SNS 012: God, Non-Dysfunction, and Our Faith

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

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Show Notes

Last time we spoke of God not being dysfunctional and by the end of the discussion, we noted that we were mainly addressing those who call themselves Christian. How does God respecting our choices apply to Christian peoples? That is what we are going to explore here in episode12.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

As we begin, it is important to remember that first and foremost, we are all human beings. Folks who are prone to be hard-headed and more than a little self-centered. Entering into a relationship with God does change things, but somethings still require a tenacious desire to allow the love of God to have its way in us, or we will once again fall into behavior from which we thought to be cured. Paul said it well when he said, “But I beat my body and bring it into submission, lest by any means after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified” (1 Corinthians 9:27). That he could still be disqualified indicates that he still had choices to make.

Jesus taught us to pray and to ask for our daily bread (Luke 11:3). Often, we think of this as referring to our daily physical needs. And that is definitely one aspect of daily bread. Yet, here is a thought, what if he is speaking about our spiritual needs. This phrase lies in-between asking for God’s kingdom to come and forgiving us of our sins. It seems strange to say, “God, your will be done, feed me, and forgive me.” It makes more sense if we see 'our daily bread' as spiritual need; “God, your will be done, supply us with what we need to do our part, and forgive us.” Also, in light of Jesus’ response to Satan, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). And what he said to the disciples, “I have food to eat that you do not know about…. My food is to do the will of Him how sent me. (John 4:32-34). And again, “My Father who gives you the true bread out of heaven…. And gives life to the world” (John 6:32, 33). Reading of ‘our daily bread’ as a spiritual need makes a good deal of sense.

Is this not intriguing? Asking our Father to give us daily what we need to be spiritual, to be holy, to be “one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me” (John 17:21). It is a daily choice, a daily prayer. We must choose each day to love.

And God will not force us to love him, to seek this daily need. Examples abound in the Bible, Joshua in making the alliance with the Hivites without looking to God for his provision (Joshua 9:14). David did not seek his daily portion before looking at Bathsheba (2 Samuel 11). Jonah did not seek it before running from God’s mission to Nineveh (Jonah 1). Peter did not partake when he held himself aloof from the Gentiles in Galatia (Galatians 2:11-13). And the list goes on and on.

Examples also abound of things that will require this daily need to be met. Examples include: to “be careful that by no means does this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9); to “bear all things so that we will cause no hindrance to the Good News of Christ” (1 Corinthians 9:12); to “let him who thinks he stands be careful that he doesn’t fall" (1 Corinthians 10:12); Or, to “beware, lest being carried away… you fall from your own steadfastness” (2 Peter 3:17). And again, the list goes on and on and on. There is much we must do and we need to choose to ask God each day for what we need.

For all these great tasks we need our daily bread. We need to have our spiritual needs met. We need the love of God as never before. I have mentioned John 15 in several previous episodes. And we discussed what abiding in Christ means and how love is the fulfillment of the law. As such, it is our great need and we must ask for God to meet it daily. Not that we need to ask God to love us, but that he would provide what we need, not want but need, to learn to love; to help us stay abiding in him. That… Jesus' prayer would find fulfillment and we become “one; even as you, Father, are in me and I in you…” (John 17:21). The result would be that His kingdom then comes on earth as it already is in heaven (Matthew 6:10).

This post is already getting long, but I would be remiss if I did not mention a negative component involved in our ability to choose, and in God respecting our choices. As mentioned last time, God respects our choice too much to force on us what is best for us; to force on us a vital relationship with himself. If we choose not to ask for this daily sustenance, he will not make us do so. However, if we choose not to love… well, Jesus graciously gives us warnings as to where that choice will lead. Matthew 7; 25 and Luke 13 (Matthew 7:15-23; 25:41-46; and Luke 13:24-30), all bespeak a dire warning for those who wish to claim the name but stay out of the game. These passages speak of those who do religion well, but who do not love; simply put, of those who do not abide in Christ. These passages speak of a time of judgment and those who have chosen not to love are told to depart from God’s presence as he knows them not.

