Who Is God?

Who is God? This question is an ancient one for the human race. Who is God? is perhaps the most important question for which we should earnestly seek an answer.

God is Truth; God is Love; God is Life. Who is God? God is the creator and the sustainer of all in our world we perceive and every person that we ever will meet. That is who God is.

Most of us are familiar with the concept that we receive different kinds of love from our parents. Philosophically, it is generally accepted that our mothers give us unconditional love. Even most serial killers receive unconditional love by their mothers no matter what they have done. It is vital for their psychological health that human beings feel unconditional love from someone they love.

Conversely, philosophers generally hold that fathers love their children conditionally. Meaning, that the love of one's father must be earned—to at least some extent. This is also important to a well-developed psyche of a human being.

One of the many tragedies of the postmodern world in America is the tens of millions of people without a relationship with their fathers. This robs them of what they gain psychologically from having to win conditional love from someone they love dearly.

So, both types of love are essential for a healthy human person (in general—every rule has its exceptions).

Part of the discovery of Who is God? is the question: Does God love people conditionally or unconditionally?

One of the beauties of God is that the answer is: BOTH! God gives us fatherly love and motherly love at the same time. After all, God is the provenance of all love, so He must bestow both to us. God loves us! God is love!

This is easy to see in the simple example of how God provides sunshine and sustenance on the wicked as well as the righteous—demonstrating His maternal love. But it is deeper than that. God loves all human beings unconditionally because He created them.

At the same time, God demonstrates a greater love on those who love Him by granting them additional blessings; answering their prayers; blessing their loved ones; forming a loving relationship with them; guiding them through life's travails; forgiving their sins; and offering the incredible gift of eternal life. This demonstrates God's conditional love—His paternal love, which must be earned.

Now I must quickly clarify for my Protestant friends before they work up a lather: I do not mean we earn this conditional love through good works or being "good people." Good works must be done—but only as the result of our faith in and love for God.

I mean that we earn the conditional love of God based on the condition He has set down in His Word and communicated to us, which is this: we must accept His Grace—which is freely given to those who accept it in faith. We can only earn His conditional love by accepting His Grace.

Part of understanding who God is then, is coming to grips with the two sides of God's love for people. God loves us both unconditionally and conditionally. In my opinion. Thank you.