The Indifferent Creator

The next type of god I wish to discuss is the indifferent creator. This belief seems to arise among a type of people who on one hand see that the world around them could not have come about by random chance or circumstance, therefore there must have been an intelligent being who created it or somehow guided and molded the formation of the universe. But on the other hand they do not see His guiding influence in their day to day lives. In other words they believe in a being powerful enough to create the universe, and that we happen to be a very small part of that universe, but that He can't be bothered with our day to day lives and struggles. That He created mankind then left them to figure things out on their own. 

This type of doctrine can be very popular with people. It can act as a bridging gap between aetheism and creationism. It attempts to explain how the universe came to be, but one doesn't need to be bothered with the finer points of religion. It's popular because it does not carry with it a inherent concept of either heaven or hell. It positions us as merely a part of the created universe, and that the actions of men are of little real consequence in that universe. It is popular because it's convenient to those that want to believe there is a god, but do not want to be held accountable for their actions.

This type of belief is in contradiction with the scriptures. However those that subscribe to this type of thinking are not likely to think anything of the scriptures. In their view, God, Buddah, Allah, Jupiter, etc. are really not all that different. In their view the teachings about them are just myths and legends, just stories meant to teach the moral values of a particular culture. In this view the so called prophets are just teachers or wise men, nothing more. So it would do little good to use references from the scriptures to show the folly of such a view unless we first show that this type of belief is deeply flawed. Instead we will first turn to reason. 

Ultimately reason begs the question "why?".  Surely why would a being who has power and knowledge to create order from chaos or from nothing, create a universe and not take an invested interest in that creation?  If you were to create some type of sandbox virtual world and create truly complex and intelligent beings in it, would you care what those beings chose to do with their free will?  Why go through the trouble of creating something if you don't care how it turns out?  Does a baker create a cake with no interest in how it will taste?  If the outcome is not a concern, then why bother creating at all?  

Because creating intelligent beings is no accident and is not a small feat. Creating intelligent beings such as humans suggests a level of dedication and investment in the creation. Would a parent invest in a child, giving them a fine education, feeding and nurturing and providing a suitable environment for them with no concern wether that child becomes a successful businessman or a dying drug addict?  Think upon these things. Ask these questions. A belief in a disinterested god is really do different than a belief in no god. 

Now, let us examine a few passages of scripture that show us more what kind of God our creator really is. 

“Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians...”

Exodus 3:6-8

This doesn't sound like a disinterested God to me. In fact on a side note, why did it take the Israelites so long to realize the predicament they found themselves in and ask for help?

“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?  Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?  Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.” 

Matthew 7:7-12

And then there is the teaching that God sent His own son, Yessuah, to teach mankind His gospel. To teach men how to be loving and kind and selfless. He sent His son, knowing that He would have to give His life for this cause. I could go further into this, but that is for a later discussion all its own. My point is that, according to the scriptures, God is very invested and very interested in what we do. And not just collectively as mankind. He is interested in you. He cares about your struggles, failures, victories, success, heartaches, and happiness. He created this world for a purpose, and He created you for a purpose. 

The Vengeful God

The first type I will call the Vengeful God. This is the version of God that is mighty and self-righteous. He just sits up in Heaven and looks down upon His creation. When people do well and obey Him, He rewards them with a place in Heaven and they get to be eternally happy. If they disobey Him, He waits to cast His judgement and toss the wicked sinners into the coals of hell. This view is advocated by many groups including atheists. They state that only a vengeful God would destroy mankind with a flood or destroy Egypt with plagues. 

But is this version of God really what He is like?  Rather than listening to the opinions of man, let's turn to the scriptures for clues. 

“Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, "I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."

The Pharisees therefore said unto him, "Thou bearest record of thyself; thy record is not true."

Jesus answered and said unto them, "Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.  Ye judge after the flesh; I judge no man.  And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.  It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.  I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me."

Then said they unto him, "Where is thy Father?" Jesus answered, "Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also."”

John 8:12-19

“All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.”

Matthew 11:27

“Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

Then answered Jesus and said unto them, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.  For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him.

Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.  Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.

For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.

I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.”

John 5:18-30

These passages should make one thing perfectly clear. If looking a Christ's works, and seeing that He is not vengeful, spiteful, or unloving in any way, how can one then think that God is not exactly the same?

Jesus Christ states that He came to save mankind. That is God's great work also. When the priests brought a woman taken in adultery before Jesus to test Him, after they had left He told the woman to go and sin no more. Notice that He didn't say "woman you have committed a terrible sin and for that you will spend eternity in the darkest depths of burning hell."  Christ desires us to repent. It is the sin itself that keeps us away from Him. 

Back to the instance of the flood. Many will say that God destroyed mankind with this mighty flood. But is that the whole story?  God did not want to destroy them, He wanted them to repent and gave them many many opportunities to do so. But the people continued to grow increasingly wicked. In so doing they pushed God away. When the earth itself could no longer bear the wickedness of man, God could not save those who had rejected Him. 

What of the plagues upon Egypt?  Plagues, pestilence, famine, and disaster have happened all throughout history and affect the righteous and the wicked alike. But those that are faithful talk to and counsel with God and can exercise faith in Him and learn how to receive help. The wicked are determined to deal with the situation using their own wisdom and understanding and refuse to ask for help from the source.  It is not God's will that we suffer. He wants to help us, and teach us, and love us. But He cannot spare us the consequences of our choices and actions. And He cannot help us if we refuse to ask. 

Egypt once honored the God of Isreal, but they grew proud of their own achievements and forgot how God had once delivered them from a famine.  Then they began to persecute those that did honor God. Soon the Isrealites were turning away from God as well. They feared being persecuted, and they grew to enjoy the wealth and culture of the Egyptians.  It was reaching a critical point.  

I will go into it more in a future article, but I will say at this point, these things are part of a great and grand plan for mankind, a plan that we are part of. God sorrows and weeps when we choose a path that will destroy us, and He may have to stop us if our choices infringe on the rights and opportunities of others. That's where the plagues and destructions really come in. They are tools to refine and benefit us. If we persevere through these things, we become stronger, kinder, more loving, and we gain an empathy we never could have known otherwise. If we gain these things, then it doesn't matter if we lose our mortal lives because we will still live on. But if we are rebelling against God and we get caught in these plagues and destructions, it will be terrible. We will become bitter instead of better, and we will know that we are not justified. 

What Is God Like?

In order to apply faith in God, we need to know what kind of a being He is, and what our connection with Him is. 

There are several views about God. Many of these views are in great contrast with each other. While people see God in many different ways, I am going to classify God as people see Him into one of three groups. 

The first I will call the Vengeful God. 

The second I will call the Indifferent Creator

The third I will call the Loving God

Power Through Faith

In my previous article I showed through other biblical examples that Christ was not able to perform His mighty miracles simply because He was the messiah. Other mighty prophets were also able to do mighty works. And it wasn't simply because they were prophets. Rather a lot has to do with how they became prophets. 

One of the keys that is required is this principle of faith. 

“And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.  And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, "It is a spirit"; and they cried out for fear.  But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, "Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid."

And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water."  And He said, "Come." And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.  But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, "Lord, save me." And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?"”

Matthew 14:25-31

This story is an excellent example of faith. But in order to begin to understand how this is done, we need to have a correct understanding of what faith is and what it is not.  To gain a greater understanding of faith and how to apply it into our lives we first need to understand a bit about the God we are to put our faith in. Only by understanding what kind of God we are trusting in can we begin to exercise faith in Him.