How sad, to dedicate yourself to learning things and doing things, but never learning to relate to God. Never learning to abide in the love of Christ; not learning to love. “The one who does not love does not know God” (1 John 4:8).

Do you see now how choosing to love applies to those calling themselves Christian as much as to those who do not? It does so because it applies to every human being. And every individual is, after all, merely human.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #12, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 011: God and Non-Dysfunction

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

Isn’t it truly amazing how much spiritual life is reflected in real everyday life events? For instance, the other day, I had cause to take note of a woman not being interested in a certain young man. To put it simply – he wanted to take her on a date and she was not interested in the least. Pretty straight forward; interest by the one does not have to equate to interest by the other. But this story isn’t about that couple, it’s about us relating to God and his love. This is what we are going to explore here in episode11.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

So, boy meets girl, the girl couldn’t care less,  and the boy lets it go. Now, here’s the thing; he is still interested in her. Yet, being honest with himself, he and admits that she is not interested in him and that she has left no indication that she ever would be. This honesty has left him in an interesting frame of mind; for now, he willingly leaves her alone because she does not want anything to do with him. Oh, he is still desirous of her becoming interested in him and may, from time to time, float an invite her way. Yet, he respects and honors her wish to not have anything to do with him. He believes it would be wrong to force his attentions on her. Indeed, if he did so, we would call him something much worse than a jerk. 

“Ok Charles, I thought you said this was not about this couple, why are you still talking about them?” Well, it’s just that... Is it not strange that we often expect God to do what we would blame another for doing? Track with me for a moment.

God, for some strange reason known only to himself, wants a relationship with each and every one of us. You, me, the dweeb next door, all of us. Yet he leaves it up to us whether a relationship is started or not.

He sends invites and makes the initial overtures, yet he will not force anything. He will not push – if you say no, no it is. He honors your choice. Such is the love and respect he has for you.

Yet, there are only two possible destinations. One that leaves us in the presence of God and one that does not. In other words, there is Heaven and there is Hell. If like the girl in our story, you say "no" to him here, he will not force himself on you there. For how would he be loving, holy, or anything else, other than a manipulative dirt-bag, if he used your disadvantage (your death) to force himself upon you?

Yet sometimes, it sounds like this is what we want. You hear it all the time, “Do whatever you want here, God is love. He won’t hold anything against you or send you to hell. How could a loving God do that? Everyone gets into heaven.” What is this but an unwitting desire for God to force a relationship upon you? Do you really want him, if you have said no to him all your life, to turn around and force you to live in his presence? To force you to have to deal with him forever?

Why cast God as such a manipulative low-life; one who forces us, against our wishes, to relate to him in the afterlife? If we want nothing to do with him here, why would we want to live in his presence there? Why would we desire him to dishonor our choices and force us to live with him there? Hmmm… manipulation by one and the desire to be dishonored by the other…. There is a term for that, dysfunction.

So, why would we want to live in the presence of a dysfunctional God? One who could only provide a dysfunctional relationship in heaven, one where love and respect do not matter? That does not sound like heaven to me. Most of us realize that living in a dysfunctional relationship is pure misery. Why would we want that to go on forever?

There is enough dysfunction in this world, isn’t there? Shouldn’t heaven be a better place? I think so, don’t you? And the good news is that God is truly loving and not dysfunctional. He will honor your choice to relate to him or to not do so. So, choose today and choose well. By the way, I am speaking to those who call themselves Christian. Not who you had in mind? Oh... well…  we will have to explore this connection next time.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #11, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 009: How Can I Honestly Forgive? Or: To Forgive and Forget?

