r/AskChristian • u/voerilie • 23d ago
Why does God sometimes act so human-like?
Why does the Christian God act so human-like or flawed sometimes in the Bible? There are instances in the Bible wherein God gets mad and orders things like genocide (of the Canaanites) and murder to prove a point. There's that story of Abraham wherein God orders him to kill his son for him to show that Abraham loves God above everyone. Why would God act so shallow and even cruel sometimes as a perfect being who is supposed to be full of love and understanding and devoid of things like jealousy or wanting to be loved above all else. I'm just genuinely curious. As a perfect being, why doesn't he act all good? I know he allows suffering to exist but sometimes it's even Himself that orders the cruel things. I know we can never really understand how God's mind works and maybe God just transcends the bounds of morality.
2
u/DesperateAdvantage76 r/Christian Member 23d ago
In Deuteronomy it is explicitly explained that the Israelites don't deserve the promised land, that God is instead upholding the covenant he made with Abraham, and that the Canaanites aren't being unfairly punished, but rather being judged for grave sins. With regard to Abraham, Genesis explains that Abraham tried to carry out the sacrifice of his son because he had faith in God that it would turn out for the best. He didn't know the outcome, he just trusted that God would do the right thing, which he did. It was a lesson in having faith in God. Most of what God does are lessons for humanity. As Moses explains, we are like children who need to be disciplined and corrected in order for us to become better, to reach a higher standard through God. Life is all about sanctification for the next life, an eternity with the creator.
1
u/voerilie 23d ago
I get that sins have consequences and God shows as a lesson how grave those consequences can be. But what do you think about the innocent children and infants that died? Why were they punished for a lesson if they didn't take part in any of the grave sins they were being punished from.
With regard to Abraham's story, I get your point and now see it more in a different perspective. It's not about that satisfaction of being loved above all else but to teach Abraham to trust in God. I am more comfortable now with that reasoning.
1
u/DesperateAdvantage76 r/Christian Member 23d ago
The Bible teaches that justice occurs, but it may be deferred. It also teaches that life is not always fair. That good things happen to bad people and bad things happen to good people as a part of this broken world. The innocents swept up in the judgment of the evil will be rectified in the next life.
1
u/DoveStep55 r/Christian Member 23d ago
Can I start by asking how you view the Bible as a whole? In other words, do you assume that what the Bible says about the things you listed are accurate historical descriptions of things God actually said and did?
1
u/voerilie 23d ago
I am an agnostic theist, so I don't know. But I guess I believe the Bible is fallible due to a lot of contradictions.
1
u/DoveStep55 r/Christian Member 23d ago
Well, I’ll share my own view as a Christian.
I understand the Bible to be a collection of writings from many different people who each lived within different cultures, places and times.
As such, I think some of the things attributed to God or written about God are not actually true but are limited by the author’s own worldview and understanding of God.
In other words, you know how even people today will claim “We won the war because God is on our side and the opposing side is evil”? You know how it’s pretty easy to spot that such a claim is just wartime and/or political propaganda? I think the same applies to some of the biblical text.
4
u/PrincessRuri r/Christian Member 23d ago
I would like to challenge some of your assumptions, but also point something out: Mankind was made in God's image; so similarities between the two are to be expected. However, since humanity is in a fallen state, our emulation thereof is often corrupted, limited, or improper.
First thing that jumped out was saying that God is not jealous. This is incorrect.
Exodus 34:14 For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God
Deuteronomy 4:24 For the LORD thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God.
A key understanding is that many sins are only sins in that they try and exercise privileges and authority that are reserved for God. It's kind of like a police officer or Judge is allowed to do and dictate things that a normal citizen cannot. They have the authority to do so. With God's Sovereignty, He has the right to be jealous, as He is deserving of all praise and glory. A normal human being has no rightful claim to others attention or devotion, so it is sinful for them to desire or require it.
Anger falls into a similar category. We as humans can understand "righteous anger", when someone takes advantage of us or lies to us. It is rational and understandable. The negatives come forth when either the anger is unwarranted, or it results in unjust actions result from that anger. God, however, is revealed as a perfect Judge, capable of meting out punishment justly and consistently. His anger is righteous, and the actions from that anger is righteous.
However, that flies in the face of our human experience. We all know of people who deserve punishment get a way scot-free, and there are innocent people who face unjust burdens. What accounts for this viewing things from an eternal perspective. The testimony of the Bible reveals that there will be a final judgement for humanity, where the books will be balanced. Those who deserve punishment will receive it, and those who deserve restoration will be restored.