Circumstances cannot change God’s character: Is this a good thing?

Hamas released four female Israeli soldiers on Saturday under the Gaza ceasefire deal. As part of the agreement, Israel freed two hundred Palestinian prisoners. The hostages were handed over to the International Committee of the Red Cross before meeting Israeli forces who transported them into Israel. “Fifteen months we haven’t stopped crying, but now it’s from happiness,” said an aunt of one of the women.

According to Israeli officials, eighty-nine hostages—both living and dead—remain in Gaza. The Telegraph has an article with pictures and stories of the captives. They range from infants to the elderly. Assuming they know that some of their fellow hostages have been freed, what must those still imprisoned be feeling this morning?

Would you be encouraged for your future or in despair that you were not chosen?

Would you risk believing you will be freed, or does it hurt too much to hope?

Top Headlines. Non-Partisan. Biblical Perspective.

Get the Daily article in your inbox every weekday morning

Email

Subscribe

Such questions are relevant to all who are suffering. And they can lead us to the hope our hearts need most today.

God cannot be less than God

The Bible makes three claims about the character of God relevant to our conversation.

First, it consistently states that he is all-good, all-powerful, and all-knowing. For example:

• “God is love” (1 John 4:8).
• “All things are possible with God” (Mark 10:27).
• “[God] knows everything” (1 John 3:20).

Second, it claims that he is all three at the same time. He does not sometimes act in power at the expense of love, or the reverse. The psalmist testified: “Great is our Lord, and abundant in power; his understanding is beyond measure” (Psalm 147:5; note the present tenses).

Third, it states that his character is unchanging. He is not more loving, powerful, or omniscient today than tomorrow: “I the Lᴏʀᴅ do not change” (Malachi 3:6; cf. Hebrews 13:8). This is only logical: If God is truly the Supreme Being, he must be a God “than which nothing greater can be conceived,” as St. Anselm described him. He can only change by becoming less than God, making himself something other than God.

So we are assured that God knows our suffering, loves us enough to want to prevent it, and is powerful enough to do so. This, of course, is why we have such a problem reconciling the character of God with the suffering in our world. Consider just three events that occurred on this day in history:

• The siege of Leningrad was lifted on this day in 1944. During the almost 900-day German-enforced containment of the city, 650,000 citizens died from starvation and injuries from German artillery bombardment.
• Soviet troops liberated Auschwitz on this day in 1945, showing the world the depth of the horrors perpetrated there.
• Three American astronauts were killed in a launch pad fire on this day in 1967.

Anyone who has ever prayed a prayer that God did not seem to answer understands this hard question: If circumstances cannot change the character of God, what does the suffering of life reveal about his nature?

A Zeus or a Father?

If calming the storm reflects Jesus’ character (Matthew 8:23–27), does the existence of the storm also reflect it? If he had the power to raise Lazarus (John 11:43–44), he clearly had the power to prevent his death, as his sister so painfully noted (v. 21). Which circumstance more reveals his character?

Here we are forced to make a binary choice. As we noted, a Supreme Being cannot change and remain supreme. He is either a mean and arbitrary deity whose nature is revealed by the tragedies our world experiences daily, or he is a God who “is” love. He is either a prideful Zeus, whose capricious nature displays occasional fits of generosity as they fulfill his selfish aims, or he is a loving Father, who redeems all he must allow (cf. Romans 8:28) as a consequence of our sinful nature (cf. Romans 7:14–23) and fallen world (Romans 8:22).

Which is it?

Many people see the character of God in ways akin to the famous “Schrödinger’s cat” thought experiment: a cat in a box may or may not have been subjected to deadly poison. It must therefore be considered both alive and dead until it can be observed. In the same way, God must be considered both good and evil until his actions reveal his character.

If we have experienced more good than evil in our lives, we might justifiably believe that God is good rather than evil. If the reverse is true, we might come to the opposite conclusion.

