Many people struggle with seeing God as an imposing, angry figure rather than a loving Father. This distorted image often stems from painful experiences and unhealthy teaching about who God is. Thankfully, Scripture presents a very different picture of God’s character. Here are some biblical truths to meditate on to renew your mind and see God as He truly is.
God is Love
The Bible says “God is love” (1 John 4:8). This is His very nature and essence. He doesn’t just love – He is love. God’s love is unconditional, unchanging, sacrificial, and forever. Even when we were dead in our sins, He demonstrated His great love for us by sending Christ to die in our place (Romans 5:8). God’s disposition toward His children is one of perfect, tender love.
God is Merciful and Gracious
God is overflowing with mercy, grace, patience, and steadfast love. He is “slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love” (Psalm 103:8). We see His mercy vividly on display throughout Scripture. He was patient with recalcitrant Israel over and over. He welcomed back prodigals like the Israelites, David, and the prodigal son with joy. His mercies are new every morning (Lamentations 3:22-23). He delights in showing compassion (Micah 7:18-19).
God Welcomes Us as His Children
Through Christ, God welcomes us into His family as dearly loved children (John 1:12-13, Romans 8:14-17). He is now our perfect heavenly Father who will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). We need never fear His displeasure or wrath. Rather, we are precious to Him and can come boldly into His loving presence (Ephesians 3:12).
God Disciplines Because He Loves Us
When God disciplines His children, it is an expression of His great love, not anger (Hebrews 12:6-11). His loving discipline is intended to produce righteousness, peace, and holiness in us. It flows from His faithful heart, not rage or harshness. We can trust Him because even His discipline reflects His goodness.
God Invites Us to Cast Our Cares on Him
Rather than wanting us to cower in fear of Him, God tenderly invites us to cast all our cares and burdens on Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). He knows we are but dust (Psalm 103:14) and His majesty is far above ours. We never have to pretend to be strong or hide our struggles from Him. His mighty shoulders are more than able to bear our cares.
God Shows Us Grace and Patience
The Old Testament paints a sobering picture of God’s wrath against rampant human sin. But we must understand this in light of His incredible grace and patience. God was rightfully angry at the wickedness of mankind, yet He offered them centuries of grace and promised a Redeemer. His judgment only came after extreme, hardened rebellion against His kindness.
Jesus Shows Us the Father’s Heart
Jesus reveals God’s true heart to us. He said “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). Jesus was gentle with sinners yet uncompromising on truth. He welcomed children. He demonstrated profound compassion. His harshest words were for self-righteous religious hypocrites, not broken, repentant souls. Looking at Christ helps us see past distorted views of the Father.
God Gave Us His Word to Comfort and Reassure Us
God knew false, fearful views of Him would arise, so He gave us His Word to reveal His true nature. It serves to powerfully comfort, reassure, and correct wrong thinking about who God is (Psalm 119:50, Romans 15:4). Immersing our minds in God’s truth is vital to overcoming wrong images of Him as harsh or indifferent.
God Calls Us His Precious Child
God tenderly calls followers of Jesus His precious children who bring Him glory just by resting in His love (Isaiah 43:4, Ephesians 1:5-6). He sings over us with joy (Zeph. 3:17). Even when disciplining us, He emphasizes His deep fatherly love and our position as His beloved sons and daughters. His heart toward us could not be more loving.
God Invites Us to Test His Goodness
Rather than wanting us to be afraid of Him, God graciously invites us to “taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalm 34:8). He tells us to test His heart and promises, to run to Him and see His open arms ready to embrace us. His delight is to shower His children with blessings and faithfulness (Jeremiah 31:3, Psalm 103:1-5).
God Gladly Forgives Sins
While God detests sin, He looks with compassion on the sinner when they repent. He delights to forgive iniquity (Micah 7:18). No matter how many times we fail, God will gladly and completely forgive us when we turn to Him and confess our sins (1 John 1:9). He removes our transgressions from us “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12).
God Gave His Only Son for Us
The ultimate demonstration of God’s love is seen at the cross. While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). The Father willingly crushed and forsook His beloved Son to redeem us from the penalty of our sin. He poured out His wrath on Jesus so He would never have to punish those who take refuge in Him.
God Promises Nothing Can Separate Us From His Love
God assures us that absolutely nothing can separate believers from His glorious love – not tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword (Romans 8:35). Not even our stumbling and sins can remove us from the grasp of His everlasting love. His affection, delight and unwavering devotion to us could not be more secure.
God Desires Intimate Friendship With Us
The Creator of the universe loves you personally and wants intimate friendship with you (John 15:15). He cares about every detail of your life. He catches every tear you cry (Psalm 56:8). He has engraved your name on the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). Even if a mother could forget her nursing child, God promises He will never forget you (Isaiah 49:15).
God is For Us, Not Against Us
God is fully for you – He is never against you (Rom. 8:31). Even when disciplining His children, it is ultimately for their good, not because He enjoys causing them pain. His plans for us are good and not evil, to give us a hope and future (Jeremiah 29:11). Since He is for us, we can trust Him fully.
God Gave Us His Spirit to Help and Comfort Us
God has not left us alone to wrestle with false images of Him. He gave us His Holy Spirit to continually help us, teach us, comfort us, and remind us of His great love for us. The Spirit gently reassures us that we are cherished children, not slaves cowering before an abusive master (Romans 8:15-16).
God Warns Against Distorted Views of Him
Through Isaiah, God sternly warned His people against viewing Him as aloof, unjust or uncaring (Isaiah 29:15-16). He implores them to discard false views and return to an accurate understanding of His loving, righteous character. We too must reject unbiblical images of God.
God Calls Us to Pray and Seek Truth
If we struggle seeing God accurately, He invites us to come to Him and pray for eyes to see Him rightly (Psalm 119:18). We can cry out to Him for wisdom and turn to His Word for truth about who He really is. As we draw near to Him, He promises to draw near to us in return (James 4:8).
God Cares More About Our Hearts Than Outward Appearances
Man tends to judge by outward appearances, but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). We may feel like God is angry and disgusted with us because of our failures and sins. But when we turn to Him with humility and faith, He runs to meet us with compassion, not condemnation.
Conclusion
The Bible paints a beautiful picture of our heavenly Father’s kind, merciful, gracious heart toward His children. He loves us with an everlasting love that cannot fail. Renewing our minds with His word is the key to overcoming distorted perspectives of God. May we come to know Him more fully as the loving, perfect Father He is.