I’ve even heard some preachers using God/universe replacement terminology.

They’ll say that the language we use to describe God is constantly changing, so they’re just using the word that’s in vogue right now. They insist that it doesn’t matter whether we use the term “God” or “the universe” because the idea behind them is the same.

No. They’re not the same.

Not at all.

Here’s why.

Why God ≠ The Universe

To say God is listening, God cares, and Jesus loves us is infinitely different than saying the universe cares and loves us. For a few reasons.

First, the universe is not God. It’s not even an adequate language substitute for God. The universe can’t be God because it was created by God. Just like us.

God can be seen in his creation, but he is infinitely more than his creation. To substitute one for the other is to trivialize both.

Second, when we speak of God, we’re not anthropomorphizing him. God actually exists as a conscious, loving, knowing being. We’re not creating God in our image, God created us in his. It’s the opposite of anthropomorphization.

Third, the universe didn’t die for us. No matter how often you substitute “universe” for “God” in your language, it all falls apart when it comes to the person of Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross.

The Jesus Difference

Jesus was not an anthropomorphized ideal. He was a flesh-and-blood person who walked, talked, ate, slept, felt pain, and voluntarily gave his life for ours.

Then he rose from the dead to give us new life, so he’s still consciously, actively aware of who we are and what we’re going through.

Unlike the universe, we don’t have to pretend Jesus cared for us. The cross assures us that Jesus did care, while the resurrection guarantees that he still does care.

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