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Would the REAL God Please Stand Up?
There used to be a game show on TV called “To Tell the
Truth” where they would have several people trying to convince the contestants
that they were the real “whoever”. For example, there would be four panelists
claiming to be the real “John Doe”, and then the players would ask the four
people questions, and try to tell who really was the real John Doe.
Each of the four people pretending to be John Doe would lie to try to
convince the players that he was the real thing.
When they finally revealed who the real “John Doe” was,
the game show host would say, “Would the REAL John Doe please stand up?”
There are many different ideas of God, and many people who
misrepresent Him to others. In this
story we’ll take you through one episode of “To Tell the Truth”, where the
panelists are all claiming to be the “Real God,” and ask you to choose who
you think the real one is. What is
His personality like? What does He
stand for? What will He do when we
call on Him?
OK, let’s play… Would the Real God Please Stand Up?!
Deity #1
This deity looks like the nicest guy you’ll ever meet, a
sweet grandfatherly-type. He’s
got a long white beard, and his eyes crinkle when he smiles.
Ask him if you can go to heaven when you die, and he’ll say, “Sure,
honey – why not? Everyone gets to
go to heaven.” Everyone is welcome on his lap, and he’s good friends with
everyone. There is no one way to find him, because any way is OK
to him. Sounds great, doesn’t it?
When you ask him what he thinks of sin, he says, “Oh,
that’s old-fashioned. Everything
is OK with me, as long as it’s OK with the person who’s doing it.”
“But what about murder?” you ask.
“Well, what’s right for one person may be wrong for
another, depending on what they believe. But I don’t dictate that, even though
I’m god – everyone has to make that decision for themselves.”
“OK,” you ask, “but what about Hitler?
Doesn’t he deserve some kind of punishment for the things he did to the
Jews during the holocaust?”
Deity #1 replies, “No, I just forgave him – I like to
think of myself as a nice guy. So
he’s in heaven with me now. He can even sit on my lap if he wants to.”
“Did he ever tell you he was sorry or show any regret for
his actions?”
“Of course not. I
accepted him just the way he was. Isn’t
that the way a god should be? Accepting and tolerant of everyone.”
In further conversation with him, you ask him this
question: “If you were my dad, and my brother was beating up on me, would you
get mad at him and tell him to stop, and discipline him?”
“Well, no, son. Like
I said, I try to be a nice guy, and I couldn’t tell your brother what to do.
He has to live his own life - make his own decisions.
If I started telling people what was right and wrong or giving
consequences to people’s actions, why, they might get mad at me and say I was
intolerant. But the good news is
– I won’t tell you what to do either.
Isn’t that great?”
You continue on to the next deity.
Deity #2
This deity is kind of serious-looking.
As you approach, he is polishing his desk meticulously.
It looks shiny enough already. His appearance is perfect - not a hair out
of place.
“Hello,” you begin. “I was wondering if I could ask
you some questions.”
“Certainly,” Deity #2 responds.
“The last deity said that he doesn’t punish people, or
allow them to go to hell. How about you? Would you let Hitler into heaven if he
didn’t repent?”
Deity #2 looked horrified. “No! Of course not! What kind
of deity do you think I am?”
You feel a little relieved.
“So you believe in right and wrong.”
“Yes, son, of course I do.”
“But you forgive people of their sins if they repent,
right?”
Deity #2 is silent for a moment. Then he nods slowly. “Yes.”
You again are very relieved. “OK, see, I sinned last week
and…”
 WHACK!
Deity #2 whips out a baseball bat and slams it on the desk. “WHAT!
You SINNED!” Now his face is beet red.
You immediately drop to the ground in fear.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry. I’ll
never do it again. Please, please forgive me.”
Deity #2 continues to hold the baseball bat. “How could
you DO that!!!! Get out of my
presence, you worthless sinner!”
You start to walk away. “But I thought you said you
forgive people when they sin,” you say quietly.
Deity #2 is calming down a bit. “Yes, but you’ll have
to do a lot of good deeds to make up for the bad things you’ve done. Then,
well, I’ll think about forgiving you.”
You think for a second, and then ask, “OK – if you were
my dad, and I was feeling down and needed someone to comfort me, what would you
do?”
