William Temple, a former Archbishop of Canterbury, understood the impact our view of God has on our faith. Pastor Trevor Hudson paraphrased him, saying, “If your image of God is wrong, then the more religious you are, the worse things get.” This is why Paul lamented that his fellow Israelites had “a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge”(Romans 10:2). Many religious people are passionate in their faith, yet their lives look nothing like Jesus—likely because their view of God is distorted. If we see Him as harsh and demanding, we may become rigid and judgmental. If we see Him as indifferent to sin, we may justify whatever we want. Our view of God shapes the kind of people we become.
Someone once said, “Tell me about the God you don’t believe in—maybe I don’t believe in that God either.” Many who reject God are really rejecting a false version of Him. But Jesus came to reveal the Father as He truly is—full of grace and truth (John 1:14). When we see God rightly, we don’t just believe correctly; we are drawn closer to Him and transformed by His love. When we fix our eyes on the true God, we will flourish in the right ways, reflecting His character to the world.
If we want to grow in Christ, we must begin with knowing God as He truly is. The better we see Him, the more we will be shaped by His grace, truth, and love. Let’s seek Him—not as we imagine Him to be, but as He has revealed Himself—so that our lives will not only be religious but truly Christlike.