Is God on My Side or Am I on God's Side?

All this talk about "thinking" I've been doing, it seems to me, boils down to a simple either-or option. It is one or the other. It can't be both.

Do I allow God's ways (God's truth, God's thoughts) to shape the way I think OR do I use God (i.e., the Bible, the church) to validate what I believe, that is, how I think?

Throughout human history, we humans have claimed that God is "on our side." In our theological debates, in our stances on moral issues, in our political positions, in our wars - we claim our position is God's position. In other words, to disagree with us is to go against God. Our confidence that God is "on our side" frees us from having to examine what we believe or listen to what others believe. We avoid genuine dialogue opting, instead, to dig in and defend our position while attacking the other's. The inevitable outcome is division and alienation.

This claim - or, should I say "false claim" - is more about us than it is about God. We like to be "right." We like being certain.

This desire for certainty is a part of merit-based thinking. "Being right" is another form of "being good." It reflects our effort to be acceptable to God based on what we do. This "being right" mentality does not know grace and, consequently, does not reflect a spirit of grace.

A key indicator that God's truth and God's ways are shaping our thinking is grace. We live with a spirit of humility as we trust God's grace, knowing our relationship with God is not based on being good or right. We relate to others with grace, expressed in unconditional acceptance and forgiveness. We value people more than rules or laws, relationships more than "being right," reconciliation over division. We understand that living out of grace is what it means to be "right."

Sometimes, when we think we are "right" because God is on our side, we are actually wrong because we haven't gotten on God's side. God's truth and God's ways of grace haven't shaped our thinking ... and it shows in our attitudes toward those with whom we disagree.