The Bio of God

by Erin Bird

When I joined Twitter years ago, I was asked during the set-up to provide a “bio.” So, I did what was expected of a pastor like me. I typed something like this…

“Follower of Jesus, husband of 1, father of 4, pastor to many…”

But something about that just didn’t seem complete. Maybe I’m too prone to self-deprecating humor (after all, my Facebook profile picture for the longest time was a slightly embarrassing & unflattering photo of myself…), but I needed something silly, something not worthy of being in a “bio.” So, I next typed:

“Placed 2nd in the Gladstone, MO Cannonball Competition.”

Usually, when a person shares their personal “bio,” whether on social media, a job resume, or in person while making a new friend, they tend to include the stuff that makes them look “good.” Perhaps my joke about my silly accomplishment was to break that expectation. But the more I think about it, even my joke about my “success” in a Big Splash competition (which was just a bunch of dads trying to impress their kids at the pool) was a humble brag: “I’m great, but not THAT great, which means I’m actually better than the typical braggart because I do it in a modest-yet-self-deprecating way.”

However, whether we insert nice things or unflattering things, our “bio” typically includes where we are from, where we work or go to school, what we like, or with whom we associate (whether family, friends, or a sports team). These things are all part of our identity. It is how we view ourselves.

Well, believe it or not, God has a bio. And His bio is a bit surprising.

God Has a Bio?

If I were to write God’s bio, I’d be tempted to mention what He has done (“Creator of All Things”), or describe His power (“Omnipotent God of the Universe”), or perhaps talk about His uniqueness (“The One and Only God who is comprised of three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit”).

I suspect some people’s bio of God might be affected by their experience with God. Some might say, “He is the Lover of my soul,” or “He saved me from my sins,” while others might type, “Distant & uncaring,” or even “just a figment of human imagination.”

There are many things we humans might try to put in God’s bio, but have you ever wondered what God would put in His Twitter profile? In Exodus 34:6-7, God does exactly that. He shares His bio. Here is what He writes:

“The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6-7 ESV)

Over the next several weeks, we are going to look at this brief autobiography provided by God, seeing how He sees Himself. And my hope and prayer for you is that understanding God’s bio will positively affect your bio. So join me next week as we look at the beginning of God’s bio “The Lord.”