Mrs. Clark’s 7th Grade Bible Class Discusses:

The Luke Skywalker God: The Impersonal Force Myth

God is personally interested in you. He knows your name:

“See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.”  Isaiah 49.16

“I love those who love me and those who seek me find me.” Proverbs 8:17

“…even the very hairs of your head are all numbered.” Matthew 10:30

Study Sessions

Read Jeremiah 29:12-13

Circle each personal pronoun (“I,” “me,” “you,” etc.).
How many times does God use them in those verses?

Who likes Star Wars?
I know many people who do.
Many times, the characters mention this strange thing called “the force.” Now, “the force” isn’t very well explained, so some people describe it as “the mystical force that guides the universe.”
This may seem strange as well and some people truly think that God is like this! They believe that God is an impersonal strange force that keeps the universe from going insane. Now, this is a myth.
In the Bible, God mentions I, me, you, your, and even shows emotion! (Genesis 1:1-20, for example.)

God is not an impersonal force, He is like us!

It is even shown in the Old Testament that He got sad, and angry. And no, not the kind of anger because of sin, a kind of holy anger because of the sin on earth.

Because of this, we know He is a personal God who knows and loves each and every one of you!

How’s that for some random force. This myth is officially debunked.

Sarah, age 12

The Impersonal Force Myth is the belief that God is a mysterious energy and that He has no form and no face.
A person that believes this myth might think that God is powerful, but does not interfere in people’s lives. They would think He is a thing and not a personal God that cares about them.
The Impersonal Force Myth is not the truth because in the Bible, Proverbs 8:17 says that God loves those who love Him and that those who seek Him will find Him, which shows that God cares about us and wants us to know Him.
The author, Josh McDowell, also talks about that in his book when he says that

God is personally interested in us and he is a personal God.

The book also explains how God uses personal pronouns when talking about himself in the Bible and that means that God is not a mysterious and formless “it”.

Owen, age 13

In Star Wars, they use this power they like to call ‘the Force’. It is an energy field created by all living things, and it ‘binds the galaxy together’.
Some people believe that God is an energy field, a faceless, formless energy that guides and controls the universe. This a myth.
Here is the truth: God is omnipresent and created the universe, but He is NOT a faceless, formless energy. In fact, He refers to Himself as ‘I, me, me, me’. He showed Himself to Samuel.

The truth is God cares about you.

He sent His Son to die on cross for our sins. He gave us a second chance. He gave us the opportunity to be with Him in heaven, even after we’d sinned. In conclusion, God is not energy, He is the Creator of the earth!

Amanda, age 12

We all know Star Wars, the immensely popular movie series with Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. Of course, we all know the popular saying “Use the Force.” In Star Wars, the Force is what gives the Jedi their power, it binds the whole universe together.
According to this myth, God is just like the Force, He is an impersonal, big blob of energy which binds the universe together. That is a lie.

God does bind the universe together; He created it, but He is not a formless, faceless thing. He is not an it either.

God has a form, He is a very personal being. Since God is not a mystical energy source, He often used personal words in the Bible such as I, me, you, etc.
Unlike an elusive energy, God loves us, He created us, and He wants to form a long-lasting, sturdy relationship with us.
Matthew 10:30 says that even the hairs upon our heads are numbered, God knows everything about us.

God has known us even before we were born, that doesn’t sound like an impersonal force to me.

Gabby, age 12

Many people think that God is a blob that is in everything. They believe that He is a faceless and formless “force” or energy that controls the universe and everything in it. That is a lie!

God knows us by name.

He knows when we were born, when we will die, how many hairs are on our heads, and so much more. In Jeremiah 29:12-13, it clearly tells us that God is more than an “it.” He says “me” and “I” many times in these verses.
God wants a strong relationship with each and everyone of us, even though none of us are worthy of such an honor.

He has a significant interest in all of us. He wants to know our needs and thoughts. God wants to know how our day was.

The Lord is not an energy, force, or a blob, He loves us individually.

Creed, age 13

The Impersonal Force Myth is that God is faceless and formless energy that mysteriously surrounds the universe. This myth also states that God is impersonal and doesn’t want to have a relationship with His followers. This is a lie.
God is a very personal God. He loves all believers and He wants to know them on a personal level.

He doesn’t just surround the earth either in a mysterious way. He is not a thing, He is a loving spirit.

In the Bible, God uses many pronouns that show us that He is personal. He is personally interested in each and every one of us. Isaiah 49:16 says, “See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands.’” In 1 Peter 5:7, Peter said, “He cares for you.” God even said in Jeremiah 29: 12-13, “Call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”
There are also other verses that prove this myth wrong and that inform us that God is a personal God. I am so happy that I know this myth isn’t true and that my God is loving and wants to know me and wants to have a relationship with me.

Belle, age 12

“Today the sincere seeker of truth can have complete confidence, as did the first Christians, that the Christian faith is based not on myth or legend but on the solid historical fact of the empty tomb and the risen Christ.”

(Don’t Check Your Brains at the Door, p. 78)

Know what you believe…and why you believe it.

• Does it really matter what you believe, as long as you have faith?
• Are there errors in the Bible?
• Was Jesus just a good teacher?
• Can anyone prove His resurrection?
• What does that have to do with me?

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