Is God furious at the world? Is God's stance toward the world hostile, filled with bitter enmity? Are we sinners in the hands of an angry God? The Orthodox answer to all three questions is "No." God does not have a hostile
attitude toward the world. We may be hostile toward God, but God is not hostile to
us. Instead, God loves us. »more
Recently in Godhead Category
Is God furious at the world? Is God's stance toward the world hostile, filled with bitter enmity? Are we sinners in the hands of an angry God? The Orthodox answer to all three questions is "No." God does not have a hostile
attitude toward the world. We may be hostile toward God, but God is not hostile to
us. Instead, God loves us. »more
The name of God defies conceptualization, but invites relationship. The sacred name allowed Israel to invoke God and establish a personal relationship with God. It allowed them to personally identify the God who chose to be with them and for them. God's desire for a personal relationship is at the heart of God's revelation. »more
"Of course, God loves me; that's his job." But apart from the incarnation, why would we assume this to be true? Let's pretend Jesus was never born. Now, ask yourself, how can you be assured of God's love? What reasons can you give that suggest you matter to God at all? What evidence exists to make the case for a loving God who is humbly interested in your welfare? »more
Union speaks of a deep, intimate bond - the highest level of relatedness that two distinct entities can possess. It is exemplified in the relationship between a husband and wife, or even more poignantly, between mother and child. It is not an absorption into the other. It is shared life that affirms and celebrates the other. »more
Compassion is at the heart of God’s character, and this compassion is expressed is divine tenderness. We must not only believe this, but also enter into the experience of God’s compassion in our lives. Armed with a heart of tenderness, our every encounter with others becomes a visible sacrament of Jesus’ love for human beings. »more
“God is light” (1 John 1:5). This powerful metaphor is used throughout the Bible to portray God’s truth, character, and work. Even though all images and metaphors have inherent limitations they are helpful in pointing us to and connecting us with God. The metaphor of light provides a helpful way to understand how Christ’s light shines but remains hidden to some. »more
To know God is know beauty; to know beauty is to know God. Just as God is the source of all truth and goodness, God is also the source of all beauty. God is the Supreme Artist – the Creator of all. Thus, everything that is beautiful reflects God’s artistry. Indeed, God is Beauty itself. If this is true, why does beauty play such a limited role in our spiritual experience? »more
Faith is spiritual sight. Faith finds the hidden God in nature, relationships, events, and objects. Since “this is my Father’s world” where Christ is Lord and the Spirit is given, all creation holds the possibility of manifesting the divine presence. Faith does not change the facts about the world we live in, but it changes the way we see these facts, & this makes all the difference. »more
God’s revelation must never be detached from God’s ultimate will for humanity. God is interested in much more than our becoming theists over atheists! God desires to transform our hearts in order that we might freely participate in loving union with God. God achieves this through the means of divine hiddenness. »more
“Truly you are a God who hides himself, O God of Israel, the Savior” (Isaiah 45:15). What exactly is the “hiddenness” of God? What reasons could God have in hiding? Could God's hiddenness actually be an expression of divine love? Perhaps in God's hiddenness, God is up to something. Perhaps God has good reasons to hide. »more
Perichoresis suggests dynamic activity and excitement within God's being. The divine persons dance in one another's presence. The shared life of eternal love between Father, Son, and Spirit is the "dance of eternity." We are invited to participate in this divine dance through union with Christ. »more
For some Christians, God's holiness is the very reason he must judge sin and destroy all that is imperfect. But when God's holiness is understood rightly, we discover that it is the very reason God refuses to come in judgment. God's holiness points to a love of another kind! »more
God's patience is a principal perfection of the divine nature and one of the chief ways God's glory is manifest to the world. Long-suffering love, not wrath, is the foundation for God's dealings with humankind. »more
By human standards, he was a loser, not a winner. And
certainly, a loser cannot deliver losers! However, there was more to this servant than meets they eye. »more
There is a conceptual difference between "everlasting"
life and "eternal" life. As believers united to
Christ by faith, we have everlasting life because we participate
in the eternal life of God... »more
God's love must be defined in light of the cross, and the love demonstrated on the cross is anything but a surge of positive emotions into which one"falls". »more
Although God's actions may seem plodding and slow to us, His faithfulness
to His promise never falters or diminishes. His slowness merely allows us more opportunity to trust Him! »more
