“So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardness of their hearts. Having lost all sense of shame, they have given themselves over to sensuality for the practice of every kind of impurity, with a craving for more.”
-Ephesians 4:17-19
You might have heard a popular slogan commonly heralded among non-Christians that goes something like this, “I don’t like the God of the Old Testament.” What typically follows is a list of perceived character flaws - things like anger, wrath, impatience, or injustice.
The misguided perception is typically based either on some tragic event or traumatic personal experience, some offensive content of Scripture (genocide for example), or both. Those uttering such statements have rightly inferred that a truly good, perfect, and holy God cannot possess inherent character flaws. In fact, a deficient, flawed, or imperfect God is fatally incoherent. Then, they wrongly surmise the God of The Bible cannot, and therefore does not, exist.
The faulty analysis of accurate inferences inevitably results in erroneous conclusions.
As R.C. Sproul stated in his book, Essential Truths of The Christian Faith, “Everything we know about God has been revealed to us by God.” Sproul was not only referring to the revelation of The Bible itself, but also referring to us as divinely created beings, and referring to the physical cosmos we inhabit. These three aspects of divine revelation are referred to as Scriptural, Mediate, and Immediate revelation.
Scriptural Revelation, from the Latin scribere, which means to write, is theopneustos, (God-breathed) revelation in the form of the sixty-six divinely inspired and superintended works that comprise The Bible. Think of Scripture as the signal or message sent out on radio waves.
Mediate Revelation, from the Latin mediatus, which means in the middle, is our divinely created and ordained surroundings of nature, culture, history, and language. Think of mediate revelation as a radio designed to faithfully receive and reliably convey the message sent out on the radio waves.
Immediate Revelation, from the Latin immediatus, which means in- without, and mediatus- middle or between, is the innate and irrevocable awareness of our divine Creator without anything between us - no mediator required. Think of immediate revelation as an ear perfectly designed to receive the message of Scripture, which is transmitted directly to us from God and indirectly to us through the radio of mediate revelation (nature, culture, history, etc.).
Imagine how ridiculous it would be to hide a gift if the intended recipient had no idea of who you were, and no idea you had purchased anything for them. Imagine how nonsensical it would be for the gift-giver to become angry with the intended recipient for not saying “Thank you!” Imagine buying a painting for someone blind or a windchime for someone deaf and then becoming angry if they didn’t rave about the painting and its colors or the windchime and its notes.
Scripture is God’s gift to humanity. It would ridiculous if we had no awareness of God or His gift. It would be malicious, in fact, sadistic if we had awareness of, but no ability to comprehend God or His gift. Romans 1 reveals that mediate revelation (nature, culture, history, and language) is perfectly sufficient to elicit an excuse-free awareness and comprehension of God’s existence, unmatched power, and divine nature. Meanwhile, Genesis 1:26 reveals that immediate revelation, our having been created by God, for God, and in the image and likeness of God, is irrefutable evidence of both God’s eternal existence and His perfect love.
God has not only given us the Gift of The Word (Scripture), but He has also given us awareness of the Gift and Himself as the Giver. Additionally, He’s given us the ability to grasp and comprehend it. It turns out that God has not only given us the Gift of The Word, but He is, in fact, revealed as the Gift Giver (God The Father), the Mediator of the Gift (God the Holy Spirit - see Rom 8:26), and the Gift itself (God The Son)!
The fundamental issue isn’t one of our lacking awareness or ability, but one of autonomy. Autonomy literally means self-law. Scripture reveals in Romans 5:12 that in Adam we all sinned because of what Jesus referred to as our love of darkness (John 3:19). We’re all guilty of transgressing not only against theonomy, i.e. God’s Law, but transgressing against God Himself. We’ve all chosen and decided for ourselves that we know better than our Creator. But in Christ Jesus, God has given us the opportunity to make a new choice (see 2 Tim 1:9-11).
People who flagrantly go on parading statements such as, “I don’t like the God of the Old Testament” openly expose their wanton ignorance. The fact that we have an Old Testament is evidence of God’s unfathomable love. Not only does God reveal Himself to us in and through history, nature, culture, and Scripture, but He is under zero obligation to do so. When Adam and Eve took the forbidden fruit of Eden and ate it… that could have been the end of the story (see Gen 2:15-17). Instead, King Jesus, our resurrected Savior and Sovereign, ensured the story would end the way He wrote it:
“...the marriage of The Lamb has come, and His Bride has prepared Herself. She was given fine linen to wear, bright and pure. For the fine linen represents the righteous acts of the Saints.”
-Revelation 19:7-8
He’s coming back soon for His Bride. The question is, will He find you hiding in the darkness behind the shame and sin of foolish statements like, “I don’t like the God of the Old Testament,” or will He find you revealed as a member of His Bride in the glorious light of His gift of righteousness by grace through faith?
Grace and Peace,
Kevin M. Kelley
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