But this will not do. There is too much evil in the world for observation alone to compel us to believe that God is truly good. But there is too much good in the world for observation alone to compel us to believe that God is truly evil. Therefore, we must make a decision through which we interpret the facts as we have them.

How should we do this?

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

The best way to determine the character of any person is to view them in their moments of greatest suffering, those times when any veneer is stripped away and they are nakedly revealed for who they truly are.

To view God in this way, go to Calvary. Watch the Son of God writhe in the grip of the worst form of torture ever devised. Hear the sinless Savior bear the sins of all humanity and therefore cry out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). Feel the agony of the Father as he allows his precious Son to die so we can be forgiven and live eternally.

Then hear that Son exclaim with his last dying breath, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” (Luke 23:46).

Would you make his prayer yours today?

Our latest website articles:

• “Four reflections on Bishop Budde’s message to Donald Trump”
• “First hostages released in Hamas–Israel ceasefire: Can there ever be peace between Jews and Arabs?”
• “Did China damage Taiwan’s internet service? Undersea cables and gray zone conflict”
• “Why would ministers ‘bless’ abortion clinics? How to counter popular abortion arguments”
• “Is the Equal Rights Amendment ‘the law of the land’? A reflection on presidential power and spiritual flourishing”

Quote for the day:

“The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.” —J. I. Packer

Denison Forum

On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump appeared via video conference in front of a packed crowd at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Trump’s statements leading up to his inauguration and in the days that followed were the talk of the conference, despite the fact that he was unable to attend in person. So when given the chance to hear from him directly, the audience of diplomats, human rights advocates, academics, and business leaders from around the globe were eager to see what he had to say.

Among the points most emphasized were:

• The promise that companies who choose to make their products in America will pay among the lowest taxes of any nation on earth while those who don’t should expect to pay a premium in tariffs. He made it clear that America’s allies would not necessarily be exempt from any such premiums.
• His belief that “After four long years, the United States is strong and sovereign and a beautiful nation once again. It’s a strong, sovereign nation.” (His emphasis)
• The need for the war in Ukraine to end and end quickly. Trump brought up Ukraine on several occasions and in a variety of contexts, but the thread that tied each mention together was his belief that the cost in human lives—which he claimed was much higher on both sides than has been reported—was too great to allow the conflict to continue any longer.
• His belief that America was being taken advantage of by both its allies and other nations around the world; an imbalance that he promised to correct through tariffs and other means.

Much of Trump’s speech touched on familiar grounds to any who listened to his inaugural address or the interviews that followed (for more on the president’s executive orders and first days back in office, see this week’s episode of Culture Brief). Yet, the context at the World Economic Forum makes quite a difference in how those thoughts were received.

Is America treated unfairly?

Instead of speaking directly to the people he was elected to lead, as has been the case for most of this week, the majority of those in attendance at Davos stand outside of the president’s direct influence. As such, when he spoke as though America could do what it wants, with the implication that the rest of the world would have to either fall in line or deal with the consequences, it struck a nerve with some in attendance.

Top Headlines. Non-Partisan. Biblical Perspective.

Get the Daily article in your inbox every weekday morning

Email

Subscribe

Agnes Callamard, secretary general for Amnesty International, spoke for many when she described Trump’s speech as conveying an “absolute determination to ‘make America great again’ at the expense of the rest of the world . . . It’s favoring American workers at the expense of workers everywhere . . . There’s nothing, nothing about the rest of the world.”

Of course, the implication behind Callamard’s critique is that Trump should be concerned about the rest of the world, and that belief highlights the disconnect between the president and many who view the world through a much different lens.

Trump is not president of every nation and he should be focused on America first. At the same time, every world leader should say the same about the countries they represent. Trump should not be surprised when his America First policies don’t find universal acceptance among the world leaders whose countries do not benefit from those policies.

That said, the stated goal of this year’s World Economic Forum is “Collaboration for the Intelligent Age,” so Trump’s message of America first was not quite in line with much of what the conference’s attendees had been hearing all week. However, collaboration is typically built upon the principle of a mutually beneficial relationship, and Trump clearly feels that America’s relationships with much of the world fail to meet that standard.

