A few weeks ago, my wife and I celebrated our 18th anniversary. During the past 2 decades, I’ve learned a great deal about how to stay in the good graces of my wife. I know what sorts of things I say that upset her, what kind of gifts she likes, and what the boundaries of our marriage are. Some of those boundaries were stated explicitly in our vows, including that I wouldn’t date other women, that I would take care of her, that I wouldn’t abandon her, etc. Other boundaries fell into the “figure it out as you go” category, like how not talking with her when she is upset tends to make the situation worse or that teasing her about her family is a great way to bring about her wrath. Those boundaries are not hindrances. Rather, they are the guidelines for being in a relationship with my wife. This is a simple, straight-forward idea, which is why I am opening with it. When we read the Bible, God offers his perspective on His creation. God made people so that they could have a relationship with Him. He loves us and He intended to have a connection to us. As an analogy, the Bible often uses parent-child and husband-wife relationships to help us understand Him. In fact, there is a whole book in the Old Testament, where God commands Hosea, a prophet, to marry a prostitute, named Gomer. Hosea loves his wife, but Gomer isn’t interested in her husband. She runs around cheating on him, going so far as having children with other men. Hosea is heartbroken and lives in anguish over his beloved’s infidelities. Time and again Hosea takes his wife back, because he loves her. God explains to Hosea that this is what it is like for Him. God loves the people He created. He pursues them throughout their lives, calling them to be in a loving relationship with Him. We are those people He is pursuing. When we love things more than we love Him, He is offended and hurt. Just like with my wife, there are boundaries for our relationship with God. When we cross those boundaries, it is sin. Sin is literally damaging our relationship with God. When we steal, hate, lie, ignore Him, or hurt His children, we cross the boundaries and offend God. It’s the same as with my relationship with my wife. I hurt her when I cross the boundaries. Fortunately, God is forgiving. The story of Christianity is the story of God providing forgiveness through Jesus’ death in our place. He was punished for the times when I (and you) cross the boundaries in our relationship with God. It’s important to understand that sins aren’t things we pile up, like speeding tickets. The cops aren’t worried about my offending them with my bad driving. Sins are like cheating on your spouse. God is passionate about wanting to be close with us, like a love-struck groom pines for his bride. He isn’t a cosmic cop, waving a finger at us. All of Christianity is about being in a close, loving relationship with God. We talk to Him, read His words for us, spend time with Him, attend family get-togethers, etc. This is the God we find in the Bible. He is far better than the poor imitations of Him that find their way into the cultural understanding of Christianity.
