This week I would like to host a guest post by Lynell LaMountain, a co-author of God Encounters, 2009, Pacific Press. Lynell's focus is on a healthier Encounter with the Gospel. Read and meditate on this post and let it bless your life and faith.

I think that a lot of Christians give Jesus and GOD a bad rap. Especially GOD. I suspect that this does not apply to you, but many Christians in the past have described GOD as angry - angry at us and angry with us - and that Jesus Christ died to make GOD's anger go away.
Not true!
Christ did not have to appease GOD by dying because:

1. GOD did not need appeasing, and
2. Jesus' death was not about appeasing.

Here is the deal: Sin does not equal bad things/immorality. Sin = Death! There is one Source of Life in the universe, and that is GOD. Apart from this Source, there is only death. Severed from this Source, we die!
Here is what Jesus did on the cross: He allowed the inevitable conclusion of our choice to be fully manifested in His life - which meant death for Him, just as it would have meant for us.
It was not that He died for the bad things that we do in order to appease an angry, vengeful GOD. Absolutely not! He switched places with me and you and allowed the consequences of my choice and yours to do to His life what it would have done to mine and yours. As a member of the human family, by default I was born separated - out of fellowship with GOD.
On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself my separation and gave me His fellowship - His oneness with GOD - grafting me back into GOD's family. On the cross, Jesus became my separation from God, which resulted in His death because separation from Life = Death.
That is how I understand it, and that is my imperfect explanation of it.
"For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:17).
We have a loving heavenly Father, who cares for us in every way and who cannot wait to reunite His family - us - where we will enjoy one another forever in His gracious Presence.

Encounter The Word
"Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities - the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all." (Isaiah 53:4-6).

 Some Encounter Questions

• What is your perception of GOD? How does Jesus fit into that mix?
• When you accept Jesus' offer and are reconnected to GOD and Life through Him, what does that mean for you today?
• What can you do to change the "bad rap" that is being given to GOD and to Jesus?
• Do you feel like GOD is angry with you? Do you think He wants to punish you because you think He is angry? How does this post help you deal with those false assumptions about GOD and your relationship with Him?