People often demand a god who bears a striking family resemblance to their own image. This is because they believe themselves to be God, and it is therefore most convenient that their theology invent a very human but supreme being for their worship and adoration. How glorious it is to keep on enjoying the sins of this world when an obliging idol is cheering you on as your biggest fan.
In fact, according to the implication of Scripture, people’s pet sins — those special sins that reflect or identify the almighty self — can become the surrogate “God” ruling over their lives (Colossians 3:5; Matthew 6:24). These precious deities are thus created in the weakness of the flesh and seated upon the celestial throne of the human imagination like noble benefactors who dispense personalized feelings of love and comfort as needed (Ezekiel 14:3).
Soon, however, the idol-makers of our age are faced with the limitations of a god made in their flawed likeness. In moments of self-doubt, they have to admit that they themselves are imperfect human beings who lead error-prone, sometimes disingenuous lives filled with pursuits that end badly. They often stray from truth, break social contracts and misappropriate property for personal gain and elevated worldly status — all the while knowing it is hurtful to other people and is somehow, and in some way — elementally wrong.
As a consequence, they are left with pesky questions in the recesses of their minds. How much goodness does my god really have? Can my divine doppleganger, with his crooked disposition, ever be trusted to bring true stability to my life?
The answers to these questions are self-evident. If a “God” of human projection is bereft of a fixed moral compass just like his earthly maker, then certainly a wishy-washy idol like this can never fill the role of a righteous and caring Almighty. So what is the idolator to do? Sadly, for many, such a dilemma will only chase them deeper into the metaphysical wilderness to lick their wounds. And once there, they will most likely abandon their imaginary theology and find refuge in the philosophical land of cultural atheism where any problematic concept of God can be happily ignored.
Yet even then, in the midst of their spiritual deconstruction, they will still be confronted with living in a godless society that is no longer tethered to a standard of morality. And as a result, their frequent subjection to personal injustice and suffering will continue unabated and only increase their lingering feelings of hopelessness, mistrust and suspicion.
One might ask, why do these numb idol-makers and cultural atheists even care about righting such wrongs? Why do they seem so desperate to find a perfect something or someone in whom they can trust? And why does their search for trustworthiness seem to be an impossible and futile task?
THE MISTRUST OF THE FATHERLESS CHILD
Perhaps the explanation to their plight lies in the earliest days of childhood when the feelings of love, security and trust are first nurtured by the preeminent bonds of life, namely the relationship with one’s parents. Psychologists, sociologists, and even philosophers seem to agree how vitally important the familial commerce of parent and child is to the healthy development of human beings as they mature into an adulthood of physical, mental and emotional well-being.
Of particular academic interest in the matter of human development is the crisis of the non-committed or absentee father and the adverse effect on his child. According to recent statistics, 15 million American children live without their fathers — a less-than-ideal situation which is found in almost a quarter of all U.S. households. Even worse, research studies have shown that this trend of a “fatherless” home can have a negative impact on the trajectory of a child’s growth and lead to behavioral issues and psychological dysfunction in adulthood. Marred by the lack of paternal security, guidance and love, such an unfavorable childhood could certainly contribute to a person’s life-long feelings of discouragement and mistrust.
According to Joshua A. Krisch, kids who grow up in close relationships with their fathers (or father-figures) are “less likely to drop out of school or wind up in jail,” will tend to “avoid high-risk behaviors,” and are “less likely to have sex at a young age.” As adults, these same father-nurtured children are “more likely to have high-paying jobs and healthy, stable relationships,” have “higher IQ test scores” and will “endure fewer psychological problems throughout their lives” (The Encouraging Science Of Fatherhood And The ‘Father Effect’).
Is it any wonder, then, that many children with absent or abusive fathers are prone later in life to reject the idea of God as their heavenly Father and hold to an almost pathological devotion to atheism and a life of ungodliness? In fact, atheist-turned-Christian psychologist, Paul Vitz has found proof that many famous atheists in history have rejected the one true God because of the trauma left behind by the presence of cruel fathers or by fathers who had abandoned them.