As the president reiterated Thursday, he believes that even the nation’s European allies “treat the United States very, very unfairly.”

The problem with that line of thinking is that “fair” can be a rather nebulous concept. And, while there are a number of lessons we can take from the president’s speech and the global response, that understanding of fairness is, perhaps, the most relevant to each of our lives today.

Witness or justice?

Dennis Wholey once quipped “Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are a good person is a little like expecting the bull not to attack because you are a vegetarian.”

Yet, despite the recognition that fair treatment is not always an option in this life, there’s something in us that gets angry when we’re denied the treatment we think we deserve. It’s tempting to even see that lack of fairness as a mark against the goodness of God.

From Job to David and a host of other biblical characters, anger toward the Lord is a common response when people are treated in ways that don’t seem just. And that’s alright. We should be angry when sin and the realities of living in this fallen world inflict injustices upon ourselves or others. Such instances remind us that this world is not what God intended it to be and that those who inhabit it are in desperate need of his salvation.

But this issue gets really tricky when we recognize that there will be times when God not only warns us that the world will treat us unfairly but also calls us to volunteer for that fate.

In the Sermon on the Mount, for example, Christ’s call to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile is intended to teach us that there will be times when prioritizing what we deem to be fair treatment will come at the expense of helping others to know Jesus (Matthew 5:38–42). In such moments, preserving our witness needs to be our highest priority, even if it comes at the cost of being treated unfairly.

And if we need help understanding what such a sacrifice looks like, we need only turn our eyes to the sinless Son of God who died on the cross to pay a debt that was not his own. Now he calls us to follow his example.

Will you be a “little Christ?”

Ultimately, none of what we’ve discussed today means that Trump is inherently wrong for pursuing a more aggressive approach to America’s trade agreements. The governance of a country will not always mirror the calling or responsibility of individual Christians.

However, the moment we begin to treat Trump—or any other person for that matter—as our example of what it means to live a moral and Christ-centered life, we’ve strayed from the standard to which God holds each of us. After all, the definition of a Christian is quite literally a “little Christ,” and we are meant to live out that identity every day.

So whose example will you follow today? And how will you react the next time this world or the fallen people in it decide to treat you in a manner you don’t deem fair?

Scripture is clear as to what our answers to those questions should be.

Will you listen?

Our latest website articles:

• First hostages released in Hamas–Israel ceasefire
• Four reflections on Bishop Budde’s message to Donald Trump
• Should we be holy warriors or ambassadors of Christ?
• Facts about presidential inaugurations you may not know
• Why would ministers “bless” abortion clinics?

Quote of the day:

“The Church exists for nothing else but to draw men into Christ, to make them little Christs. If they are not doing that, all the cathedrals, clergy, missions, sermons, even the Bible itself, are simply a waste of time. God became Man for no other purpose.” —C.S. Lewis

Denison Forum

Yesterday was a busy day. Ohio State withstood a second-half comeback by Notre Dame last night to win the NCAA football championship. Nearly three thousand of the world’s wealthiest people gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum. And retrospectives and remembrances related to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. were shared widely as the nation remembered the great civil rights leader. But, of course, the inauguration of Donald J. Trump as our forty-seventh president occupied center stage.

A New York Times analysis of the 2024 election concluded that voters “were itching for change” and “wanted someone to acknowledge that the status quo was not working for them.” Accordingly, the Times reported that the incoming president “wants to seize momentum” as he begins his administration.

That he did.

“A tide of change is sweeping the country”

Mr. Trump began his inaugural address by declaring, “The golden age of America begins right now.” He announced, “We are at the start of a thrilling new era of national success. A tide of change is sweeping the country.” As part of that change, he signed a large number of executive actions described by Fox News as “a massive, first wave of policy priorities” on a variety of issues. Among them was renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

Unsurprisingly, criticism of his leadership has already begun. One commentator bemoaned “the takeover of the United States by a base mentality of greed and corruption.” Our politics may seem chaotic and divisive, but consider this: over the last decade, the UK has seen six prime ministers, four general elections, two referendums, and the death of the world’s longest-serving monarch. South Korea’s president has been impeached, formally arrested, and faces possible imprisonment.

