Twenty years ago the blockbuster movie Bruce Almighty was released. In it, God gives the protagonist – Bruce Nolan – God-like abilities for one week. The result is chaos as Bruce uses those powers largely for inept and selfish ends. The movie asks, ‘If you were given God’s abilities, would you use them for altruistic or selfish purposes?’ Even a cursory glance at human history tells us that when people have ultimate power, they usually abuse it. The adage is apt: “Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”
As we conclude our “Getting to Know God” series, we’ll thankfully see that God – motivated by love – uses His divine abilities for our good.
What is love?
When we read, (1 John 4:8, 16), we often fill the word ‘love’ with the meaning we prefer. Unfortunately, though, what is done is that a modern or secular understanding of love is smuggled into the passage.