In his book, Faith of the Fatherless: A Psychology of Atheism, Vitz researched the family backgrounds of “thirteen major historical rejectors of a personal God,” and consistently found “a weak, dead, or abusive father in every case.” He then concluded after further study on the subject, that “the presence of a positive and effective father, or father-figure, seems to be a strong antidote to atheism.”
Biblically-informed Christians, of course, should not be surprised by this. The moral vacuum created by an untrustworthy father will certainly drive many children to reject the notion of a paternal God, while others will cling to the hope that an idealized father-god will ease their pain with the comforts of the flesh. Neither atheism nor idol-making, however, can ever be a suitable replacement for our heavenly Father, nor even an adequate substitute for an earthly father who is charged with raising his children in the likeness of a steadfast God.
How sad, then, that so many fathers in their sinfulness have forsaken their sacred duty and created generations of lost and embittered children still searching for a trustworthy love.
MISTAKEN TRUST IN THEIR FATHER-FIGURES
Surely the idols fashioned today are but poor attempts to carve out a “perfect” father-figure. Yet in their bid to shape it with a family resemblance, these god-creators have mistakenly compounded their problem and cast an idol that is “profitable for nothing” by “exchanging the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man…” (Isaiah 44:10; Romans 1:23).
With great insight into the human condition, the Bible rightly warns, “Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love” (Jonah 2:8). Notice here how God is equated to a consistent and trustworthy love as opposed to the vanity of an idol who will bob and weave to suit the whims of the unprofitable flesh. The idolator may think he wants a father-god that spoils him, but such a wild and impetuous nature will never establish a steadfast voice for instruction, a steadfast hand for discipline and a steadfast arm for strength. No matter how hard they try, those who turn from the trustworthiness of the living God to run after their imperfect idols will only “multiply their sorrows” (Psalm 16:4).
“Go and cry out to the gods whom you have chosen; let them save you in the time of your distress,” the Lord God has said with words dripping with sarcasm (Judges 10:14). But, of course, He knows such a salvation will never come to those who reject Him to cling to their idols of filthy clay. Thus, these idolaters will quickly find that their gods “cannot save them in the time of their trouble,” but rather, will further enslave them into the false belief that only the things of this world will bring them peace and satisfaction (Jeremiah 11:12; Galatians 4:8).
TRUSTING THE FATHER AS A CHILD OF GOD
Contrary to the false notion of a wise and caring “unknown god” (Acts 17:23), the Bible teaches us that “every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17). Here, then, is a real Father who is steadfast and trustworthy in the loving care of His children, who are kept as the “apple of His eye” (Deut. 32:10). As Scripture reveals Him to us:
His presence is eternal; He is never far away; He does not faint or grow weary; He is righteous and kind in all His ways; and He stands as a mighty rock and fortress that can never be shaken (Isaiah 40:28; Jeremiah 23:23; Psalm 145:17; Psalm 18:2).
Are these not the trustworthy attributes of the perfect father who is able to rescue his hopeful children in their time of need?
Thankfully, the temporal and spiritual orphans of this world are not without hope. If their spiritual eyes are opened to it, they will see the light of Jesus Christ to guide them to their heavenly Father. Indeed, to all those who receive Jesus, the Son of God, and believe in His name, He has given them power to become “children of God; who are born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God” (John 1:12-13; John 3:18).
The implications of this truth should be astounding to the fatherless and the unloved. Though their mothers and fathers in the flesh may have forsaken them, those born of the Spirit are received into the family of God as His children (Psalm 27:10; John 3:6; II Corinthians 6:18). Being “born of God,” therefore, is the process of one’s rebirth attended by the Spirit to quicken him and make him “pass from death to life” in Christ (John 5:24). “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Thus, the newly-born of God, hungering and thirsting for righteousness in their spiritual infancy, will come to Jesus with a childlike humility to be raised in the faith by the grace of God. And not only will they be adopted and embraced as “sons and daughters” of God (2 Corinthians 6:18), but they will also be “co-heirs with Christ” (Romans 8:17), having obtained an eternal inheritance found in the glory of heaven (Ephesians 1:11; Colossians 3:24; Hebrews 9:15; I Peter 1:4).
