The Big Questions About God Sýnishorn

What’s So Special About the Christian God?

People who don’t believe in any God–most people in many societies–tend to have a single definition of any “god.” I mean that because they reject the very idea of God, they stereotype all gods into one single image. You know stereotyping people isn’t accurate or appropriate, and I’m sure God doesn’t like it either. It really is quite unfair to him!

The way I understand it, the God of the Christian faith is completely unique. He is very different from all other ideas of God that exist in other religions, faith systems, and cultures. I want to tell you just a few ways that are true.

The first quality that distinguishes the Christian God is that he loves unconditionally. That quality becomes the ultimate and true definition of love for a Christian. God loves you only if you obey and please him in other faith systems. While they use the word “love,” it only refers to a transactional arrangement. So, “pleasing god” means living the right way, worshipping the right way, performing the right kind of religious rituals, and treating others the right way. God will love you and overlook your mistakes if you do those things. It’s like a business deal between you and its god.

The God of the Christian faith loves because it is the essence of who he is. God loves the good and the bad alike. He doesn’t love people based on their performance.

A second difference between the Christian God and other ideas of god is that the Christian God is passionately looking for a relationship with you. In other faith systems, their god doesn’t ultimately care if you have a relationship with him. If you do, he’ll love you, and if you don’t, he won’t.

A third difference is that the Christian God comes to you and meets you where you are. In Jesus, He became one of us, to meet us where we are. He literally came to us because we couldn’t go to Him. In other belief systems, the followers have to go to their god. He stays in heaven and expects his followers to find a way to come to him through obedience and rituals.

A fourth difference between the Christian God and all others is that the true God sacrifices for you so you may be accepted. False notions of other gods say you must sacrifice to or for him to be accepted.

In coming to earth, the Christian God has already sacrificed everything for your sake. He died on the cross as the sacrifice for sin.

Finally, the Christian God has completely conquered death on behalf of us all. In other belief systems, their god may be powerful. Their god may even have power over death, but in non-Christian ideas, god hasn’t defeated death for your sake. The true God has.

For many more reasons, I love the God whom the Christian faith reveals. Really, who could blame me?

– Eliezer Gonzalez