Some people develop a picture of God based on conversations, movies, articles that catch their eye, and emotional books which mention God and seem encouraging. If we hunger for the Bread of Life and thirst for the Living Water, these sources intrigue us. Some people rely on feelings or general impressions to determine truth, believing they can create their own truth, their own God: “What do you want God to be? Well, that’s what he is. What do you want the afterlife to be? Great! I’ll see you there.” But truth and God are not hazy shapeshifters.
For an accurate image of God, you need to consider the accuracy of your sources. No science instructor would allow you to prove your hypothesis by citing your gut feeling or a story line from a book or a movie, so using similar sources for the most important decisions of your life should seem risky. The best source for knowledge about God is the Word of God. Consider whether the authors of the books which influence your view of God really know the Word of God so they can present it accurately. Where does an author stand on important doctrines? What topics may be affected by his or her beliefs? Are movie producers primarily motivated by truth and accuracy or by making money? Do you research the Christian and/or theological background of script writers? Think about the conversations you read online or hear at work or across the table or in the dorm and ask yourself whether the opinionated participants weigh their statements against the Word of God. Hmmm. Certainly not always.
Finding reliable sources for your view of God requires a conscious effort. The most important first step is to pick up your Bible. Read it carefully so you know what God is actually communicating. If you hesitate to trust your ability to understand the Bible, remember that God gave us his Word so that we can understand and follow it. Check out the link on this site for Basic Bible Study. God will help the sincere searcher who honors him and asks for his guidance. When you have opportunity to hear the Word of God preached and taught by a Bible scholar, someone who has proven a dedication to accurate presentation of the Word by studying it, someone who lives the truth he teaches, listen to him. Hebrews 13:7 encourages us, “Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.”
Acts 17:11 describes the Jewish Berean believers as being, “more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” They compared what they were hearing to the truth of the Scriptures they already possessed. Note that their additional study was because of an eagerness to learn truth and not because of a desire to oppose the apostles God had sent them. This is in stark contrast to the Thessalonian Jews described earlier in the chapter who, because of jealousy, attacked the apostles and those who supported them. As is often the case, the jealous Jews were also easily able to incite a mob.
We’ve had the Bible for centuries, parts of it for millennia. Over time, various individuals have claimed to receive additional revelation from God. However, as much as we would like to trust these people, according to the only reliable communication from God, they’re wrong. God is well aware of Satan’s efforts to deceive, our propensity to be deceived and to deceive even ourselves, and our tendency to believe the convenient; so he warned, “But the prophet who presumes to speak a word in my name that I have not commanded him to speak, or who speaks in the name of other gods, that same prophet shall die”(Deuteronomy 18:20). That’s an Old Testament condemnation of this deceit, but the New Testament warns the Christian of those who mislead today: “I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed”(Galatians 1:6-9).
Search for truth and accuracy. Be careful not to fall prey to worldly opinions, gut feelings, emotional stories, any teaching which contradicts the Bible, or a mob mindset.