follow him.\u00a0 When we sin, there are consequences that we must face.\u00a0 Hopefully we learn to do better from the consequences.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fearsome One – Here is a struggle for me.\u00a0 Whenever I hear someone say or read in the Bible that we should fear God I wonder what there is to fear.\u00a0 Certainly, God is more powerful than I am.\u00a0 God could destroy me if he wanted to.\u00a0 But God doesn’t want to destroy me (or anyone).\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 Because God is full of compassion.\u00a0 I know that when I make bad choices I know I have to face consequences, including (for mortal sin) eternity in Hell.\u00a0 I fear that thought.\u00a0 Yet, I believe God loves us.\u00a0 God is many things.\u00a0 For me, preeminent among them is love.\u00a0 God is all powerful and all knowing and that can cause fear.\u00a0 But how do we fear God who is perfect love?<\/p>\n
Dictator – God is a dictator<\/em><\/strong>.\u00a0 God sets the rules.\u00a0 God determines right and wrong.\u00a0 In human governments, we do not like dictators.\u00a0 There is the saying, “power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely.”\u00a0 Human dictators often abuse their power for their own gain.\u00a0 They are not perfect and so they make mistakes.\u00a0 At times, they make bad laws.\u00a0 Fortunately, God is all knowing and perfect.\u00a0 There is nothing wrong with the rules God gives us.\u00a0 God does not makes to benefit himself.\u00a0 God makes rules for our benefit.\u00a0 <\/em>The rules only cause problems when we misinterpret them or fail to see the real purpose of the laws.\u00a0 Lastly, a human dictator may seek to punish anyone who stands in their way.\u00a0 God gives us free will and lets us make our own choices, whether they are good or bad choices.\u00a0 There are consequences for our sins.\u00a0 That is for our own good but God will never destroy us just because we disobey.\u00a0 Hell is a real possibility but God offers us forgiveness to all who repent.\u00a0 I started this article talking about negative terms.\u00a0 I would have to say in general that in our human world, dictators are a bad thing because of those who use their power as dictator for their own gain.\u00a0 God doesn’t.\u00a0 God is a good dictator.<\/p>\n Do any of these terms (punisher, fearsome one, or dictator) fit your image of God?<\/p>\n Peace,<\/p>\n Fr. Jeff<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Today, I continue to talk about “negative” words that some people use to describe God.\u00a0 Of course, when I use the term “negative” I am already beginning to show my disapproval of the term. Punisher – Does God want to punish us?\u00a0 No, God would be much happier if he did not have to punish …<\/p>\n