Is God our Security Blanket?

I had the opportunity to hear William Willimon at a local university today. His topic was "Security." He addressed the war in Iraq and how the views of women about war have changed since 9/11. It is speculated that this is because Sept. 11 threatened the sense of security of more US women. Dr. Willimon paraphrased Luther saying "Whatever you are willing to sacrifice your daughter for could rightly be called your god."

He then talked about how Jesus ironically speaks less about God giving security. In fact in a parable Jesus represents God as a thief who breaks in and then steals everything one has. God owns it all and he will be Lord over it all. In other words, God is more about being God than about being our security blanket when we need our things protected.

What Dr. Willimon is getting at is that Americans have such a preoccupation with their own security that they don't even have one inkling about the priority of God as Creator and Lord over everything -- including our security. Sadly this is true about many American Christians.

That is not how it should be. The church is a countercultural, subversive agent in the world. He said "the church teaches a different message. It tells us that the faith is not about giving our life to God or accepting God -- it about the fact that he takes us!" What a radical concept for many Christians soaked in American consumerism.

He quoted the Bible: "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." But, it is not a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a dead God -- an idol. Rather than thinking that God owns it all and that he is going to have it, we say "If God wants my life, then he will ____ well have to come and take it!" The Bible says he will.

This can be seen in the way Americans look at death. For Christians death is more a happy thing for it leads us directly to the one we love the most. But for so many, death is the most horrific thing imaginable because it is the death of their god -- themselves. "Too many pass from a life of self-absorption into the dark world of self-loss."

We need to be careful thinking that God's main task is keeping our peace or security. Israel learned that the greatest threat to their security was not the Canaanites or Assyrians. It was the Lord himself. The biblical message is that God will threaten our security in order to destroy our idols that He may take us for Himself.

And Jesus is no different. As Willimon says in his inimical way: "John the Baptist says, 'I have come to half-drown you, but there is one who will come after me who will burn you up.'" Jesus does not come to give us self-realization or self-affirmation; he comes to consume us in His glory.

God is not as concerned with our sense of security as he is with our holiness. As his justified, adopted children he seeks our sanctification. And true sanctification is "to have so much of our lives commandeered by God that there is not much left for us to protect." The God of grace is also the Christ who is a consuming fire. It is a gracious fire, but no less consuming. And that may threaten our security but it will not take away our peace.