I Don’t Believe in that God Either

The story is told of George Buttrick, a former chaplain at Harvard, who was often confronted by atheist students.  Once a young man entered his office, plopped down on a chair and declared, ‘I don’t believe in God.’  Buttrick gave a disarming reply: ’Sit down and tell me what kind of God you don’t believe in. I probably don’t believe in that God either.’  After that, Butrick told the youth of the true Christ, the corrective to all our assumptions about religion.  Indeed, Jesus is the answer to our deepest needs.

Many years ago, the Apostle Paul had issues with a group of believers in a particular area.  He wrote to them a letter we call the book of Colossians.  In this short work, Paul addresses their lack of spiritual maturity and consequential sinfulness with a fantastic revelation of Jesus.  Instead of giving the congregation a bulleted list of problems and solutions, Paul simply gives them Jesus. Isn’t that what we all really need?  The Apostle gives us powerful insights into Christ’s in what we call the book of Colossians, specifically chapter 1.  By reading just a few verses here, we can take in the greatness of Messiah.  This may correct some views you have about God and comfort your soul.

“For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.  He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers.  All things were created through Him and for Him.  And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.  And He is the head of the body, the assembly, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the pre-eminence.

For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through His blood.

And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight— if indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and are not moved away from the hope of the gospel which you heard,” Colossians 1:9-23.