Is it Arrogant for God to Demand Our Love and Obedience?

The God of the Bible is a self-absorbed, narcissistic egomaniac. That's what some accuse Him of. I suppose I can see why. He wants us to worship nothing but Him. He says He's a jealous God. He gets very angry when people put anything in a higher place than Him.

Does this really make God arrogant, though? Does it actually make Him an egomaniac? If you or I were to be that way, these things would certainly be true of us. Why? Because we are not the ultimate things! We are not the ultimate anything!


But God, if He is the ultimate everything, is it really arrogant to believe that to be the case? I heard a very wise father once say that he didn't want his daughters to have "good" self-esteem. He wanted them to have an "accurate" self-esteem. It's not arrogant to believe you're the most important thing if you actually are.

Now, I have heard similar arguments before and I know that some people don't find them compelling. So, as I've been thinking about this concept, something occurred to me...You've probably heard before that all Truth is God's Truth. You've probably also heard that God wants what's best for us.

If God is all-knowing and all-loving, then He not only wants what's best for us, but actually knows what's best for us. So, when God wants us to make Him the focal point of our entire lives, perhaps we should consider the idea that maybe that's because that is what is ultimately the best thing for us.

Ask anyone who tried to live their lives without God and then decided to live for God. They will tell you that their lives are more fulfilled, they are more content, better able to deal with stress and are generally just better off overall.

Don't get me wrong. This is not an attempt to argue for the existence of God. I am assuming that God really exists for the purpose of this post. So, if you're going to write a comment that this doesn't prove God exists, save your time. I know that already. It's not meant to.

The entire purpose of this post today is to show that God is not arrogant for wanting to be the center of our entire lives. When one properly understands God's ways of raising children, doing work, finding a spouse, handling finances, dealing with conflict, etc., etc., etc., if one actually lives their life according to such principles, that persons life will just work!

Since many people believe that all Christians talk about is money, let's take the tithe as an example. If we actually learn to give 10% of our income what effect does that have in our lives? Well, for one thing, it builds a spirit of generosity. It also focuses us on being more responsible with the remaining money. We are more careful about what we spend and how we spend it. It helps to build discipline and self-control.

If you want to be happier, more content, more fulfilled, live a life of purpose and passion, do it God's way. God's way really is the best way. When we do things His way, things tend to work out in ways that most people could not even imagine. Don't believe me? Well, God already said not to test Him, but you can test my theory. Feel free.

I'm not talking about some kind of health-wealth gospel. I'm not going to say that following God's ways will give you financial wealth and live along and healthy life. You may find exactly the opposite. But in the midst of that, you will still be more content, even if your circumstances would break most other people, you will be able to handle anything thanks to God's power in your life.

For more resources:

• Is God an Egotistical Maniac? - Parchment and Pen
• Isn't it Egotistical for God to Command Our Worship and Praise? - Probe
• The Divine Egoist-Is God Arrogant, Selfishor Megalomaniacal? - Albert Mohler