What does it mean for God to be “our God?”
Nov 24, 2010
The Base for Grace - part nineteen in a study of the book of Hebrews
By Mike Gaudet
God wants to be “our God.”
Is this good news or bad news?
What does it mean for God to be “our God”?
Jesus died for us so that He could offer the New Covenant to us. “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” Luke 22:20 We can neither understand nor appreciate Jesus’ death until we understand the three New Covenant promises His death purchased for us. This article deals with the second of these three promises.
“This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time, declares the Lord . . . I will be their God, and they will be my people.” Hebrews 8:10
What does it mean for God to be “our God”?
“They will be my people, and I will be their God. I will give them singleness of heart and action, so that they will always fear me for their own good and the good of their children after them. I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear me, so that they will never turn away from me. I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all my heart and soul.” Jeremiah 32:38-41
When God is “our God” He makes an “everlasting covenant” with us. He “will never stop doing good” to us.
Because God promises to accomplish good purposes, good is ahead of us. It is guaranteed to us. When God is “our God” we cannot sever our relationship with “good.”
You------------------------------------------God--------------------------------------------Good
It is natural for us to believe that our disobedience alters this arrangement. We assume that our sinful choices have the power to separate us from God. We imagine that when we turn our back on God He is no longer “our God.” God does not operate this way.
When God enters into a relationship with us, the relationship is solid, secure. It cannot be severed by our choices. God doesn’t select us to be His people and then “de-select” us when we disobey. Neither does He become our God and then react to our sin by temporarily banishing us to a purgatory in between His love and His wrath.
There is no middle ground with God.
Either He is “our God” or He is not.
Either we are “His people” or we are not.
When God is “our God” He also exposes us to difficulties in order to give us “singleness of heart and action.”
God takes responsibility to cultivate responsiveness in us. Within the confines of “sufferings” God develops “perseverance” and “character” in us. “Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” Romans 5:3-5
God exposes us to difficulties because He loves us, not because He is angry with us. Within the context of hardship He drives the roots of our faith deeper into His love. This is why we are encouraged to “Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons.” Hebrews 12:7
God is a devoted Father. He wants to express His love to you and through you to others.
This is why He wants to be “your God.”