(Photo by Selma Komisky)

Our “Retro” God

By Brittney Perez

When you think of God, I’m sure the first word that comes to your mind isn’t “retro.” Retro is usually a word associated with fashion or something nostalgic, but when you think about it, we do have a retro God. A verse that comes to mind is Psalm 90:2 NIV which reads, “Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God.”

Our God is pretty “retro.” In John 1:1 it says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” In Genesis 1:1 we read, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Revelation 22:3 says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.” Before the very creation of the world, the Bible tells us that God was. He was there in the beginning and He is the Author of all things. It doesn’t get anymore retro than that.

In the times we’re living in, God appears to be viewed as being “old-fashioned” or “not for today” and as much as it pains me to say it, this is how many understand or think of God. To many, God is simply part of a story heard growing up; like a fairytale that was euphoric to hear as a child, but is now something cast aside as being simply fiction. For others, God is not personally known, but rather seen more as the God of past generations, such as the God their parents or Sunday school teachers told them about.

Going back to the idea of retro fashion as stated earlier. It’s funny because as much as we can wear “retro” styles today from past decades, we will never be able to truly relive that era of time or understand it (for those not around in the 60’s/70’s), yet we can experience the God of the Bible today just like those in the Bible did. He may be from of old, but He isn’t out of our reach. Though there are those that view God as a being of the past or even nonexistent, that does not change who God says He is; God is retroactive still.

In Hebrews 13:8, it says that Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. He is the same God today as He was before the beginning of time and He will be the same God tomorrow as He is today. He is the same God who told Moses in Exodus, “I AM WHO I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) and who said, “For I am the LORD, I change not…” (Malachi 3:6). Even more, He is the same God longing to have a relationship with us today as He wanted a relationship with His people, Israel, hundreds and hundreds of years ago. He’s a retro God, yet His love is overflowing for us to this day. Our love for people and even ourselves may vary, but God’s love is consistent. It doesn’t change. How awesome is that truth! Our character is consistently inconsistent and we more often than not allow our emotions to sway our attitude, but God’s character does not change. He is timeless and His love is steadfast. It’s crazy to think about and even harder to wrap our minds around, but it’s a comforting truth that we can hold onto.

With all that being said, we do indeed have a retro God. He does not change like shifting shadows (James 1:17) and His love for us is beyond “groovy.”