Dr. Mike Jones

Q: What do you think is the average Christian’s understanding of God?

A:I can only give my opinion based on what I’ve observed from the local church viewpoint, as well as the ‘drama’ that played out on national TV, in the name of Christianity.

Like most noted theologians and scholars, I too believe we have a biblical literacy problem in Christendom. Current statistics bear the facts out: read some of the major Christian researchers’ findings, such as, The Barna Research Group, LifeWay Research, The Pew Research Center, and Gallup poll – you will end up with these words from your lips, when you finish reviewing the statistical data;  “Oh … God!”

Only 45% of those who ‘regularly’ attend a church service, read their Bible more than once a week. In other words, 1 out of every 5 persons interviewed as churchgoers, say, they never read the Bible.

Therefore, when asked some basic Bible questions, such as, “Name the four gospels?” “Name Christ’s 12 disciples?” Very few people interviewed could answer either of those two questions correctly. And last, but not least, America considers herself a ‘Christian Nation,’ and yet, when a vast number of Americans were interviewed and asked the biblical question, “Who preached The Sermon on the Mount?” The majority response was, Billy Graham. Keep in mind, that America is not a ‘Christian Nation’ but a nation that has Christians in it.

There is much that can be biblically stated, as to why the average Christian has very little understanding of who is Jehovah God. But we will conclude with a couple of major areas that have hindered the maturity of Christians, in terms of understanding who God is, through His word.

One area is denying the ‘Fullness of the Godhead’. In some Christian circles, you hear messages only about God the Father, others, God the Holy Spirit, and Jesus only. The Bible teaches God’s Triune nature – one in His existence, but three in his persons. God the Father (creation), God the Son (redemption), and God the Holy Spirit (operational in the Church). We know that Christians worship one God who manifested Himself in three distinct persons in the Godhead, and it’s called “The Mystery of the Godhead,” as expressed in 1 Timothy 3:16.

The second major area: churches marginalizing biblical knowledge – which is another way of saying church leadership giving very little time to the most critical doctrines found throughout sacred Scripture. When was the last time you heard a sound biblical teaching on subjects, such as, the Holiness of God, the Sovereignty of God, the Providence of God, the Wrath of God, the Attributes of God, etc. The message of the ‘Gospel’ has been substituted with a whole lot of popular sermons, on How to write your own check with God, God wants everyone wealthy and healed, God wants you to be happy, etc; so, when the real trials of life come (and they will, because we live in a fallen world), this group has no solid foundation to stand on, because of what Jesus said, in His teaching on the Parable of the Sower, in Matthew 13. He said in verses 20-21, “The seed on the Rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems, or are persecuted for believing God’s Word.”

Last but not least, various television series, whether through drama and/or comedy have done an injustice in promoting healthy Christian values by showing the church, in darkness, rather than its glorious light; thus, giving people the impression, the church doesn’t offer much hope.

An example of this would be the popular/talked about American Television Series: Oprah Winfrey Network, called ‘Greenleaf.’ This is how it’s introduced to us throughout the internet: “The Greenleaf family, which runs sprawling Memphis megachurch Calvary Fellowship World Ministries, appears to be a loving and caring clan. Beneath the surface, though, exists scandalous secrets and lies. Greed, adultery and sibling rivalry are among the issues that threaten to test the family’s faith and tear the group apart.” 

We must return to sound biblical teaching, and let the chips fall where they may. 2 Corinthians 4:4, says it best, “Satan, who is the god of this world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe. They are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News. They don’t understand this message about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God.”