Pretending that God must give an account to people, rather than the other way around, deadens the heart to the need for a Savior.
Anyone who has ever tracked down the thief who ate the last row of Oreos knows that it is a common tactic for the accused to go on offense. The guy with black crumbs in the corner of his mouth accuses others of being greedy. (I speak from experience here).
After all, the best defense is a good offense.
Or is it?
Where cookie theft is concerned, it may work to put your accuser on defense. But with God it is an eternally danger game to presume that God is on trial. Could anything more ludicrous than the idea that God must give an answer to us? And, I say this soberly, it’s a hell of a thing to be wrong about.
Yet people accuse God all the time. Here’s why. All of us, even young children, have the law written on our hearts (Romans 2:14-15
). Unbelievers know deep down, whether they admit it or not, that they must answer to God. They know that conduct matters without even being told this is the case.
But many, rather than face up to the fact that they must answer to God, choose to go on offense. As C.S. Lewis pointed out, modern man has a tendency to presume that God is on trial. So those who should be on defense believe that where God is concerned, the best defense is a good offense. They start to point their fingers at God with “hard” questions and passionate excuses:
- Why does God allow suffering?
- Everyone disagrees about what the Bible teaches. It just says what you want it to say. Or it’s too hard to understand the Bible.
- My parents messed up my life. I can’t be responsible.
- Does God really expect that I should go to church when there are so many hypocrites there?
- My circumstances are too difficult for God to really expect me to obey him?
- God’s plan is just too hard for me?
- I’m doing my best so God will be okay with that.
- God won’t be upset if I don’t go to church.
There is an aspect of this game of accusing God which “works.” In the short run, it deadens the conscience to the person who is rejecting God. It helps people sleep at night. They feel okay about rebelling against God in an ongoing way because they feel they have their reasons.
And that is why going on the offense with God is such a dangerous game. Fooling ourselves into believing that God is on trial deadens the conscience to the need for a savior.
But rest assured. God isn’t on trial. He’s not in the dock. Hear the warning of Romans 9:20: “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, ‘Why have you made me like this?'”
We must all answer to God. Whoever believes in the Son has life, but for the one who does not, the wrath of God abides on him (John 3:36).
Great post! Love the C.S. Lewis quote too!
Amazing how u can turn a personal story of getting caught eating the last oreos into a great article…nice work of getting focus of your high crimes of Oreo thievery off yourself..and nice work on article too!
It’s humbling. Allison once wrote a story about me with the title, “The Goodie Grabber.” Have a great day!
Where would you draw the line between “putting God on trial” and “asking honest questions”?
Because, sometimes the writers of Scripture ask questions of God that would make us blush, particularly portions of the Psalms. They question (or accuse?) God of forgetting His covenant, of casting off His promises once made to them. Or, consider Jesus on the cross, who cried out to God, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” There is real emotion, real frustration, real questioning in these statements. We’re detached from such emotions when we read such things, and so it’s difficult for us to understand the audacity of such questioning.
Now, it’s important where we, as humans, finish. The Psalmists resolve their passionate God-trial-like speech ultimately affirming His glory and faithfulness. So, wasn’t their absurd way of speaking to God necessary to bring them to their conclusion, necessary for their process of transformation? Of course putting God on trial is one of the most absurd and inappropriate activities we could ever imagine we were engaging in. But sometimes it takes that level of absurdity for us to realize how broken we are, how trivial and foolish our complaint is, and how other God is.
In conclusion, perhaps it’s not whether or not we put God on trial, but where putting God on trial leads us.
Christ on the Cross is a unique situation so I don’t know if that helps us.
But your point regarding the Psalter or Job or other passages is true enough.
I think the importance is that the person must be humbly seeking God. It’s one thing to be broken and to cry out in pain to God and then per Proverbs 2 to seek wisdom as looking for precious jewels. The danger comes for the cocksure person who gives a dismissive wave of the hand to God on the basis of some contrived charge. As in, “I don’t go to church because of hypocrites.”
The awful part is that those who hear God’s voice today, may not hear it tomorrow, and then all the warnings of Hebrews 6 and other passages come into force.