Our culture celebrates ‘freedom’ (or at least our brand of it) above almost anything. We value the freedom to live and think without boundaries. Even though creativity is beneficial in many areas of life, there is great danger associated with unrestricted thinking about God.

“It needs to be said with the greatest possible emphasis that those who hold themselves free to think of God as they like are breaking the second commandment.”

J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 47.

Free thinking about God leads to imposing human characteristics or attitudes or definitions on Him. We end up saying things like, “God is too loving to allow the innocent to suffer” or “God is too forgiving to punish sinners.”

Again, free thinking can be great mental exercise; however, our thoughts about God must remain within boundaries. We simply cannot allow our minds the freedom to define and/or describe Him.

We must build our understanding of God from His self-revelation. The only way to know anything about God is to listen to what He has said about Himself. To do otherwise is to worship the idol of our own imaginations.

“To make an image of God is to take one’s thoughts of him from a human source, rather than from God himself; and this is precisely what is wrong with image-making.”

J.I. Packer, Knowing God, 49

Knowing God requires submission to the mental boundaries of His self-revelation found in the Bible.

Have you allowed your freedom of thought to lead you to a god of your own imagination?