O Lord God of hosts, who is a strong Lord like unto thee?

–Psalms 89:8

In the greatest SF novel ever written, A Canticle for Liebowitz, an anti-Christian government replaces the customary statue of Christ at an aid station with a statue of “Mercy.” Mercy is an insipid, androgynous figure with bovine eyes.

We Christians too often do that same work in our own hearts. We replace the overpowering image of Christ, whose mercy is meaningful because of the strength of his justice, whose weakness in mortality was a voluntary sacrifice, with an insipid figure who is merciful because he is ineffectual and who is weak because he is weak.

Mormons do the same thing sometimes. There is a speculative theory out there that God has no actual power, but that the universe does what He asks to be nice, because He’s a likeable guy.

Ha!

We are afraid of violence and power because we are weak ourselves. We are making a God in our own image.

But He is not made in our own image. He is making us in His.

God’s power and strength is an essential part of His character. He is master.

Even in your hearts, there will he rake . . .
Therefore in fierce tempest is he coming,
In thunder and in earthquake, like a Jove,
That, if requiring fail, he will compel.