The Bible is a fascinating book. After reading the Bible for most of my 45 years, I continue to be amazed at how stories of the life of Jesus still seem fresh and new each time I read them. I suppose that is part of what we mean when we say we believe the Bible to be a special book, inspired by God and authoritative in all matters of faith and practice.

Reading about the life of Christ, who was the complete revelation of God in the flesh, reveals some specific insights into the character of God. It seems that Christ was trying to show us fallen creatures the character of our Creator and His desire to share life with us and "conform us to His son’s image."

Especially revealing is the way Jesus dealt with people compared to the way society dealt with people. Jesus told Zacchaeus he wanted to come eat with him before Zacchaeus repented and changed his lifestyle and values.

Jesus traveled through the despised country of Samaria and asked a woman who had been married five times and was living with a man who was not her husband to give him a drink and offered her "living water" before she repented.

Jesus saved a woman caught "in the act of adultery" from being killed, despite that sentence being the law of the land, before the woman repented of her sinful lifestyle.

Jesus healed people, who did not even say "thank you," when healing them violated the rules of the religious leadership.

Besides his own actions, Jesus told stories that revealed the character of God. He said God was like a father who throws a party for his disobedient son despite the son rejecting him and wasting his inheritance.

Jesus said God was like a business owner who paid everyone the same wage even when some worked five times as much as others He described God as a shepherd who would risk his entire flock to try and save one lost sheep.

Over and over Jesus demonstrated and explained the same characteristics of God’s character. He kept saying God’s character is unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness.

Unconditional love is love which puts the welfare and interests of another person first to make the unworthy to be worthy. It is frightening, and sometimes even painful, to be loved by God in that we cannot control God, we cannot turn his love off and on. It is even more frightening and disturbing to us when we realize God’s love goes beyond our boundaries. His love goes unconditionally to those that repel us. He always loves us and everyone. God’s love is ours to receive and we can do nothing to earn it. It is a gift which flows from his character. It is unconditional and does not depend on our worth, but upon His character.

Unconditional acceptance means that God takes us as we are. It is that kind of love which causes God to unite Himself with us in the midst of our struggles. He blends His life with ours so that where we go, He goes; what we do, He does. He becomes so involved with us that what we do hurts Him and blesses Him. The cross is the ultimate statement of God’s unconditional acceptance. It is at the cross that we see that God’s unconditional acceptance can never be defeated, broken or taken away.

Unconditional forgiveness means that God in Christ has forgiven the whole world in such a way that a relationship is reestablished with humanity. All the world’s sin is forgiven and cured but this does not mean the total consequences of sin are obliterated. This does not mean universal salvation. Even though forgiveness is already given, only those who come to God through faith will experience this forgiveness. Forgiveness flows from the character of God and is not earned by our remorse. We are forgiven before we ever ask, but we need to confess our sin and repent of our sin or this forgiveness does not become a reality for us.

When we truly experience the unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness of God, we become persons on a pilgrimage into Christ-likeness. We become non-judgmental servants seeking to invest ourselves in a world that does not love God. Jesus only seemed to judge those who were judgmental and put limits on God’s love. Legalists, who tried to control to whom God’s love is given were passionately condemned.

When the world reads about the group called Baptists, or sees a prominent Baptist on television, we want them to think of non-judgmental Christians who seek to demonstrate the unconditional love, acceptance and forgiveness of God. I wonder if they do?