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click on the title above to take you to the actual post instead of this category listing page. When you do that simply scroll down to the bottom of the page and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

Last time we discussed expressing God’s love to those who are unlovely. Specifically, the one who cheated me out of money. Time was spent discussing how prayer is one expression of God’s love. Yet, how can I honestly ask God to bless the one who cheated me? This makes no sense. This is not fair. This is not just. How can this prayer ever be sincere? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 9.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. 

How is this done? The simple answer… Forgiveness.

How can we forgive? By remembering how much we have been forgiven. In Matthew, there is a story that relates how important forgiveness is to God. In this story, a king forgave his servant but that servant did not forgive others. But his servant should have forgiven. The king showed mercy to his servant; his servant should have shown mercy. He didn’t and there was a huge price to pay (Matthew18:21-35). By forgiving and showing mercy, we are honoring God’s love and mercy by extending it to others.

This is not easy. It requires you to leave the shallows and journey forth on the depths of God’s love. In other words, spiritually speaking, this requires that you grow up. To realize that God’s love and his mercy are not limited in their application to you. They require you to apply them to others.

I have heard it objected, “I cannot forget what they have done! I cannot forgive this person.” This thought comes from an unfortunate yet popular phrase; “Forgive and Forget.” Meaning that for our forgiveness to be authentic, we must forget the wrong that has been done.

I think this has its basis in Psalm 103:12 and Jeremiah 31. In the first passage, God says he removes our sin as far as the east is from the west. In the second, he states that he will not remember them. I also think this tends to be used as a means of either escaping or wanting to impose consequences. To escape when used by the guilty party; to impose when used by the one who has been hurt.

Whatever the basis, there are problems with this type of forgetfulness. First, it is always God who says he will remember sins no more; we are not God. Second, while God commands us many times to forgive others, he never commands us to forget. Third, in terms of consequences, each of these positions is selfish; there is a profound lack of consideration for the other person. And fourth, God’s love and mercy are not found in selfish motivations.

Also, it is informative that when the Bible is looked at, in its entirety, the main thought behind forgiveness is that our sins are not held against us. For instance, in Romans, Paul teaches that sin is not accounted against us (Romans 4:8). Our sin is not counted against us, a pardon has been granted, the guilt has been removed, and in this sense, they are forgotten. The meaning is not a lack of memory, such as when we might forget to brush our teeth or to turn off a boiling pot of water. Rather, it concerns a lack of deserved condemnation. A wise friend once shared a very intriguing thought; it is precisely because we cannot forget that Jesus so often commands us to love and forgive.

Forgetfulness is also absent in Paul’s description of what love does in 1 Corinthians 13. Which says, Love is patient and is kind. Love doesn’t envy. Love doesn’t brag, is not proud, doesn’t; behave itself inappropriately, doesn’t seek its own way, is not provoked, takes no account of evil; doesn’t rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, and endures all things. Love never fails” (12 Corinthians 13:4 – 8).

Ok, did you notice that causing wrongs to be forgotten is not listed? It does say that love “takes no account of evil” (1 Cor 13:5). Sounds similar to the Romans passage (Romans 4:8) does it not? Love makes them of no account; they took place but the deserved guilt is gone. This is not the same as truly being forgotten. An important difference in words.

So, to forgive does not mean to pretend the wrong did not occur. Nor does it mean to forget the wrong occurred. It means we are not to hold wrongs done against those who have done them. Even as God has forgiven us, so we must forgive others “and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:44). An important note. This also does not mean that there are no consequences for wrongs done to you. There is a difference between not holding a wrong against someone and being wise enough to know, even with this being so, that the consequences for these actions must be enforced. Even if that means no longer relating to them. This takes wisdom, which we are encouraged to ask God for (James 1:5).

So, prayerfully focus on loving, forgiving, and extending God’s mercy. Ask for wisdom and leave the consequences in God’s hands (Romans 12:19).

Ask him to help you forgive. Then, once you have forgiven, ask God for wisdom in how to relate or not relate to those who have wronged you. Do not selfishly decide, ask God for wisdom and direction. Ask for his wisdom and you will receive it. Seek his guidance and you will find it (Matthew 7:7,8).