RESTING IN THE ARMS OF THE TRUE FATHER
Not everyone, of course, is searching for a trustworthy father-figure in their idols. Those who stray from God come from all walks of life, and rebellion against Him is not the exclusive territory of those who suffer from a neglectful father or the experience of a bad childhood. Spiritually speaking, however, people who think they have found satisfaction in the arms of their cold-hearted sins have no idea what they will miss if they never feel the strong, loving embrace that God gives to His children.
During His earthly ministry, Jesus wanted lost souls to comprehend the great truth of God’s grace, mercy and loving-kindness. Thus, He told the poignant tale of a father and his wayward son, which J. C. Ryle has described as “a mighty spiritual picture” of the infinite love that God has towards sinners who come to Him in authentic repentance and faith.
The Lord’s parable unfolds in Luke 15 as He tells the story of the youngest son in the family who, in defiance of his father, was given his inheritance and ran away to spend it on good times and riotous living. Before long his funds were spent and he was reduced to working in a filthy pig sty where the swine ate better than him. Conscious of his guilt and weary of his own sinful way, the penitent young son returned home fully expecting to be angrily rejected by his father. But much to his surprise, the son was accepted with open arms by his father, who “saw him from afar and felt compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him much” (Luke 15:11-32). To this touching climax, Charles Spurgeon remarked:
His father kissed him eagerly. He did not delay a moment; for though he was out of breath, he was not out of love. “He fell on his neck, and kissed him much.” There stood his son ready to confess his sin; therefore did his father kiss him all the more… and he that was willing to use his lips for confession, found that his father was willing to use his lips for kissing him.
Indeed, “the condescension of God towards penitent sinners is very great,” says Spurgeon of this parable. “He seems to stoop from His throne of glory to fall upon the neck of a repentant sinner… What a wonderful picture! Can you conceive it? When God’s arm is about our neck, and His lips are on our cheek, kissing us much, then we understand more than preachers or books can ever tell us of His condescending love.”
The rich spiritual tapestry of this prodigal son’s tale, therefore, should warm the heart of every idol-worshipper who desires to return home to the one true God. Yes, in the embrace of our homecoming, we will surely “stink of pig in the Father’s arms,” as Glen Scrivener once put it. Yet by the grace of God, the quickening of the Spirit and our belief in Christ, we will find joyful reconciliation with God.
“Not only are we pardoned at law, through the representative obedience and suffering of Christ,” writes Douglas J. W. Milne, “but through our union with Him by faith, we are received as extra children at the Father’s hearth and home, the brothers and sisters of Jesus, whom He loves like his only Son (Rom. 8:28–30). He lavishes His love and care on us, because we are precious to Him as those He has predestined for adoption.”
In love He predestined us for adoption to Himself as sons and daughters through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, with which He has blessed us in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:4-6). For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons and daughters, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” (Romans 8:15).
What a blessing it is to know we can cry out to the merciful Father when we discover no trustworthiness in our self-made gods or earthly elders. Although the devil may whisper in your ear, “You are not a child of God,” you don’t have to believe this crafty old liar if you’ve seen with your own eyes the gospel light of Jesus Christ and believed in His name to be born again as a child of God. It is a sure testament to our status as His sons and daughters, which is sealed in the indwelling Spirit to bring us true peace and joy.
Long ago, Spurgeon preached about the believer’s spiritual adoption into the family of God, saying, “It leads to nearness to God and fellowship with Him; it excites trust, love, and vehement desire, and creates in us reverence, obedience, and actual likeness to God.”
Thus, the child of God has learned the truth about the family resemblance between God and man. Finding true peace and joy in this world was never about trusting a god that looks like you, but rather about you looking more like the God who has revealed His trustworthiness in the steadfast love of His children.
