Who is He to you?
Read time: 7 mins
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied.“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.
Genesis 3:1-6
One of the biggest issues in the universe is a question of identity. We are questioning who God is and as a result who we are. So much of our Christian journey is dependent on what we hold as true in regards to God's character and identity. Our understanding of who God is directly impacts who we believe we are in Him and what our daily lives look like as a result. And I believe the devil knows this. This is why God’s identity and the identity of His children are some of the biggest core conflicts that you will find. You’ll notice that the devils first attack in the Bible isn’t physical or financial. It’s an attack of identity. The deceiver questions Eve's understanding of who God is and as a result how He relates to her. The devil brings up the idea that God is hiding something and that Eve should be afraid and as a result, defensive and suspicious towards Him. At the core, the devil is questioning the truth behind if God is really equal to good.
Like any good lie, the devil twists and adds to the truth. He doesn’t just make things up. The challenges the devil brings up seem to be true indictments of God's reasoning and love towards Eve, but they’re twisted out of true meaning. The devil makes it seem like God’s restriction of this one tree is a bad thing. A parent locking rat poison away from their toddler isn’t negatively limiting that child’s freedom. In shielding their child from pain, and potentially a life cut short, they are actually enabling further freedom and goodness. Me stopping you from experiencing pain and death is aiding you in experiencing peace and life. In the same way, God limiting their selection of trees may sound like negative control or the work of a selfish dictator but it is really akin to the work of a creator, warning His creation of the results that can be expected when natural laws are broken. Telling someone not to jump off of a cliff because of gravity isn't inhibiting them from experiencing good. God telling Adam and Eve that they shouldn’t eat a tree that will give them an intimate knowledge and experience with evil isn't shielding them from good. It’s literally shielding them from evil. But you must first come into contact with the core principle that God is good before you can understand and trust that even His call to limitation is for your good. God told them not to eat the tree, but it wasn’t because God wasn't good.
While the best lies have glimmers of the truth, they can be shot down through simple questioning and research. What's interesting is that the Bible says that God calls us to come to reason with Him. Eve could’ve gone to God and asked Him if the rumors were true. She could have asked for clarity. But she took the devils word for it and followed in this lane of distrust, abandoning the provision and protection God had arranged. She held her assumption as true instead of questioning it. Many of us have assumptions that God is vindictive or mean without honestly questioning those thoughts for ourselves. Many of our issues with God or life would be shot down if we compared them to the Bible. Many of us are carrying the baggage of believing the words of people who never studied because we never studied. We are basing our judgment on the stories of people who haven’t experienced God instead of trying Him for ourselves. We are missing out on the goodness of God because we aren't asking Him with a humble and open heart to reveal Himself. One truth that many of us fail to stand on is that God is good. And this question as to if He is good or not is what causes so much confusion. We just have to give Him a chance to prove it to us so that we can learn for ourselves.
I remember one time in middle school I was at a basketball game and this cute girl was trying to get my number. I was with my group of friends and she was with her group of friends sitting behind us. And I remember there being commotion behind us and one of my friends telling me that she was trying to get my attention but also telling me not to turn around. And I listened to him. I really don't know why. I knew the familiar sound of giggles from middle school girls had typically been a good thing for me. But I figured he knew something I didn't and I just didn’t interact. What's funny is the girl behind me was actually someone who I had seen from a distance and been interested in. I was drawn to her but I naively let someone else draw me away from what I could have investigated for myself. It wasn't until I told my older friend this story that my stupidity started to settle in my mind. He was confused when I told him that I didn't turn around. He responded with something that stuck. “You just took his word for it instead of seeing for yourself?” This girl who was trying to get my attention was actually someone I was interested in, but I took someone else’s word for it instead of checking for myself and missed out. A lot of us are letting movies, random people, podcasts, friends, family, assumptions, feelings, and even pastors tell us about God without checking for ourselves and creating flimsy ideas of who God is. Yes, you can and should ask for advice as iron sharpens iron. Having multiple options does help flesh out our understanding, but your full foundation shouldn’t just be the opinion of someone else. Your opinion should be lined up with supporting evidence. This is the mistake Eve made.
A talking snake randomly tells Eve that God isn't as good as she thought and she just goes with it. When it comes to your questioning of the character of God, are you believing the random snakes in your life or questioning God for yourself? Are you just going with the hype or are you doing your own research? Are you assuming the bad press is true or consulting the Word for yourself?
Imagine breaking up with your boyfriend or girlfriend who did and has done nothing wrong, simply because someone else with no authority lied and said they cheated. But you never thought to go to your boyfriend or girlfriend yourself and ask directly if rumors were true. Eve broke up with God without consulting Him. She broke up without asking Him if the rumors were true. Go consult Him instead of breaking up based on a rumor.
In my connection with people, I’ve noticed that many of us are quick to admit that our churches and even parents got things wrong in how they presented God to us. Society and culture has tainted its fair share too. But too many of us stop there. We leave church and even God because someone preached a false narrative instead of picking up a bible, praying for discernment and making decisions for ourselves.
The questioning of the things of God isn't bad. Really the lack of questioning is where problems arise. Your fear of study is limiting your experience. Learn what you believe about God and why. And be open to God continually showing you who He is in new lights. If it doesn’t seem good, keep asking for clarity, discernment, and peace. God will lead you to all truth. You have to make the decision. This isn't about your parents, teachers, school, church, culture or country. This is about you and your independent decision as to what to believe. Sometimes it's hard to take the responsibility of being an autonomous adult but you must stand on something. You will believe something, and those beliefs will grow and shape over time. I just want you to be intentional about making an educated decision for yourself. Jesus makes it clear that our personal belief in Him is what matters.
When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.
Matthew 16:13-17
When God asks questions, they aren't for Him. He already knows all right? Questions are typically for us. Jesus asked His disciples who men say He is and then who they believe He is so that they would have to make a decision. No matter what everyone else may say about God, what matters is what you say. Others may have their own beliefs but you need to stand on something for yourself too. The disciples make it known that others believe Jesus to be a prophet and while that may seem like a huge compliment, it's not the full capacity to what belief in Jesus can mean. What we get out of our relationship with God and our life as a result of Him is directly connected to what and who we believe Him to be.
When you have a question or concern I want you to test it against the Bible. Debate it in safe places with trusted and prayerful mentors. Many of our issues in life are the direct result of our beliefs about God. If we believe God is who He says He is, it's hard not to believe you are and should be who He says you are. And if He is good, what He calls you to is for your good.
Psalm 33 urges us to taste and see that God is good. That means that as you experience Him for yourself, you will want more. If you don't think He is good, I want you to be honest and ask yourself if you have given Him a fair shot at proving that He is good. Try Him and keep trying whenever life doesn’t make sense. When you have questions, try Him. Ask God to reveal Himself and He will. Taste and you will see.
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