Christian Theology and a Personal God

QUESTION: Christian Theology – Personal God

ANSWER:

Christian theology is concerned not only with the existence of God in general, but also with the relationship that exists between God and us, and particularly with the redemption of all people. While Humanists declare in the Humanist Manifesto II that no God can save us—”we must save ourselves”—Christian theism echoes Thomas, who referred to Jesus as “My Lord and My God” (John 20:28), and Peter, who said to Jesus, “You alone have the words of eternal life” (John 6:68). God, as revealed throughout the Bible and especially in the person of Christ, is clearly knowable and desires to be known.

Christian Theology – God is Knowable
To say that God is knowable is also to say that God “relates” or has personality—that He is “personal.” God’s self-awareness, His emotions, and His self-determining will make up the core of His divine personality. The Bible is emphatic in describing God as a person aware of Himself. In Isaiah 44:6, God says, “I am the first and I am the last, and there is no God besides me.” In Exodus 3:14, God says to Moses, “I Am Who I Am.”

Besides possessing a sense of self-awareness, the God of the Bible (like people) has sensibilities. At times God is portrayed as being sorrowful (Genesis 6:6), angry (Deuteronomy 1:37), compassionate (Psalm 111:4), jealous (Exodus 20:5), and able to show satisfaction (Genesis 1:4). Theologians do not feel that such scriptures suggest that God is limited, but rather that God is willing to reveal Himself in an anthropomorphic, personal way to us.

Notes:

Rendered with permission from the book,Understanding the Times: The Collision of Today’s Competing Worldviews(Rev. 2^nd ed), David Noebel, Summit Press, 2006. Compliments of John Stonestreet, David Noebel, and the Christian Worldview Ministry at Summit Ministries. All rights reserved in the original.