The God Religion Never Showed You

What's your picture of God?

Be honest. Not what you're supposed to believe. What you actually picture when you think about God?

Because I'm guessing it's not what Jesus knew.

And that's the problem.

Six Pictures Religion Gave You

Religion has given us six different pictures of God. And every single one is wrong.

Picture One: The Scientist

Some people picture God as a creator. A scientist. Someone who built this universe like a test tube experiment and now observes it from a distance through a microscope. God made it. God doesn't touch it. God just watches.

Picture Two: The Zeus/Jupiter King

This one comes straight from Greek and Roman mythology. God sits on His throne in heaven, distant and amused. He watches us stumble around on the stage of life like we're entertainment. He laughs at our foolishness.

Picture Three: The Puppeteer

Some people believe God controls everything. You think you're making choices, but God's just pulling your strings. You have no real agency. You're just responding to His manipulation. You're a puppet.

Picture Four: The Policeman-Judge

This is the one that hurts the most. God as the cosmic cop. Every time you mess up, He marks it down. Every sin gets recorded. And one day He's going to review the file and throw you in jail forever. You're being watched. You're being judged. You're one mistake away from eternal punishment.

Picture Five: The Santa Claus

This is the opposite. God is so good, so loving, that He would never judge anyone for anything. He just gives everybody everything. No consequences. No accountability. Everybody gets in.

Picture Six: The Mysterious Cloud-in-a-Box

This one's for people outside the church. God is some mysterious cloud that lives in a church building. Nobody can really understand Him. He's too mysterious, too confusing. But if you're sincere, you'll probably be okay. He's unknowable.

The Problem With All Six

Here's the truth:

The problem with all of these views is that they are impersonal and untrue.

That's it. That's the diagnosis.

Every single picture religion gave you is impersonal. God as scientist—impersonal. God as amused king—impersonal. God as puppeteer—impersonal. God as judge—impersonal. God as Santa—impersonal. God as mysterious cloud—impersonal.

And they're all untrue because they miss the whole point.

God is personal.

God is relational. God wants to be close to you. But religion never showed you that.

What Jesus Actually Knew

Here's what changed everything for me. Jesus, in His moment of deepest need, cried out to God and called Him:

"Abba."

"And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt."

— Mark 14:35-36

Jesus called God Abba.

That's an Aramaic word. It's the most personal, intimate word for father you can use. It's not formal. It's not distant. It's like our word "Daddy." A child saying "Daddy."

That's the relationship Jesus had with God.

"Jesus had this relationship because He spent time with God. He knew God personally. He prayed to God like you'd talk to your father."

Not like a subject to a king. Not like a puppet to a puppeteer. Not like a criminal to a judge.

Like a child to a father. Like a son to his dad.

You Can Have This Too

Now listen to what Paul says about this:

"For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

— Romans 8:15

"Abba, Father."

Paul says that when you accept Jesus, you have the right to call God by the same intimate name Jesus used. Not because you earned it. Not because you're perfect. Not because you cleaned yourself up first. Because Jesus made it possible.

"As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God. When we accept Jesus we are allowed the same personal relationship that He had with the Father."

That's the gospel right there.

You get to be a child of God. Not a servant. Not a slave. Not a subject.

A child. With all the rights and privileges that come with that.

God Hears His Children

Here's what this means practically: God hears you.

"Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared."

— Hebrews 5:7

God heard Jesus.

"God hears His children. He wants you to be a part of His family forever."

That's not religion talking. That's relationship.

God doesn't just tolerate you like a judge tolerates a defendant.

He hears you. He listens to you. He cares about what you say. Because you're His child.

So here's what religion never showed you:

A God who wants to be your Daddy.

Not your judge. Not your distant creator. Not your puppet master. Your father.

The kind of father who:

• Listens when you talk

• Cares about what matters to you

• Is present in your struggles

• Loves you for who you are, not what you do

• Wants you close, not distant

• Gives you freedom, not control

That's the God Jesus knew. That's the God who's waiting for you.

And religion—with all its rules and judgments and distance and formality—kept that God hidden from you. Until now.

Will You Come Home?

So here's my question for you:

Will you accept this relationship?

Will you stop picturing God as the scientist, the king, the puppeteer, the judge, the Santa, the cloud? And will you start seeing God the way Jesus did—as your Father?

"But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name."

— John 1:12

You have the power to become God's child.

Not someday. Not after you get your act together. Not after you prove yourself. Right now.

All you have to do is receive Him.

Accept Jesus. Let God be your Father. Come into the personal relationship He's been waiting to have with you your whole life.

And let me be clear: this isn't the Santa Claus version of God — the one who hands out blessings with no accountability. God is a loving Father, and real fathers correct, guide, and shape their children. Receiving Jesus means receiving His lordship, too. But unlike the pictures religion painted, His lordship isn't cold or distant. It's the protective, nurturing authority of a Dad who knows what's best for you and will never let you go. Come home — not to a lenient Santa, but to a real Father who loves you enough to change you.

And then you'll understand why anyone who knows God wonders why they didn't come sooner.

Reflection Questions

1. Which of those six pictures have you been believing about God?

How has that hurt your relationship with Him?

2. What would it feel like to call God "Daddy" instead of "Judge"?

Can you imagine that intimacy?

3. What barriers are keeping you from accepting this personal relationship with God?

4. If God truly is your Father, how should that change the way you pray, live, and see yourself?

Prayer

Father—Abba—I'm so sorry for the pictures I've been believing about You. I'm sorry I've seen You as distant, judging, controlling, or uncaring.

Forgive me for listening to religion instead of relationship.

Right now, I accept Jesus as my Savior. I receive the right to become Your child. I want the personal relationship that Jesus had with You.

I want to know You as my Daddy. Not as my judge. Not as my puppet master. Not as my distant creator.

As my Father.

Help me believe this. Help me live like I actually believe this. Help me call You "Abba" and mean it with my whole heart.

Thank You for showing me the God religion never showed me.

In Jesus' Name, Amen.