Is God a "Type A" Personality or "Type B"?

Just my asking that question has put you in a "camp." And if you haven't made a decision, it might be because you aren't totally clear about what it means to have one or another of those personalities.

So, for those who might need it, here is a brief summary of each:

Type A: organized, punctual, pro-active, high-achieving, sometimes seen as aggressive or competitive.

Type B: relaxed, caring, emotional, flexible, slow to anger, sometimes seen as lazy.

Now, I'm sure you probably thought of people in the extremes of both of those personalities. Maybe you are one of the extremes yourself. Most likely, you, as most people, are a combination. If there was a scale from -10 to +10 with -10 being all Type A, no Type B and +10 being all Type B, no Type A, most of us would be on the scale in the middle somewhere.
     
Type A/-10_-9_-8_-7_-6_-5_-4_-3_-2_-1_0_+1_+2_+3_+4_+5_+6_+7_+8_+9_+10 /Type B

So where would God be?

Some of you immediately thought, "Of course, God is Type A."
1 Corinthians 14:33 "For God is not a God of disorder but of peace—as in all the congregations of the Lord’s people."

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens"

Others of you can only know your God as a Type B.
Psalm 86:15 "But you, Lord, are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness."

And then of course there are those of you on that last camp - those who are just mad at me for posing the question. Those who think I'm trying to ascribe a human character to the God of the universe. He is neither. How dare I put God in a box? 

So why am I? And why do I need to know?

Here's why. I am made in God's likeness. So I have a feeling that something in this personality theory can tie me closer to Him. I can have a better understanding of who He is when I can see Him evaluated next to something I know. (Of course, I know that comparing God to anything is ridiculous, but doesn't that just make Him all the more awesome?)

He has also told me to be holy, as He is holy. In other words, it should be my goal to conduct my behavior as much like He would as I can. Can I ever attain His character? Can I ever be holy? No. But I am still told to make the effort.

God has told me about His love. Not just me, but everyone. And He has commissioned us to tell the world about it. We all have different ways of distributing this good news.

1 Corinthians 12:4
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."

For me, I write. I have taken the beautiful story of Christ's salvation and made an allegory of it to reach young people who like to read fantastic fiction ("fantastic" here, referring to the genre of fantasy, not trying to pump up the quality of the writing.) It is not God's Word, but a story inspired by God's Word.

Normally, I am a Type A, competitive kind of person. However, I get nervous when it comes to my books.  It's one thing to proclaim the truth of God's love when it is written plainly in God's Word, but it is another thing to hope they see it buried in my own words. I feel prideful promoting my work.

Should I? 

Yes, if it is me I'm promoting. But if I have God's message, I have to get more Type A. He says in Matthew, "Go!" He doesn't say, "Sit back and wait for the nations to ask about Me."

Going back to that old cliché - What Would Jesus Do? - we wonder. Did Jesus wait for people to ask Him how to get to heaven? 

Wait a second. Yes, usually He did. I can't think of any record of Jesus running up to anyone, shaking them by the shoulders saying, "Don't you see? I am the Son of God!" He was told to wait. 

But we weren't.

John 7:6
Therefore Jesus told them, “My time is not yet here; for you any time will do."

So now you see why I am going to start getting pushy about my books. I want the word to get out, in hopes of others seeing Jesus through God coming near. (To this, my husband says, "Finally!")

Back to the idea of which personality type DOES encapsulate God? This verse sums it up perfectly:
Romans 5:6 
"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly."


He is everything good about both A and B - and then even more that we can't even understand.Type A people are organized. God created the entire order of the universe, when before it, there was nothing. Type A people are punctual ("at just the right time.") Type B people are compassionate. ("Christ died for the ungodly.") Type B people are patient. God put up with sin for about 4000 years before sending The Last Sacrifice, and He waits even today for every sinner's confession.

What does that mean to you? What should you be with the method of spreading His Word that He has given you? I think it means you need to be Type A about getting out there to tell others about Him, but Type B while waiting for them to respond. 

We can be a little of both. And God can be the fullest extent of both.

I think that makes God, ABBA.


To learn more about Tracy's books, go to The Angelmen Series portion of this website.

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