Who is God? Any time we surrender our will to someone or something, that to which we surrender we make god for that time and place. When we allow someone or something to become a power greater than ourselves, that person or experience functions as a god in our lives. There are all kinds of things we can give that kind of power: ego, intellect, industry, pleasure, objectivity, fear, envy, bitterness, resentment, revenge, pain, or loss, to name a few.
The Christian scripture uses two nouns as synonymous with God: love and light. If Christians take seriously the notion that God is love, then by extension, Christians surrender to love, recognizing love as the most powerful force in their universe. If Christians take the writers of John’s Gospel and 1 John seriously, they entrust their lives to love.
The great challenge of following Jesus is consistently surrendering your life to the God whom Jesus reveals, the same God whom John names love. Look closely at Jesus’ prayers. Jesus taught his followers to pray saying, “lead us not into temptation,” (Matthew 6:13) or as the NRSV renders the Greek, “do not bring us to the time of trial.” Notice he did not teach his followers to deliver themselves from temptation or save themselves from the test. They are to pray that God will do this for them (that love will guide their steps.) Surrendering to God (to love) is the key to following Christ!
Jesus’ most common prayer in the New Testament is that God’s will be done. He teaches his followers to pray using the same phrase. The Christian faith, at its core, is all about surrendering to love.
Walking the loving path, following Jesus in every circumstance, is not about will power or determination. It is about surrendering to the Spirit of Christ. Sometimes our fierce independence leads us to balk at surrendering to anything or anyone. We want to be in charge—in control.
If we are honest with ourselves though, we will admit that we surrender our will all the time. We surrender to all kinds of impulses, experiences, individuals, and groups. The challenge of following Jesus is to surrender only to God, only to love, to light. When we are buffeted by life, we need to consciously choose where we grant influence or control. If we don’t make that choice consciously, we will make it unconsciously. We will grant influence to a passing emotion, a fleeting impulse, or a momentary desire.
So how do people become Christians? They surrender their lives to Christ–but here’s the rub–surrender is continual! Each moment, we are tempted to surrender our wills to countless emotions, impulses, desires, individuals, or groups.
How can anyone consistently surrender his or her life to Christ, give his or her life and will over to the God of love? Practice! Those who are determined to follow Christ give their lives to love in the little things, in the everyday moments. They consciously give the little worries, frustrations, and passing trials to God, who is love. They entrust their lives to Christ-consciousness as they clean the house, take a walk through a beautiful neighborhood, and sit with a friend. They become disciples inch-by-inch, moment-by-moment. They condition themselves to trust God in the small things–in the seemingly mundane, so they can entrust their decisions to God when they face significant moments and meaningful decisions.
Who is God? Countless people have died defending their religious or philosophical answer to that question. Maybe it’s time we stopped worrying about defending our point-of-view. I am a Christian not because I find Christianity’s arguments more convincing.
I am a Christian because surrendering my life to Christ, who reveals the God of love, brings me peace that passes all understanding regardless of my circumstances. I know many others who have surrendered to love as well, and many come to that decision by means of other teachers, prophets, or experiences. I don’t think the path they took is near as important as the decision they have made. When Jesus was confronted by his disciples with the news that someone was healing in a name other than his (Jesus’), he directed his disciples to leave that person alone, saying “he who is not against us is for us.” We should applaud all who choose to surrender their lives to love!
In a practical sense, God is who or what you make god. Ideally, Christians give their lives to Christ, follow Jesus, surrender to love, and choose the loving path regardless of their circumstances. When they live that ideal, they provide a model for others to follow, and if those others need direction, Christians can guide others to follow Christ. When people surrender their lives to love regardless of the path that leads to their decision, we should all rejoice, for whomever is not against us is for us!
Well put! Your words inspire a shift towards atonement.