Am I Irreverent?

I love my new class "The Christian English Scholar." So far this class has had the most relevant discussion concerning Christian art that I've engaged in since I've been in college. Since the students are all upper class-men, the discussion has been very deep and opinionated, which, as my friends would know, I LOVE! Deep opinionated discussion that is intellectually stimulating, and is open to new perspectives is where I come alive.

Today, the last opinion stated bothered me. We were talking about the commercialization of Jesus (selling crosses, paintings, T-shirts, etc.) and asking the question, is this an insult to the religion. The last student pointed out that the Jews don't say the name Yahweh out of reverence for God. They have upheld that tradition for so long that they aren't even sure how it originally sounded since vowels were only added to the language later. His point was that we have lost that reverence for God and he wishes that we would have it back.

Why should that point bother me? Shouldn't I want us all to revere God? Well, yes, but not in the same way. I believe there is a reason we can now say His name, and that it is a good one. That's the beauty of what Christ did for us on the cross: he made himself accessible to all of us. He made a way for us to come back to Himself. He made it possible for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him, and thus we now know Him. That reverence has changed from a distant, law-conscious, impersonal relationship to a close, intimate, grace-conscious relationship. Jesus said, if you know me, then you know the Father. God told Moses his name because they had a personal relationship. Others only knew this name through Moses. Knowing a person closely means knowing his or her name; knowing them deeply.

Furthermore, restoring that kind of reverence highlights God's holiness without acknowledging His love. In His Word, God clearly says, He wants us to know Him more than He wants us to sacrifice, or follow the law (Hosea 6:6). I want God's people to understand His love more than anything else. That is His essence; that is who He is. God is love.

There are reasons why the scripture is not revered the way it used to be: because we have the Word inside of us, namely, Holy Spirit. We worship God, not His word. The value is in the relationship, not the formalities. Yes, I revere God. Yes, I value the scriptures. Yes, I am hurt and insulted when others insult Him. But is God actually insulted? How can He be insulted by a people who can't even love Him without His help to begin with? And if He is insulted, His love transcends it, because while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. While we were screaming curses in Jesus' face, while He was dying in the most painful and humiliating way, while He was positioned in the most vulnerable place possible, He looked up and asked God to forgive us, "For they know not what they do," He said.

That God is accessible to each of us is a beautiful thing. Taking His name off of my lips just isn't going to happen.

Perhaps I'm irreverent. Perhaps I'm wrong. Forgive me if I am.