Ask him for the wisdom to love simply, love wisely, love well.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #9, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 006: Breaking the Cycle of Sin

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click here. Then simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

So, the other day I was talking to a friend about how living the Christian life can be a struggle. Specifically, we were talking about those nagging little shortcomings that we all experience. You know the ones, those moments of caving to self-interest, to the sin we thought we had beaten, that we believed we had been delivered from only to have it sneak around and bit us on the butt yet again. Don’t pretend you that you don’t know what I’m talking about, that’s very unbecoming. But here’s the question, is there a way for a Christian to resist caving in, to prevent this sin from ever biting us again? That is what we are going to explore here in episode 6.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple, simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, not so shallow that when the storms of life hit, our faith runs aground. Here we go.

As my friend and I were talking about this, we noted that our intentions are honest and good, we truly mean to guard against caving in, to never stumble that way again… and yet we do. We quickly thought of something Paul says in Romans 7 (verses 14-23) to mind. Here, Paul shares how he too was unable to break this cycle of stumbling yet again, and how he passionately wanted to break it. However, he could not. He could not stop himself from caving, nor could he make himself do what he truly wanted to do. So, I began to wonder, if Paul ever shared how he finally broke that cycle, for if he did, maybe I could too. So, I looked up Romans 7 and sure enough, Paul goes on to say that Jesus has saved him from this cycle of helplessness (verse 25). Just to make sure I had not read something into what Paul was saying, I checked out what all Paul had said about this. I found a passage in Romans 6 where Paul also says that we can now choose to not let sin reign over us, for sin is not our master, and we have been set free from it (Romans 6:8-23). John even says that this is the reason he wrote the letter of 1 John, to begin with, so that we will not sin (1 John 2:1). 

So how does all this play out? I mean, if Jesus is the one who breaks the cycle, why do we still stumble and fall? If sin is not our master and we have been set free from it, then why does it seem too powerful to resist? These questions set me on the path of thinking and investigating (I know… I know… I know… a dangerous to do, but I wanted an answer).

Now, before sharing too much of what I have discovered, I want to make sure we understand something very, very important, the Bible makes it quite clear that breaking of this cycle, that is the eradicating of all sinful actions from our lives, is not something we can do on our own. It is impossible for us to do; it is too strong. There are many passages which tell us this. Because of the limits of time, here I’ll only refer to two specific passages. 1) Paul’s statements in Romans 7 where he shares the need for Jesus to break this cycle and 2) Jesus’ statement in Mark 10 (verse 27) where he plainly states that such things are impossible for human beings to achieve and they are only possible for God to make happen. 

So, we are powerless to stop sinning by ourselves, yet, we are told, sin has no power over the Christian, and it is God that makes this the truth. The question then becomes, how does he do this? How is this cycle broken, for it seems that I am still in it? And why is it taking sooooooooo long?

While digging into this, I came across something and that I would like to offer it as a suggestion for you to consider. It resonates with me, and I would love to hear what you think about it. 

I found John to say something very interesting in the letter of 1 John. He says that whoever loves a brother is both full of light and that “there is no occasion for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:10). Did you hear that? That if I truly love others, I am free from the power of sin. Right away I was reminded of something in Matthew, the passage about the 2 greatest commands. Which are to love God with our entire being and our neighbor as ourselves. Specifically speaking, this brought up the verse that reads, “The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments” (Matthew 22: 37- 40). Which, also brought to mind passages in Romans and Galatians; both of which tell us why these two fulfill the whole of the law (Romans 13:8-10; Galatians 5:13-14). Simply put, if I am loving as God does, with our entire being and others as ourselves, I am fulfilling the whole law because love does no harm to our neighbor. And if I am doing this, I am free from sin. 

