How angry is your God? Is God going to slam you with a bus, or perhaps a tornado, if you miss the mark? Recently, John Piper (a well known pastor and theologian) speculated that a tornado was a message from God urging Lutheran’s not to affirm homosexuality.
Jonathan Brink points out:
If his response did anything it was to give us a glimpse of Piper’s image of God. And what is sad to me is that is the God Piper lives with, one who is always ready to strike the moment John does something wrong. In contributing to a culture of fear, Piper has inadvertently revealed the culture he himself lives in.
One of the ironies of contemporary evangelical Christianity is that countless people who read the Bible and outwardly profess to follow Jesus live in fear of him. I don’t know Piper’s heart, but I know my own. It has taken me years just to begin wrapping my mind around the idea that I can completely trust God’s love for me, even if I don’t have all the right answers.
Of course my comments here will come as no surprise. I don’t know what’s in Piper’s heart either, though I bet I know it better than Jonathan Brink, having read so much of Piper’s stuff over the years. My desire is not to defend Piper. But frankly, if someone does not have a holy and reverent fear (i.e., afraid) of God, then that person does not know the only true God. Yes, for those who trust Christ “perfect love casts out fear, for fear has to do with punishment.” And yet, the Christian cannot put himself beyond the threats and warnings of God. No one spoke of hell more than Jesus, mild and gentle Jesus. Jesus is the one who said, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that have nothing more they can do. I will tell you who to be afraid of. Be afraid of the one who after killing the body has the authority to throw both body and soul into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.”
Once again, it’s time for Christians to abandon false dichotomies and embrace the tension that is real, namely that in Christ God loves us with an everlasting, unfailing love, and that for those who reject or disregard Christ there is “a fearful prospect of judgment.” It seems so many moderns only want the love Scriptures and notions, while ignoring the fierce and troubling wrath Scriptures. This can only be had by accepting one’s “pet” Scriptures. I think I’ll live my life grappling with them all, by the grace of God.
Oh, and now that I’ve been to Piper’s website and actually read his entire “interpretation” of the tornado incident (and Brink’s account as well), I see that it is even-handed, biblical, and hope-affirming. In light of it, I think your question: “Is God going to slam you…if you miss the mark?” does not do justice to the context or spirit of what Piper said. I suppose we could be just like secular atheists and say, “Well, the tornado was nothing but a freak accident.” Or we could live as though God sovereignly controls every incident of nature and we could say to ourselves, as Piper does, that ALL of us (not just practicing homosexuals) have need of repentance. I think that was his message. To say that Piper’s view of God is one where God is just sitting there with a trigger finger waiting to zap any little transgression immediately is dishonest, and Mr. Brink has to know it. Not only that, but it shows a great ignorance of Piper’s overall body of theology. Piper would never say that God is just waiting to strike sinners with cancer. But are we to assume that God never gives out retributive justice, even immediately, simply because Christ has died? What then of Ananias and Sapphira in Acts? Piper is not the one who needs to be “called out.”
Dear Andrew,
Proverbs 9:10 states this: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Further, Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, do not despise the LORD’s discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.”
Now, while “It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God,” (Heb. 10:31) we know that “sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.” (Rom. 6:14), still we are called to “continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling,” (Phil 2:12). It is a wonderful thing to come to a place of understanding, where “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:18) but that understanding is tempered through a proper fear of the Lord.
My point is, the obedient, those who revere God and His commandments, have nothing to fear, yet they know that this life is temporal and their whole selves have been bought with a price. So, even if disaster or plight should befall them, fear is cast out, as they see perfect love, and don’t despise discipline. You seem to be there. This is good. Now, to those who reject God’s council and commandments, there should be fear, but that fear should healthily lead to wisdom, and it’s God’s Grace to grant that wisdom as He sees fit, in His sovereignty. (Phil 2:13 “for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.)
How angry is my God? Only as angry as Paul’s God, the God of the Ephesians and God of all: Ephesians 5:6-7 “Do not let anyone deceive you with meaningless words, for it is because of these things that God becomes angry with those who disobey. So do not be partners with them.” Sobering words, as we must measure against God’s word whether our own are meaningless. Thank God for God the Christ, through whom we have the gift of grace and repentance, and God the Holy Spirit, our mediator and counselor, and God the Father, just and worthy; All One, our true, sovereign and living God.
Peace,
-Nas
God wants us to obey Him because we love Him. The fear of the Lord the Bible speaks of is respect.
Do you want your children to do their chores because they part of a team or because they are afraid of a spanking?
Jesus taught clean the inside of the cup first and outside will take care of itself. Matt 23:26 Allow Him to write His law on your heart.
We are sheep, we have a wonderful Shepherd. Some sheep focus so much on the fence and the wolf they ignore the loving shepherd who only wants the best for them.
Fear and faith are opposites. We cannot operate in a spirit of faith and a spirit of fear at the same time. We should not fear, because God is with us. God said He will never leave us nor forsake us (Deu 31:6).
Fear paralyzes, but love will free you to come to him, even in the midst of your worst failures, knowing that he loves you enough to change you. Fear makes you work harder to prove your worth to him (Outside of the cup); love teaches you to trust his work in you (inside of the cup)
Worry and fear exhaust the power God gives us to face every day problems and to accomplish responsibilities. These are sinful wastes.
1. Fret not—He loves you (John 13:1)
2. Faint not—He holds you (Psalm 139:10)
3. Fear not—He keeps you (Psalm 121:5)
John said that perfect love will cast out all fear. The upshot is this: if you don’t love God, you would be well-served to fear him. Once, however, you learn what it really is to love him, and understand Jesus paid it all– you respect Him and want to honor Him in obedience because He first loved us.
Experiencing the depth of love and discover you don’t need to question God’s love nor whether you’ve done enough to merit his affection. Instead of fearing he has turned his back on you, you will be able to rest in his love at the moments you need it most.
Follow the Shepherd!