By contrast, Mr. Trump began his Inauguration Day with a worship service at St. John’s Episcopal Church, followed by a cup of tea with the departing Bidens. Mr. Biden and Mr. Trump then shared a ride to the Capitol, where all four former presidents attended the inauguration. For the first time in US history, foreign leaders attended the event as well.

The day ended with inaugural balls representing “the peaceful transfer of power, a fundamental principle of American democracy.”

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness”

Mr. Trump was blunt about the challenges and problems he believes we are facing as a nation. But he also stated, “My proudest legacy will be that of a peacemaker and unifier.”

To this end, consider a simple fact proclaimed by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in a 1957 sermon:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

Let’s reflect on the logic of his observation: A room is dark precisely because it lacks light. More darkness will not remedy the situation. Only light can defeat the dark. But the good news is that light always defeats the dark. Every time you turn on a light switch, the darkness is banished.

Similarly, “Hate cannot drive out hate.” If you have hatred in your heart for a person, more animosity will only make things worse. Tolerating the person may prevent hurtful actions, but it does not banish feelings of hatred or ameliorate their cause. As Dr. King noted, “Only love can do that.”

What makes us “good citizens”?

Here’s the problem: Unconditional love that puts the other person first, choosing to pardon their sins and seeking to restore what is broken, is a “fruit” of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:22), not human effort. No matter how hard you try, you cannot manufacture it.

This is why “wars and rumors of wars” will continue to the end of human history (Matthew 24:6). It is why past ceasefires in the Middle East have not brought lasting peace to the Middle East. And it is why America’s greatest need is for Americans to experience and share the transforming love of God in Christ.

Daniel Webster observed, “Whatever makes men good Christians, makes them good citizens.” And what “makes men good Christians” is imitating Christ as he “came not to be served but to serve” (Matthew 20:28). We do this by loving God in response to his love for us (Matthew 22:37; 1 John 4:19) so fully that we are then empowered to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:39).

Imagine a nation filled with “citizens” who loved their Lord and their neighbor like that.

Couple celebrates 82^nd wedding anniversary

Henri Nouwen wrote:

The great message that we have to carry, as ministers of God’s word and followers of Jesus, is that God loves us not because of what we do or accomplish, but because God has created and redeemed us in love and has chosen us to proclaim that love as the true source of all human love (my emphasis).

Here’s an example: Betty and Elton Denner recently celebrated their eighty-second wedding anniversary. A video of the couple went viral, amassing more than eight million views. In it, Elton bought a dancing walker so he could dance with his wife on her one-hundredth birthday. The couple dressed up as Cinderella and Prince Charming for the celebration.

Their daughter explained the longevity of her parents’ marriage: “They credit their faith in Jesus as the strength in their marriage, guiding them each and every day. The love of their Lord has blessed and sustained them through these eighty-two years together.”

What Jesus is doing for them, he will do for you.

Why do you need his sustaining love today?

Our latest website articles:

• “Is the Equal Rights Amendment ‘the law of the land’? A reflection on presidential power and spiritual flourishing”
• “Biden will commute sentences of nearly 2,500 drug offenders: How can we experience the peace of true forgiveness?”
• “How to be Jesus’ apprentice, not just a Christian: A review of ‘Practicing the Way’ by John Mark Comer”
• “Carrie Underwood to perform at Trump inauguration: What the backlash to her announcement says about our national future”
• “The death of legendary baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker: A reflection on legacy and empowering mission”

Quote for the day:

“Seek unity and you will find neither unity nor truth. Seek the light of truth, and you will find unity and truth.” —C. S. Lewis

Denison Forum