Track with me a second. For next, I stumbled onto something in 1 Corinthians. Here, Paul talks all about this type of love. He says that no matter what he does if it is not from love, he ends up being obnoxious sounding, is nothing, and gains nothing (1 Cor 13:1 – 3). So, efforts done without God’s love is the essence of doing nothing, of meaninglessness. Then he says something that is mind-blowingly simple, love is: patient and kind. It rejoices in truth, and always protects, trusts, hopes, and perseveres. Love is not: envious, boastful, proud, rude, self-seeking, easily angered, a record keeper of wrongs, and takes no delight in evil (1 Cor 13:4 – 13). I see why John can say there is nothing that can cause a person to stumble if one is centered in love. 

This brings up one of my favorite chapters in the Bible, John 15. This is the chapter about abiding in Christ. Verses 9-17 speak about God’s love and remaining, that is abiding, in it. Here Jesus says that if we obey his commands, we will be abiding in him and our joy will be complete. And, “This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (John 15:12). Even as God has loved us... 

If we love one another we are abiding in Christ and are in his love; we are then full of light and there is nothing to cause us to stumble into sin. How simply profound. As I look back over my life, it is precisely at the times when I was most focused on loving God (on becoming centered in him and his love) that my struggles with sin stopped. And it is when I was no longer intently focused on this that the struggles resurfaced. I am not saying that this is a magic wand to be waved over your head and presto no more struggles. This takes growth, this takes time; all strong and vital relationships always do. What I’m saying is, this is a committed relational action, this is a way of life. Abiding in Christ is a daily choice and it is one that involves growth on your part. And as human beings we tend to grow slowly, we just do. But we do grow. And the more we grow, the less we will struggle with the same shortcomings. Others may arise, but that is a topic for a different episode.

So, back to the question, how is this done? How is focusing on loving God and growing in our relationship with him done? I have been studying the Psalms and I think I have found, in the very first one, an answer to this question. “But, if the law of our Lord is his delight and on his law, he will muse day and night; he will be happy. He will be as a tree planted by channels of water…” (Psalm 1:2-3). Musing on God and his law, day and night; that is, to muse on loving God and your neighbor day and night. To delight in loving God and our neighbor is the way of happiness; it is the way of being blessed. It is the way to grow in your relationship with God. The more you do this, the more God’s love will fill your heart, the more you will not be self-seeking, and so the more sin will be gone from your life. Removed by God as each and every day you choose to love him and allow his love to fill you. And make no mistake about it, it is God who removes the sin, not you. It is as his love fills you, engages you, motivates you, and becomes the lens that helps you stay focused on him, that it silently removes your tendency to choose sin (to choose your self-interests instead of God). If we do this, then one day we will look back in amazement, realizing that we were not even aware of that unbreakable cycle being broken. That is simple and not shallow.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #6, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.

SNS 004: How Do You Know God Is Real?

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Click on the white arrow in the green button above to hear this episode. Below are the show notes. Feel free to read along, check out the Bible references I make, and subscribe through the podcast service you prefer by clicking any of the buttons on the upper right side of this post.

Also, to click the like button or leave a comment, please click here. Then simply scroll down to the bottom of the post and click like and comment away.

Thank you.

Show Notes

I was once asked, “How do you know that God is real?” That drew me up short, to tell you the truth. I had to pause and think about it. How did I know?  That is what we are going to explore here in episode 4.

My name is Charles, and this is the Simple Not Shallow Podcast. A podcast for those who want a deeper faith, not a confusing one. That is what our name is about, keeping faith in Christ simple, simple enough for a child like me to understand it and yet, very not shallow, ok, that’s probably not very good English, but very not shallow, so that when the storms of life hit, and they will hit, our faith need not run aground. 

It has often been observed that science cannot prove that there is a God. It is also true that it cannot prove that there is no God. In fact, science can do nothing in establishing the reality of God, but that is a topic for another episode. I only mention it now, because as I was thinking on this that I began to wonder, was I looking for physical or scientific proofs, such as those given for the existence of gravity or of the earth being a big blue ball rotating around the sun? Or… is proof of a relational God better found in terms of the non-physical, ones outside the scientific realm? That is, should a proof of the relational be sought in terms that are relational?

