God is not the kind of person his enemies have made him out to be—arbitrary, vengeful, unforgiving, exacting and severe. Since Jesus said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father,” God is just as loving and trustworthy as his Son; just as willing to forgive and heal. Though infinite in majesty and power, our Creator is an equally gracious person who values nothing higher than the freedom, dignity and individuality of his intelligent creatures—that their love, their faith, their willingness to listen and obey, may be freely given. He even prefers to regard us not as servants, but as friends. This is the everlasting good news that wins the trust and admiration of God’s loyal children throughout the universe. This is the only way in which God could set us right and keep the universe secure for eternity. We believe that this truth about our heavenly Father is the most important of all Christian beliefs, for it was confirmed at such cost by the life and death of his Son.
Like Abraham and Moses—the ones God spoke of as his trusted friends—we wish to speak well and truly of our heavenly Father. We covet as the highest of all commendations the words of God about Job—”He has said of me what is right.”
—A. Graham Maxwell |
