The title of this blog may strike some as rather strange and even unorthodox. After all, we know that God is infinite in wisdom, knowledge, and goodness. But it would be incorrect to say that God doesn’t need anything or anyone. We say that because of the most perfect definition and description of God: “God is love” (1 Jn 4:8).
Let’s look at it from this direction: imagine a husband and wife reading the newspaper. Suddenly, their 4-year-old son bursts into the house scared to death. The little child runs with his arms open and yells out in a frightened voice, “Mommy, Daddy, I need you!” Any mom or dad would drop whatever they were doing and embrace the frightened child and say, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
If we understand that humans—for all of our weakness, frailty, and sinfulness—are made in God’s own image and likeness, then we realize that often we respond to our loved ones just as God responds to us in times of struggle. A fearful child running to his parents is saying, in effect, “My life depends on you. Help me!”
If that is true, then we can truly understand that God needs us because of his love for us. We cannot comprehend our value in God’s eyes. One way to understand this is that if you were the only person who needed Jesus’ death on the cross, God would have asked his son Jesus to make that sacrifice.
God Is Salvation
I know that it makes no sense at all: Jesus’ life for another’s? How can that be? The only explanation is that love causes people—and even God—to do unreasonable acts to show that love.
That is why it is disrespectful to imagine God as an angry judge. That image is totally false. God is not the judge; God is salvation itself. Any parent can hate some act that his or her child might commit. But no true parent can ever hate his or her child. The parent may be hurt, disappointed, and probably fearful for that child. But the love is still there.
Instead of God watching in condemnation as someone sins and hurts others, we should picture God as telling the sinner, “I love and need you. Don’t do that.”
We should take to heart what is written in Scripture: “The Lord does not delay his promise . . . but he is patient with you, not wishing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Pt 3:9).
God’s love for us is infinite.
