Temporary Suffering

The God Buffet

Our primary source of "knowledge" when it comes to God, His purposes and will is obviously the Bible. This marvelous book holds all we need for a lifetime of revelation and awe as we pursue a deeper relationship with the Lord. We believe that God will never contradict His Word, thus any "revelation" outside the parameters of the Bible cannot be accepted as having the same authority as the Word itself. Tradition and culture, though they play a role in shaping the mind and identity of man, must never have a greater influence on us than the Bible. Dreams and visions might be compelling, but if they contradict scripture they are might as well be fairytales. The doctrines and philosophies of man must take a back seat in the life of the believer, for in this regard the Word of God is in a category of its own.

It must be said that the role of the Holy Spirit in the interpretation of the Bible cannot be overstated. I believe that without the illumination brought about by the working of the Spirit in our devotional lives the scriptures would simply be theory to us. Sure there are many passages and pockets of practical wisdom that would prove useful to the reader. But the Word becomes "alive" to us through the Holy Spirit's work of enlighting us, reminding us, revealing, unlocking, connecting and breaking open the Word of God to us. It's a marvelous mystery, but for those walking with God it's as normal as breathing.

So the Bible encompasses all that we know about God. Thus the obvious step in seeking to know Him better is to spend time reading about Him in His Word and connecting or communing with Him through prayer and fellowship. "Read your Bible, pray everyday and you will grow, grow, grow," rings the old Sunday school song. Unfortunately, as is often the case with us humans, we have the tenancy of complicating things. Case in point being that although *80% of the people you will encounter in your lifetime who identity themselves as Christians read the same Bible, the Church of Jesus Christ is divided. (*an estimation taking into consideration sects that call themselves Christian, but that read a different "bible" eg. Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, etc)

The Church is divided along many lines, some cultural and others pertaining to style. But by far the most common motivation for the division within the Church is doctrinal differences. Doctrine, in a nutshell, is what we believe about something. For instance the Doctrine of Jesus, aka Christology, is a major doctrine that consists of everything that we believe about Jesus as outlined in the Bible. The funny thing is that although we read the same Bible not all Christians believe the same things about what it says — and that where the division comes in. There are literally thousands of Christian denominations and movements across the world today. This despite the fact that we came to faith in the same Jesus, read the same Bible, and will inherit the same eternal life through faith in Jesus Christ.

Effectively what we have done is turn God into a buffet — nitpicking the Word for the bits we enjoy or that are acceptable to us and ignoring the rest. This is more true today than ever before in the history of the Church. Today, if you disagree with an aspect of God's character, I guarantee that you could find not only other like minded believers, but authors, theologians and churches that share your sentiment with a simple search on the Internet. Don't like confessing and repentance from the sins you commit? The "Hyper-grace Movement" is just what you're looking for: all the benefits of the unmerrited favour of God without the depressing practice of asking the Lord for forgiveness all the time. Love Jesus and living a homosexual lifestyle? A quick Google search will yield not only registered Christian marriage officers willing to conduct your wedding, but LGBT churches ranging from traditional to charismatic and everything in between welcoming you to worship with them. You desire God's blessing and prosperity but find His discipline a drag? Holiness hampering your habits? Self-control sinking your social life? Evangelism makes you uncomfortable? 

This must be what the apostle Paul was referring to in his second letter to Timothy:

“For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” (2 Timothy 4:3 NIV)

The truth is that every believer in Jesus Christ is in danger of falling into the trap of the God Buffet mentality. We all are tempted to bring God down to our level, chisel away the parts we don't like or understand, emphasise what is pleasing and acceptable, and pledge our lives and devotion to that god. But to do so would be idolatry because there is a big difference between the God of the Universe and some human construct. God's character is not determined by our understanding, nor is He influenced in the slightest by the opinion and doctrine of mere mortals.

Brethren, we have the Word of God. As born again believers God Himself lives within us in the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity. Though we are mere mortals with extremely limited understanding of the eternal nature of the God we serve, let us be sensitive to His voice. Let us pursue a deeper relationship with Him, remaining humble and teachable whilst at the same time not immature in our faith. Our God desires fellowship with us — He wants to make Himself known. Let us not for become victims of our own cleverness, nor the devil's schemes.

It's not without significance that God calls Himself Yahweh, which means "I AM that I AM," not "I Am what you want me to be."

Ibarto Botes