Our Images of God and

Our Notions of Sin

FR. RICHIE GENELO, S.J.

Ateneo de Naga University

November 25, 2014

Starting Point

 Our Christian life properly begins with God and God’s love. God loves us first and the way we
live our Christian life is our response to God’s love.

 Our image of God is crucial; how we imagine God affects how we respond to Him.

 If our predominant image of God emphasizes love and mercy then our relationship with God
and others will be shaped and guided by love and mercy.

Christ as the revelation of God’s love

 The best image we have of God’s love is Christ who is the fullness of God’s self-revelation.

 When we look to Christ in the Gospels we see the perfect expression of God’s love for us.

Discipleship in Christ

 The proper moral response to God’s love to is to live a life in imitation of Christ.

 The Lord says to each one of us, “Come follow me,” and we respond by being his disciples and
following his example of love in our lives.

Images of God’s love

 In the Gospels we encounter a variety of images used by Christ that reveal to us the depth, the
greatness, and perfection of God’s love.

 It is important to consider these images as guides for our moral response to God.

Images of God’s Love

in the Gospels
The father’s mercy in the parable of the prodigal son

 God’s love is unconditional.

 God’s love for us does not depend on our behavior – our sins do not diminish God’s love nor our
good works increase God’s love.

 God does not force us to love him; God invites us to communion with Him.

The Good Shepherd

 God does not desire that anyone would be lost to sin.

 God has compassion for sinners.

 God will go out of his way to bring us back to home to him.

The Suffering God

 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him
shall not perish but have eternal life.” Jn 3:16

 God would rather suffer and die for us rather than lose us to sin.

Distortions in our images of God

 We often use human loving as an analogy for God’s love.

 Sometimes our experiences of imperfect human loving can cause distortions in our image of a
loving God, especially when we encounter sin, pain and tragedy.

 We sometimes make the mistake of thinking that God’s love is like imperfect human love –
selective, arbitrary, conditional.

Distortions in our images of God

 Distortions can also come from some scripture passages that use human metaphors to describe
God, particularly in the Old Testament.
 When biblical writers use human metaphors to describe God they draw from their own cultural
experiences. Sometimes these metaphors are imperfect and their meanings can be
misinterpreted by readers.

Examples of distorted images of God in the Bible

 The Great Flood and Noah’s Ark

 God punishes sins by using natural disasters such as floods.

Examples of distorted images of God in the Bible

 The ten plagues of Egypt; the death of the first born.

 God causes suffering to the innocent.

 God uses evil (the plagues) to do good (freeing the Israelites from slavery).

Examples of distorted images of God in the Bible

 Sacrifice of Isaac

 God can tests our faith through strict obedience

 The Book of Job

 God tests our faith through suffering.

Distortions in our images of God

 Jesus had to introduce more authentic images of God’s love to correct distorted beliefs that
Israel had about God (e.g. Punishing God image in OT is countered by the Parable of the Prodigal
Son and the Good Shepherd image in the NT).

Distortions in our images of God

 When we unconsciously allow distortions to affect how we see God our sense of morality and
our sense of sin are directly affected.

 If our image of God becomes less loving and less merciful, our treatment of ourselves and other
also becomes less loving and less merciful.
 We need to identify and guard against these distortions in order to conform our lives to the love
of God.

Examples of Distorted Images of God

God as a Strict Lawgiver

 This image can come from childhood experiences with strict authority figures who emphasized
obedience to rules.

 This image can also come from biblical passages that portray God punishing rule breakers (e.g.,
Adam and Eve, Israel and the golden calf, etc.)

 We might think of God as being strict with rules and will get angry or displeased if we violate
rules or are unable to follow them perfectly.

 If we view God predominantly as a strict lawgiver we end up with a life that overemphasizes
observance of the law.

 We begin to measure our goodness and the goodness of others based only on obedience to
rules.

 We are unable to deal with situations that are not covered by existing rules of the Church. We
either become paralyzed or insist on a forced application of the rules.

 We end up confessing non-observance of rules or failure to meet expectations as sins:

 Missing a deadline

 Inability to pay a debt

 Inability to fulfill one’s duties

Correcting this image:

 God gave us laws to guide our loving; not to make us slaves to the law

 Goal of moral life is imitation of Christ, not blind observance of the law.

 Laws are valid only insofar as they help us to love like Christ.
Result:

 We discover the spirit of loving that is behind the moral rules.

 We turn to Christ to guide us how to apply moral rules.

 We learn to review our rules in order to conform them to Christ’s love.

God as a Judge who

Rewards and Punishes

 Our experience of reward and punishment at home and in school can develop in us a
predominant image of a God who relates to us simply through reward and punishment.

 “I think God is always watching and judging my every move. if I am good, God will love me more
and I will have many blessings in my life; if I am bad, God will withdraw his love and I will get
punished with bad things in my life.”

 “I’ll try to be good to earn God’s love and avoid punishment.”

 The problem with this image of God is that, it does not match what we see in reality – evil
persons seem to prosper and bad things happen to good people.

 This perceived inconsistency can lead people to question God’s love -- some would conclude
that God is cruel, has favorites, or is blind to human suffering.