The deity thinks for a second, then raises the bat over his
head. “You shouldn’t need comfort,” he yells. “That’s just a sign of
weakness. I’d tell you to pull yourself up by your bootstraps, and get on with
life. And besides, you wouldn’t
deserve my love or comfort because of your faults and sins.
I can’t love people who are imperfect.”
You’re feeling uncomfortable and like you want to leave,
but you also want to win the game, so you ask one more question.
“Do you make people sick and cause tragedies in
people’s lives when you’re mad at them?”
“Of course,” he replied, “what would you expect?”
On to the next deity.
Deity #3
This deity is reading the newspaper when you meet him.
He looks pleasant enough. He wears little spectacles, and seems very
absorbed in what he’s reading.
“Excuse me…” you say.
He doesn’t look up from the paper.
“Excuse me,” you repeat, only louder.
Again, he doesn’t respond.
“Hey! Deity! I want to ask you some questions!” you
shout.
He looks up, appearing a little annoyed with you for
disturbing him. “Yes?”
“Aren’t you a part of the game? I want to ask you some questions.”
“Sure. Go
right ahead,” answers Deity #3.
“Well, what kind of a deity are you? I couldn’t even
get you to look up from the paper, “ you say, a little frustrated.
“I was busy,” he replies.
And besides, I’m god. I don’t have to involve myself in the affairs
of the people I created. I am so
far above them, and so superior to them that, well, I’m just not interested in
interacting with them.”
“So you created human beings, and now you just leave them
alone to fend for themselves?”
 “Yes.
Like a clockmaker who makes a clock, I created the world and everything
in it, then I “wound it up” so to speak, and it runs on its own. I don’t really have much to do with the world and its
inhabitants now. It’s too bad,
humans really are making a mess of things.”
You have another question for Deity #3.
“So – let’s say you were my dad, and I had been hurt and needed
help? What would you do?”
“Well,” replies Deity #3, “I don’t know.
I guess I would have to continue my “hands-off” policy that I’ve
followed ever since I created the world. You
have to understand too, that I have so many other important things to do.
I’m god, you see.”
“So you wouldn’t help me?”
“I’m afraid not, son. But look at it this way – I
won’t bother you either. I
won’t tell you what to do, won’t punish you if you do something wrong,
won’t disturb your life. You can
live it just the way you want to, with no interference from me.
I figured humans would like that, since they like to do their own
thing…”
With that answer, you continue on to question the next
Deity.
Deity #4
 Wow!
As you approach the throne of this deity, there is loud thunder and lightning.
“I am god,
the great and powerful one!” his voice booms, and you fall on the ground in
fear. There is a heavy mist rising from the area near the throne. Finally gaining the courage to lift your head and look
around, you can’t find where the voice is coming from.
You can see some light coming from the direction of the throne, and you
are in awe. This MUST be the real
god!
“Um, Deity #4, I would respectfully like to ask you some
questions.”
“You may.” Booms
the voice.
You’re startled by another crash of lightning. “O- O-
OK. M-my first question is - if I
was in trouble, could you help me?”
“RAAAAAAAAAAA!” exploded the voice of Deity #4. “How
can you question my power? Of
course I could help you. I am the
awesome, almighty god, who can do GREAT WONDERS!!!! Stand in awe of me!!!”
After you recover enough to lift your head off the floor
again, you say, “I’m sorry to have offended you. So you’re saying that you can do anything, and your power
is unlimited. So how would I go about getting help from you if I was in trouble?
“All you must do is ask me,” Deity #4 exclaimed.
“I can do anything! There is nothing I can’t do.”
You get excited. You’ve
found the real god. “Great,” you reply. “You see, I have these problems
with my family, and I have a serious health problem that I need healing from,
and one of my friends is oppressed by evil spirits…um, would you please show
your power and take care of this stuff for me?”
There are loud crashes of thunder and lightening, and your
heart is full of hope. More thunder and lightening. The deity is silent for a
while. As you’re waiting for his voice again to reassure you, you notice a
curtain behind the throne. The
curtain has been displaced a bit, and you can see a comical looking man standing
behind a computer. With the next crash of thunder, you see him pushing a button,
and then leaning toward a microphone. “I am god, great and powerful! There is
nothing I can’t do!” the little man says into the microphone.
