Can God be compared to a human being? Let’s plunge into the Deeper Waters and find out.
In many debates morality, there seems to be an assumption and that assumption is that God is just a greater form of us. We have a moral standard we have to follow. God has to follow the same one. If it’s wrong for us to do it, it must be wrong for God to do it. This is a huge assumption and one that should not be given into so easily.
Consider the topic of abortion. One can look at God in the Old Testament and say “God takes the lives of so many infants there and yet you’re complaining about abortion?” Yes. The differences are what matter. God is the source of all existence and owes none of it to anyone. If God took away anyone’s life now, no one could rightfully charge Him with wrongdoing. He doesn’t owe anyone life at all.
This also works with the problem of evil. How many times do people say that if they were God, they wouldn’t sit by and let XYZ happen? In reality, if you were God, you would let it happen. Why? Because you would know the end from the beginning and you would know all the effects of the action that were taking place and what could come about if you were to stop the action. We don’t.
Both of these work on the idea that God is an agent in the same way that we are. I make the statement often that God is not a moral agent. He isn’t. God doesn’t have a rule system outside of Himself that He has to follow. There is nothing that God ought to do with one exception. Since God is truth and since God is faithful, if God promises something He will deliver it.
God is good, but doing good is not the same as doing what is moral. Good actions can go above and beyond. It would be good to pay your whole neighbor’s bills for them. It would be a bit beyond that to pay for them to go on a nice vacation. Helping your neighbor in need is one thing. Going above and beyond is another.
The Bible regularly tells us that God is not a man. This is not to dismiss the incarnation, but it is to say the nature of man is not like the nature of God. We should make sure that our theology doesn’t do the same. When it comes to being a man (or a woman) we should look at Jesus as our true example in that the way to truly live a human life is to live like Jesus.
Of course, the case against abortion will need to be made on other grounds and the problem of evil must be answered on other grounds, but let’s get rid of two things in the debates. God is not just a big person. That’s more like treating God like some kind of Superman. He’s in a category all by Himself.
In Christ,
Nick Peters
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