What If God Was One Of Us?

The “average American” has an interesting view on religion: This person certainly isn’t an Atheist, but on the other hand isn’t so sure of the Christianity thing, either.

If that’s the case with you, then you and I have at least one very big thing in common: We both believe in God. And if you believe in God, you probably believe in some sort of afterlife. You’re not sure what, but it only makes sense to you that our human qualities like logic, reason, conscience, and love separate us from the average beast of the forest. (In short, you don’t believe your ultimate fate is to become nothing more than worm dirt.)

Now, a funny thing happens when many people think about God: Due to the limitations of human insight, they think of God as a loving but stern grandfather figure. You know, like a celestial Ronald Reagan. So ask yourself this question: Do you think God is a regular guy? Do you think you will stand in front of the Creator of everything in his Perfect Goodness, and have a casual conversation where you convince him to see things your way? Perhaps like this:

You: God! Wassup? I got mowed over by a bus, so here I am.

God: Well, welcome Little Buddy.

You: Thanks, Man. Hey, where do I get my halo-thingy and wings?

God: Well, first we must check your record to see if you qualify to get in.

You: Qualify? Dude, it’s not like I murdered anyone! I was a good guy. Sure, I had my faults, but, hey, who doesn’t? Damn, Dude, you think you’re perfect or something? Let’s knock all this off, let me in, and let’s go grab a beer. I got some funny stories to tell you.

God: Okay, you’ve got a point. Sometimes I get on my High, Pale Horse, being the Ruler of the Universe. I’m sorry. Come on in, and let’s throw some lighting bolts at everyone who ever did you wrong.

You: Now you’re talking! High five!

Do you really think this is a possible scenario? When you stand before your Creator, and the moment of judgment has arrived, that you will be able to do a fist-bump and “bullshit” your way in? If that’s your plan, you’re braver than me.

Why? Because God Almighty is not a regular guy. He is God, and He is perfect: Excuses that we made mistakes because we were drunk, or stoned, or horny, or mad, or hurt, or confused, or tired, or jealous, or envious, or scared, or trying to be funny don’t carry much weight with a guy who has never succumbed to those feelings.

Fortunately, however, God’s son Jesus was human at one point, so Jesus understands what it’s like to walk around in this body, stuck with this brain. And because of this, Jesus acts as our advocate before God. With Jesus, when you get run over by a bus, you get to have this conversation:

You: Jesus? Is that actually you?

Jesus: It’s me.

You: Wow! Well, I’m here for judgment.

Jesus: Man, I would not want to be you.

You: Is it that hard to get in?

Jesus: Imagine watching a videotape of every single lousy thing you ever did, said, or thought, then seeing the pain you caused others by doing all those things.

You: Do I get any credit for having accepted you?

Jesus: Hold the phone! Are you saying you admitted you were a sinner, then asked me to come into your life and forgive you?

You: Yes.

Jesus: Holy Smokes, we have a winner! Well done, Lad! You must’ve found one of the de-coder rings I left behind!

You: Come again?

Jesus: I'm just busting your onions. I was talking about the Bible. Lighten up. I already paid your ransom, so you get to come in.

You: Awesome! Can you explain why does it work like that?

Jesus: Ahh, yes. Lots of people ask that. You’ll be invited to a class that explains it after you’ve matured spiritually for about 500 trillion years.

At this point, most seekers like to play mental gymnastics by asking: a) Does that mean Adolf Hitler could’ve become a believer, repented, and gotten to Heaven? b) If Christ is the “Truth and the Way,” why doesn’t He appear before me, and tell me so?

Let me answer the Hitler question first. The answer, in short, is “yes,” that’s what Jesus said. He didn’t ask us to understand why, he just told us to listen. Do I understand it? No. I do not understand how mass murderers can be forgiven, but I’m not asked to understand. I think my ability to think through the complexities of this issue is about the same of as an Irish Setter thinking through the need for tort reform. The fact is that there is no one so bad that God doesn’t have the capacity to forgive them, if they ask him to.

On the issue of “why doesn’t Jesus just appear before me,” I offer this modern analogy. Let’s say that you are the CEO of Microsoft: You are the richest man on the planet, and certainly one of the most powerful. Now let’s say you decide you want Microsoft to become a nonsmoking company. What do you do? You call together the team you’ve picked as the company’s leaders, and you say, “I’ve made a decision. Microsoft is now a smoke-free company. Pass the word.”

Do you have to meet with every employee and tell them? Hear them out, in case they object? Grant them a personal audience, so they’ll “believe” it was you who actually issued the order?

Of course not! Why? Because you’re the CEO, that’s why! You made your decision, and told your people to pass the word. Now, let’s suppose some employee doesn’t comply, and ignores the directive, because you didn’t appear before them personally—What then? Well, I’m thinking that probably tries your patience. But you assume their
supervisors, co-workers, and underlings will help them to see the light-- because one day, when you walk into their office and find an ashtray on the desk, there will be hell to pay.

Now if my analogy for a CEO makes sense, what do you figure the Creator of the Universe feels about it?

He sent His son to earth to die a horrible death so that you and I could have a bridge to reach Him. He clearly gave the directive for those who discover the news to go out and tell other people about it.

What He did not say is, “Go tell people about me—and anyone with issues can click their heels three times and I’ll appear before them as a Burning Bush for a little Q and A. And some miracles.” God gave a directive to spread the word; the decision to listen is up to the individual.

Are there things I don’t understand? Absolutely. Do I wish I had God’s direct-dial phone number? Absolutely. Would I ask him about suffering, Noah’s Ark, other religions, and what happens to that other sock in the dryer? You betcha.

But the bottom line is we’ve got what we got, and if you agree with my theory that God isn’t a regular Joe Trillion-Pack, we should each do our best to study and understand the information available. This is a topic of eternal importance, and you don’t want your human ego to cause you to win the battle, and lose the war.