You shake your head. “Wait a minute. Who are you? Who is
that guy behind the curtain?”
The little man behind the curtain looks over and realizes
you can see him, and tries to close the curtain. “Don’t pay any attention to that man behind the
curtain,” booms the voice of Deity #4 once more.
“I command you!”
You walk over to the curtain, and pull it back.
The guy’s face is turning red. “So you’re Deity #4? And all that
thunder and lightning is just for show?!”
He turns to you, shaking his head. “Yes, I’m afraid I
am Deity #4. You’re not supposed
to see me like this.
You’re getting mad. “Why the booming voice and the
special effects? And what about your promises?
Can you still help me with my family, my health, and my friend who needs
freedom? Or was that just smoke and
mirrors too?”
The little man looked very embarrassed. “I’m sorry,
son. I’m not really going to be
able to…well..follow through on what I promised I would do for you.”
You shake your head and walk away. “Goodbye, Deity #4.”
Which One is the Real God?
Let’s talk about Deity #1
You’ve had a chance to question all four “deities” in
search of the real God. Which deity
would you choose? Which deity would
you rather have as your god?
Let’s talk about it.
Deity #1 seemed ideal; he won’t punish you for your sins, and is loving
and accepting of everyone. Many
people would say this is a pretty accurate description of God.
Another attractive quality of Deity #1 is that all paths lead to him –
in other words, there really is no hell – only heaven.
This sounds like the perfect solution.
After all, the whole concept of sin, punishment for sin, and hell is very
unpleasant. Even most people who believe in hell wish that no one would
ever have to go there.
Were you comfortable with this deity?
Is there anything about him that bothered you? What about the fact that
he allowed Hitler right into heaven, without even having to be sorry for the
evil he had done? Or what about his
answer when you asked him what he would do if he were your father and your
brother was beating you up? How did you feel about that?
Now I want to ask YOU a hypothetical question.
If you’re from America, you recognize George W. Bush as the President
of the United States. Let’s say
that tomorrow morning President Bush issues an executive order saying that all
prisoners in the U.S. would be released tomorrow, regardless of their crimes.
This means all serial killers, terrorists, rapists, child molesters, and
other criminals would be immediately released into society.
Let’s also say that President Bush makes a speech on national TV
regarding this decision. Here is an
excerpt of this hypothetical speech:
-
“I do
not believe that we as Americans have a right to judge other Americans for
the things they do wrong. Besides, who is to say that what these prisoners have done is
wrong? They were probably just
acting according to their culture or upbringing.
How can we judge them for that? How can we punish them by putting
them in jail? I have therefore issued an executive order freeing every
prisoner, regardless of their crimes…”
How would you feel about
this decision by your President? I
think you would find it difficult to respect a President who had no sense of
justice; who didn’t think evil people needed to be punished for their crimes. Also,
you would be angry because he was unwilling to limit evil – in other words, by
having no consequences for their actions, he was basically freeing them to
commit the same crimes over and over again – and you and your family would be
put at great risk.
The argument I’m
developing here has to do with the concept of “moral relativism”- the
concept that there is no absolute right and wrong, and everyone can decide right
and wrong for themselves. Many
people in this “postmodern” age feel that this is the most progressive and
tolerant attitude to have. And many
people view God and spirituality through this philosophy.
Taken to its ultimate
conclusion, moral relativism leads to the examples I’ve mentioned.
If right and wrong are simply relative – if they change according to
the given situation, then there is no moral standard to live by.
If this is true, then “god” would be very much like Deity #1.
It’s true that he would be tolerant, but he would also accept evil with
open arms. Something about that
should give you the creeps. And
“god” would be like the President in the hypothetical example above. Do you really think moral relativism is a good philosophy?
Even if that meant that child molesters and serial killers would do NO
time in jail, and would be released to prey upon your family?
Let’s Talk About Deity #2
Deity #2 seems nice enough, until you happen to mention
that you sinned. Unfortunately, there are millions of people who view God this
way – judgmental, angry, intolerant of weakness, and unwilling to forgive you
unless you do an unspecified number of good deeds.
In fact, most of the religions of the world have some variation of this
“god”, including Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Jehovah’s Witnesses…even
some Christian groups seem to promote this idea of God.
