Research Reveals What God Looks Like
Thanks to research, we now know what God looks like. And He looks a lot like you.
Psychologists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill surveyed 551 Christians and asked, “What do you think God looks like?” And not surprisingly, they saw God like they see themselves.
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If God looks like us, then the American God would look like this composite of 50 faces that represent the collective demographics of the US population. Caucasians pictured a white God.
- African-Americans saw a dark-skinned God
- Liberals saw God as younger, more feminine, and more loving.
- Conservatives saw God as more powerful.
- Young adults saw a younger God.
- Attractive people saw an attractive God. [Source]
This picture of God is nothing new. We’ve always been guilty of creating God in our own image. That makes life easier for us. If God is already like me, I don’t really have to change my life, do I?
Of course, I know God looks nothing like me. Being created in His image (Gen. 1:26-27) has absolutely nothing to do with physical characteristics. Instead, my goal is become more and more like Him. God has called me to conform to the image of His Son (Rom. 8:29).
I take this very seriously because, to the watching world, I communicate what God looks like. If I call myself a devoted follower of Christ, but I act like a jerk, I can give others the impression that God is a jerk too. Why would someone else want to worship a God whose followers are judgmental, arrogant jackwagons?
- If I’m judgmental, I point to a judgmental God.
- If I’m apathetic about the lives of others, I point to a distant God who doesn’t care.
- If I’m gracious, I point to a God full of grace.
- If I’m forgiving toward those who do boneheaded things, I point to a God who has forgiven all my boneheadedness.
So I make it my goal to live a life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23), because that is how I want others to see God.
And that is exactly who He is.
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This post supports the study “God’s Promise of Fruitfulness” in Bible Studies for Life and YOU.
Related post: What Does Jesus Look Like?
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