Is God a Tyrant?
Take a look at this verse.
“Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”
-Psalm 135:6 ESV
We Want Freedom
One of the interesting aspects of humans, and very clearly exhibited by Americans, is our desire for freedom. America is known as “the land of the free.” One of our founding fathers, Patrick Henry, put it this way.
“Give me liberty or give me death.”
Henry was referencing liberty, or freedom, from the oppressive rule of Great Britain, embodied in the tyrannical rule of King George III. Interestingly enough, George III believed he was “God’s instrument.” Of course, the American colonists disagreed. And in America, we’ve been abhorrent to any authority we did not ask for ever since.
In general, people seek freedom, and Jesus promised it.
“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
-John 8:36 ESV
But if “whatever the Lord pleases, he does” how can people under His authority be free?
What is a Tyrant?
Let’s step back from freedom for a bit to look at tyranny. Here is how the Cambridge Dictionary defines a tyrant, “a ruler who has unlimited power over other people, and uses it unfairly and cruelly”.
If we look back over the history of humanity, we can see many examples of rulers who fit this definition. I don’t need to give you a list, you probably have some in mind, both from recent times and further into the past. For our purposes, “unlimited power” would mean the power to force people to do the will of the tyrant, and also the power over life and death. But the terms, “unfairly and cruelly” are less clear cut.
I suppose we could try to get a consensus definition of cruelty, but it’s not possible. Why? Because what some people think is cruel, others consider a person’s right. Take abortion as an example. Abortion opponents say abortion is the cruel murder of an innocent life, whereas abortion supporters consider abortion a woman’s right. Therefore, we can’t nail down an agreed upon definition of “cruelly”.
“Unfairly” is perhaps even more challenging. It is SO subjective as to be laughable. Even people with many similar values have differences of opinion as to what is fair.
This leads us back to the original question.
Is God a Tyrant?
Let’s break down the Cambridge Dictionary definition.
1) Does God have unlimited power?
Well, God did create the entire Universe, dinosaurs and all. So, I’d say yes. And the verse we began with makes it clear as well.
“Whatever the Lord pleases, he does, in heaven and on earth, in the seas and all deeps.”
-Psalm 135:6 ESV
If He can do whatever He pleases, that’s unlimited power.
2) Is God Cruel?
Let’s not hold back here. There are many biblical passages you could quote that would make it seem that God is cruel. Very cruel. But let me remove that idea with two well-known verses.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
-John 3:16-17 ESV
God wants every person to be saved and go to Heaven. He gave us beautiful descriptions of it. God doesn’t want anyone to go to Hell. And He sent Jesus to give us the way to Heaven. No, God is not cruel, God is love. As an aside, if you have trouble reconciling the idea of a loving God with all the suffering in the world, please check out our post, How Can I Witness About God When He Lets Innocent People Suffer?
3) Is God unfair?
No. According to Oxford Languages, fair means “impartial and just, without favoritism or discrimination”. We’ve already seen that God would prefer everyone be saved, so He’s impartial, does not discriminate, and does not show favoritism. In fact, here is what one translation of the Bible says.
“God has no favorites.”
-Romans 2:11 (TV)
Now, the world would say that God is not fair because some people will end up in Hell. But that’s a definition of fair that’s missing a critical component that the Oxford Languages dictionary includes. Fairness must also incorporate being just. And God is truly just.
“God is just: He will pay back trouble to those who trouble you and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels. He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.”
-2 Thessalonians 1:6-8 NIV
God’s fairness allows anyone who follows Jesus to go to Heaven. God’s justice ensures only those who follow Jesus go to Heaven. That’s not unfair, it is supremely fair. In Heaven we are with God for eternity. Why would anyone who didn’t choose to be with God on earth expect to be with God after death? Justice is allowing people to all be treated the same way in relation to the actions they have taken or not taken. But beyond justice, God is also merciful, He is not cruel. He allows anyone up until the point of death to still be able to choose Jesus and Heaven.
God has unlimited power, but he is not cruel, and He is fair. God is not a tyrant…but He does require a person to follow Jesus in order to enjoy their best possible life and go to Heaven.
Final Freedom Thoughts
Let me go back to the idea of freedom. Some people don’t follow God because they say they want freedom. But here is the truth. Unless a person knows Jesus, they don’t have freedom. Here are some things Jesus said on this topic.
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” They answered him, “We are offspring of Abraham and have never been enslaved to anyone. How is it that you say, ‘You will become free’?” Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”
-John 8:31-36 ESV
Without Jesus, everyone is a slave to sin. The problem for most people who aren’t Jesus followers is this: they do not see their chains. You cannot be free if you do not see your chains. No, freedom apart from Jesus is a deception of the enemy. Hear me beloved. You will ALWAYS be serving someone. You will ALWAYS be under authority. The question is this. Whose authority would you rather be under? A true tyrant, an enemy who hates you and would have you join him for eternal punishment or a loving, benevolent God who forever wants your best and to take you with Him to a place of eternal joy?
Choose wisely.
“But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Joshua 24:15b ESV
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Love you Jesus follower!