Whereas Deity #1 is tolerant of everything and has no
standards for us to live up to, Deity #2 has standards, but they are impossible
to live up to, and there is no grace and mercy for our failings.
Deity #2 doesn’t seem to have much love in his heart for us, either.
Would you enjoy serving this god? How would you know whether you would go to heaven when you
die?
Let’s Talk About Deity #3
If you could sum up the attitude of this Deity, you would
say he just doesn’t care. He’s
like the father who would never play with you, never talked to you, but just sat
on his chair reading the paper.
He is pleasant enough, but he doesn’t have the
characteristics you would want the real god to have. His unwillingness to help you or become involved in your life
would be frustrating, and his lack of love for the human race is obvious.
If god is like Deity #3, then why did he bother creating
humans anyway?
Let’s Talk About Deity #4
This deity is probably the one who would anger me the most.
He makes grandiose promises, but won’t come through with any of them.
If you’ve seen the movie, “The Wizard of Oz,” you know that this
example was taken from that movie.
Many people say they believe that God is both willing
and able to help them. But
in reality, many people who profess this belief do not actually believe
it. Their lives and their prayers
reveal that they think God is impotent. They
think God is like Deity #4 – he promises a lot, and is supposed to be great
and powerful, but in reality he can’t help them, and they’re on their own.
They don’t believe in miracles; they don’t believe God will actually
intervene in their lives in any significant way.
This Deity is essentially a liar. He is making empty promises, promises he cannot fulfill.
If you were praying to a god whom you didn’t believe could really help
you, you would not dare to ask him for any real miracles, and you certainly
wouldn’t risk having faith that he would actually come through.
That would be too painful.
It would be easier, then, to go through the motions with
this god, and pray very vague prayers without any expectation.
This is religion that has a “form of godliness, but denies its
power.” (II Timothy 3:5).
Let’s Talk About the Real God
As
you may have guessed, the real God is none of these pretenders.
Unlike Deity #1, He does have moral standards and absolutes for us
to follow, and He does not embrace evil with open arms. He hates evil. In
Isaiah 61:8 of the Bible, God describes Himself: "For I, the LORD,
love justice; I hate robbery and iniquity.” In Exodus 34:6, He states that He “does not leave the
guilty unpunished.”
God
is a God of justice. Another
way to describe this aspect of God is to say that He is holy; that is, there is
nothing bad or evil in His nature, and He cannot accept evil into His presence.
For more on this aspect of God’s character, see “What
is God Really Like?”
But, unlike Deity #2, God is a forgiving
God (Exodus 34:6). He sent His Son
Jesus to pay the payment for our sins, so that He can now accept us into His
presence. It’s true that God
cannot accept evil into His presence, but when we are cleansed by the blood of
Jesus, God accepts us as completely pure and righteous before Him.
(For more on how this works, please see Why
Jesus?) The Real God also does
not punish us with sickness and tragedy when he is angry with us.
His discipline is always based out of love and designed to help us grow
and change. (Heb. 12:10-11)
Also, God longs to comfort us in our sorrows and pains (II Corinthians
1:3-5, Isaiah 66:13). For more on
these aspects of God’s character, see “What
is God Really Like?”
Unlike Deity #3, God loves us all very much (Exodus 34:6),
and wants to be intimately involved in our lives. The Bible says that He listens when we call to Him.
For more about His love and concern for us, see “What
is God Really Like?” and “Too
Good to be True.”
Unlike Deity #4, God is faithful.
He always fulfills His promises to us, and His power is unlimited.
When God sent His Son Jesus to earth, He made his intentions toward us
very clear; Jesus did miracle after miracle, healing broken lives and even
raising the dead. Jesus said, “If
you’ve seen Me, you’ve seen the Father” (John 14:9).
So God is both willing and able to do astounding miracles in our lives,
if we will ask and believe. For
more on this, see “Too
Good to be True” and “What
is God Really Like?”
We encourage you to read the Bible and pray, and seek to
learn more about the true character of God.
As you get to know Him, you will see that He is the perfect Father,
always ready to comfort, strengthen, protect and help us.
If you have questions about this article, email us at: joministries@f2s.com
Kurt and Marla Johnson
Copyright 2002 JOM
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