Pastor Dale McIntire has served as pastor of the Cornerstone Community Church in Grand Marais since April of 1995.
Some people simply don’t believe God exists. They go on their way through life making the best choices they can based on their own sense of right and wrong and what’s good for them and those they love.
Some people frequently and vehemently declare God non-existent, but in reality, they do believe God exists. They believe God has hurt them, failed them, caused them some sorrow or grief or pain, and their many protestations are really mini acts of revenge born of bitterness for their deeply frustrated disappointment.
Most people, however, who wrestle with the idea of God don’t seem to wonder whether God exists or not. They wonder if it matters whether God exists or not. They might say, “Sure, God exists, I guess, but what does that have to do with me?”
Now, that’s a fair question. It’s a question God has actively pursued throughout human history. All that God has done in creation, in his self-revelation (the Bible), in his interactions within human history, and in taking on humanity in the man Jesus Christ, God has done to say, “Here I am. Here’s what I’m like. Here’s why it matters.”
Underlying the question, “What does God’s existence have to do with me?” are two other foundational questions. The first question is, “Is God a person who can be known?” The second is, “If God is a person who can be known, how can I know God personally?”
Let’s think about that first question: “Is God a person who can be known?” There are several characteristics of “personhood” or “personality.” Does God meet the criteria for being a person? If God does meet the criteria then we can conclude that God is more than a mere force (sorry Luke Skywalker), more than a vague, unknowable “whole,” more than an infinite, impersonal mind. If God is a person then God is personal and we who are also personal can have a personal relationship with God.
A person is self-aware. A person thinks and knows. A person feels (experiences emotion). A person wills. A person acts. These criteria complete the common definition of a person. Does God meet these criteria? Is God personal?
Moses recorded an encounter with God in which God declared himself. “Tell them, ‘I AM WHO I AM.’” God knows himself. God knows that he exists and he knows how he exists and he knows that his existence has meaning. God is self-aware.
The wisest man of all time revealed, “The LORD by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he established the heavens; by his knowledge the depths were broken up . . . .” God thinks and knows.
Speaking through the prophet Isaiah God reveals his plan for ancient Israel: “I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done, saying, ‘My counsel shall stand. And I will accomplish all my purpose . . . .” God plans and God acts to execute his plans.
God loves. God acts with compassion and mercy, and with justice. God weeps at death and delights over his children. God experiences emotion.
God is a person. He is not human. God is infinitely more than we are, but he is a person. And because God is a person he can be known. But, because he is a person, God can only be truly known in relationship as we respond to him. Such a relationship requires mutual self-revelation.
This is good news. God is a person. He reveals himself and invites the rest of us persons into relationship with him. Next week I’ll share with you how you can have a personal relationship with God.
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