 Some people would also interpret every tragedy as a punishment from God for some unknown
sin and blame themselves for deserving such a punishment.

 Such an image of God will foster a morality that justifies strict punishment of sinners. We
become less compassionate to others who are less than perfect.

 An image of God that rewards and punishes could also lead to a morality that equates goodness
with prosperity and sinfulness with suffering.

 Such an image could lead to one to think that God’s love has to be earned as a reward for good
behavior. This can affect how we relate with others – we seek to earn other people’s love and
other people have to earn our love.

 Loving is reduced to a transaction. It is not freely given; it is something one has to earn.

 We end up confessing tragic situations as if these were God’s punishments for sin:
  A miscarriage is confessed as a punishment for negative thoughts about the pregnancy.

 An illness is confessed as a punishment for excessive drinking.

 A broken marriage is confessed as a punishment for infidelity.

Correcting this image

 Even if the bible gives us images of God as a judge we still affirm that God is primarily a God of
love and mercy.

 God never punishes; he does not desire our suffering.

Result:

 We learn to relate to God not with fear but with humble and loving gratitude.

We stop interpreting bad things that happen to us as God’s punishment

Correcting this image:

 God loves us unconditionally, even when we are still sinners.

 We do not have to earn or deserve God’s love.

 God loves us equally and does not play favorites.

Result:

 We rest in the assurance of God’s free and unchanging love; we become more generous and
free in our loving.

 We also seek to treat others with fairness and equality; we strive to end unjust inequalities in
the world.

God as Tester

 Some people view many difficulties in life as challenges sent by God to test one’s faith.
 This view can come from a literal reading of bible passages where God is presented as testing a
person’s faith (e.g., Abraham; Job)

 “If I am unable to cope with my problems and I get upset or I question God, then my faith is
weak and I failed God’s test.”

 Negative emotions such as anger, frustration, and sadness are seen as signs of a weakening of
one’s trust in God’s love. To give in to these feelings is a sign of lack of faith and a failure in
God’s test.

 Some people feel guilty about questioning God about bad things that happen in their lives; they
think that one should never question God’s ways -- it would be a sign of disrespect (like
questioning the decisions of a parent).

 We end up confessing perceived failures of God’s tests as sins:

 Breaking down and crying because of so many problems.

 Asking God “Why did you let this happen to me?”

 Being angry at God.

Correcting this image:

 God is my Creator; he does not need to test me; He knows me completely.

 Problems do not come from God; they just happen.

 God understands how we feel and he send us the Spirit to console us and strengthen us when
problems become too heavy.

Result:

 I am at peace with God who knows me intimately.

 I stop blaming God and now I can face problems with God at my side.

 We realize that it is normal to feel sad and to cry out to God in times of trouble – these are not
signs of a weak faith.
Correcting this image:

 Negative emotions are part being human.

 If we fail despite our best efforts, we have not committed any sin. God values the best efforts
we give.

 Life is not a test; it is journey with Christ (with others) to our heavenly home.

Result:

 I learn to deal with negative emotions simply as feelings not as sins.

 We are more compassionate when dealing with failure.

 I begin to have peace because I now know God is not testing me. God is beside me through all
the ups and downs of life.

God as Controller of my life

 Some people see God as a master controller who plans everything that will happen in their lives.
They believe that a person cannot escape the will of God.

 “Everything that happens in my life has already been planned by God.”

 “God has a reason for allowing things to happen to me.”

 When dealing with difficulties in life, they either become passive and resigned to their suffering
as part of God’s plan or they rebel and blame God for being cruel and arbitrary.

 Sometimes they will try to make deals with God to influence God’s plan for their life. (I will be a
priest if God will take care of my parents; I will stop drinking if God will save my sick child)

 People who see God as a controller would confess “sins” that go against their perception of
God’s plan for them:

 Confessing a desire to leave a dysfunctional marital relationship

 Confessing doubts about one’s religious vocation.

Correcting this Image:

 God has a general plan of salvation but he also respects human freedom, even if our choices are
wrong.

 God does not cause evil to happen. He helps us to do good despite the evil around us but He
never uses evil to do good.

 God invites us to participate in building his Kingdom og justice and love

Result:

 I am encouraged to use my freedom responsibly and choose the good that God desires for me.

 I do not condone or tolerate evil. I seek to actively fight against evil in the world.

 I cannot remain complacent. I am called to make a difference in the world.

An Image to heal
our distorted images of God

The Crucified Christ

 Always turn to Christ on the cross when you start wavering in your belief in God’s love.

 On the cross, all you see is God’s absolute and total love for us.

 Christ on the cross teaches us that God’s response to sin is forgiveness not punishment.

 A God who gives himself totally to us does not let rules get in the way of his loving.

 A God who is willing to die for us would never want to punish or harm us.

 A God who has an eternal love for us is not interested in testing us because he already loved us
from the beginning of Creation.

Reflection Questions

 What is my predominant image of God in my moral life?

 How have my past experiences shaped my image of God?

 How does my image of God affect the way:

  I deal with bad experiences?

 I deal with accidents and natural calamities?

 I discern life choices?

 What can help me purify my image of God?