So, where did I go in looking for proofs? The first place that I went looking for proof was my Bible. The first passage I found was in John 8, “If you remain in my word, then you are truly my disciples. You will know the truth, and the truth will make you free” (Jn 8:31, 32). So, if we continue in His word, reading, pondering, and acting on what we learn, then we are His disciples and we will know the truth. At first glance, this may look like a circular argument. Meaning that we are trying to make our belief the proof; that we prove God is real because we believe him to be real. Which is truly no proof at all. Yet, a closer look into what the Bible says, we see that this is not what is being said.

Jesus says, just a few chapters later, “If you remain in me, and my words remain in you…. you will be my disciples (so far tracking with John 8) …. Remain in My love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in My love…. This is my commandment, that you love one another, even as I have loved you” (Jn 15:7-12). 

Did you notice how Jesus opened up this remaining in his word to involve loving others? Knowing how to love, knowing love, is part of knowing the truth. And nothing takes us out of the realm of mere physical proofs quicker than loving others. And lands us straight smack dab in the middle of relational ones. It is at this point that things begin to get interesting. 

In 1 John it says, “This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commandments” (1 Jn 2:3). Which, opens up a very interesting thought: if we know him, by default, we know him to be real. And as we saw above, this does involve loving him and others. For, “One who says, ‘I know him,’ and doesn’t keep his commandments, is a liar, and the truth isn’t in him. But God’s love has most certainly been perfected in whoever keeps his word. This is how we know that we are in him” (1 Jn 2:4, 5). Is this not fascinating?   

Paul emphasizes this when he prays “That he (God) would grant …. that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be strengthened to comprehend with all the saints … and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (Eph 3:16-19). Grounded in love in order to comprehend and know the fullness of God. What a simple and yet thoroughly not shallow thought; to love is to know. 

Back to the original question, “How do you know God is real?” My first answer would now be “I know that God is real because my love continues to grow.” Not just my love for him, for as we discovered in the last two episodes, our love for him must include our love for others. So, I know God is real, not only because my love for him grows but also because my love and compassion for the unlovable are growing. The more I am able to care for those I (by all natural desires) should despise, the more this relational God is proven to be real. In the book of John, Jesus himself even said that this is how others will know he is real and that we are authentic followers of his; “If you have love for one another” (Jn 13:35). Not if we have religious knowledge, a vast store of memorized Scripture to pull up at any given moment, a holy sound in our voice, the word “Christ” repeated often in our music, a thoroughly highlighted Bible, or… anything else. It is by love and only by his love. His love, which flows through us and is both returned to him and passed on to others. That we love others as he does is proof that he is real.

Now, there is much more that could be said on this topic. Much more. And yes, there are non-relational things, such as deductions made form facts, and arguments of logic that can be made, the complexity of the human cell, the fine-tuning of the universe for life, and so much more which support God’s existence. And it is not my purpose or intent to downplay or disrespect any of these. These things are important to know and to talk about. Yet, I have never found one of these that is as effective in proving the reality of God as the simple statement made by Jesus, God himself, in John 13. His love is the simplest and most profound proof that anyone can have, know, and offer to others.                                                                                                                                                                

In light of this:

Love simply, love wisely, love well, and know that God is real.

Well, what do you think? I’d love to hear from you, so please, go to simplenotshallow.com, and under the Simple Not Shallow Podcast section, find this episode, #4, and leave a comment for me there. Also, in the show notes, I’ll list all the verses I referenced, in the order and at the location in the transcript at which I referenced them. That way you can check me out to make sure I’m not totally in left field.  Also, please take a second to rate this episode and subscribe to this podcast through iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify… or whichever service you use. Thank you. I’ll catch you next time.