Reframing the Relationship Between God and Humanity

In a recent reflection, the author explores the transition from transactional folk religion to a biblical understanding of faith, using the personal story of a man named Mr. Lin. Growing up in a family of Taiwanese spirit mediums, Mr. Lin was accustomed to a religious framework where individuals offered gifts or vows to spirits in exchange for favors. This background left him struggling to understand the nature of the Christian God, leading him to ask how one can truly know who God is when religious practice is defined by bargaining.

Drawing on Acts 17, the author argues that the God of the Bible operates on fundamentally different terms than the spirits of folk tradition. The teaching emphasizes that God does not require human offerings to be summoned or appeased, as He is not a power to be manipulated for personal gain. Instead, the author encourages believers to move away from transactional religion, highlighting that while humans need everything from God, He is self-sufficient and seeks a relationship defined by grace rather than ritual exchange.