Which God Weighs More - 11.16.10 0720

My mind battles with two images of God, the one I'm used to and the one I'm learning about.

In the one corner I have Static God. SG is transcendent, sitting on his throne above. He watches, observes, and makes calls based on what's going on down here. Every once in a while he will quickly step down and correct human history, putting it on a different path in accordance with the plan, but for the most part supervises what he has laid out. He has attributes like "righteousness" and "truth," and they radiate from him, sending vibes out that call us to be better, do better, much like a magnet pulls passively on passing-by iron filings. The distant judge. Setting the standards, we do what we can to live by them and please him with our actions. While I know that my salvation has nothing to do with my works in the direct sense, I can't help but picture him looking at me from afar, notebook of life in hand with a cocked eyebrow as he tallies my deeds for Day Omega. He loves me and draws me to his throne, pulling me to come closer, see clearer, and know that he is good.

But in the opposite corner I have Dynamic God. DG does not sit on a throne and is not passively supervising. He is on earth, in our lives, constantly nudging, correcting, and guiding history toward a goal. He also has attributes like "righteousness," but they are not static descriptions of his nature, they are active descriptions of his deeds. Rolling up his sleeves, he thrusts his arms into history to partner with us in making things righteous, working with us daily in accomplishing the overall plan. He is never at rest, but instead looks for, and sometimes makes, opportunities to correct and build the body of Christ into a more accurate image of Jesus. He is not a general calling the shots for his army, but a commander who leads his people into battle. The imminent mentor. Setting the standards, he holds our hand and shows us ways to reach them, often doing for us what we cannot in order to make them happen. Up to his neck in the swamp of our lives, he does not stop until all is a crop ready for harvest.

Both are in the ring, the arena of my mind, struggling for dominance. The Static God I've been taught versus the Dynamic God I'm discovering for myself. I see it in my prayer life and in my actions, the oscillating frequency of my bible readings and divine conversations. I don't wish to have Static God a part of my life because I don't believe that is the true God.

The more I read scripture and study Hebrew thought, the more I see nothing but the Dynamic God of activity. His just, righteous, and faithful attributes are reworking humanity and recreating creation in a way that is polar opposite to the magnetic throne that tugs and pulls from a central location in heaven. He is not only righteous, but works to make things righteous. He is not only merciful, but works with us to makes us merciful too.

We are created in his image. Humanity is also active and never at rest.

But am I emulating his activity, as a child of God?

Or am I eating from the tree of my own plan, as a son of Adam?



That tree tastes nasty.