Nothing affects your life more than what you believe or disbelieve about God. Your view of God shapes how you live, how you love, how you endure suffering, and how you face death.
Stephen Hawking, a famous physicist and atheist, wrote extensively about the origin of the universe. Near the end of his work, he admitted that if he could understand the “why” behind existence, he would “know the mind of God.” Though he denied a Creator, he still recognized that the deepest questions of life cannot be answered by science alone. Why are we here? What gives life meaning? Why does the human heart keep searching for something beyond itself? Those questions never go away. One may walk away from religion, but the question of God still remains. Deep down, people want to know: Is there meaning to life? Is there hope beyond suffering? Can I know God personally?
People instinctively know there is something beyond themselves. Even those who deny God often spend their lives searching for meaning, purpose, peace, and hope. God has increasingly been turned God into an abstract idea - a vague force or energy rather than a Person. But the God of the Bible is not an impersonal force. He is personal. He moves. He acts. He loves. He calls. And yet many people struggle with Him because life is painful. If God is all-powerful, why is there suffering? If He is good, why do we experience loss? If He is sovereign, why does life break our hearts? Those are not simply philosophical questions. They are deeply personal questions.
I have sat beside grieving families, stood in hospital rooms, preached funerals, and watched people wrestle with unbearable pain. In those moments, theology stops being abstract. Suddenly words like sovereign, holy, and omniscient carry enormous weight. Ultimately, God answered humanity’s deepest questions not merely with words, but with a Person. John 1:14 says that God became flesh and dwelt among us. God came near in Jesus Christ. If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. In Jesus, sovereignty is no longer cold power, it becomes a Savior who lays down His life for His friends. In Jesus, holiness is no longer distant perfection, it becomes a holiness that touches lepers and forgives sinners. In Jesus, omniscience is no longer frightening, it becomes a God who knows us completely and still loves us fully. In Jesus, God’s unchanging nature becomes our comfort, because His love does not fail.
That is the heart of Christianity. We do not discover God merely through philosophy or speculation. We know Him through Jesus Christ. You no longer have to wonder whether God cares. The cross answers that question. You no longer have to wonder whether God understands suffering. Jesus entered into suffering Himself. You no longer have to wonder whether forgiveness is possible. Christ died and rose again so sinners could be reconciled to God. People instinctively seek God in moments of crisis. Deep down, they know they need more than information. They need Someone to hold onto.
Who is God? He is the God revealed in Jesus Christ. He is the God who comes near. And He is calling you to Himself today.
— Reflections appears regularly on the religion page. The column features a variety of local writers, coordinated through the Monroe Area Clergy Group. Kevin Cernek is senior pastor of Martintown Community Church.
