Can We Search the Unsearchable?
Is
it reasonable to believe that we as human beings, limited in our
ability to understand and comprehend, could even begin to scratch the
surface of such an unlimited and complex being as God? I have a friend
who once told me that his reason for not believing in the God of the
bible was due to his idea that if there is a God we're just swinging in
the dark trying to find him because there is no way we could ever hope
to understand something so unreachable. The heck of the thing is...my
friend was right. We truly cannot understand who God is no matter how
much searching we do because, well, He's God! If you feel differently
than I politely suggest that you reevaluate your view on the
magnificence of God compared to the meekness of man. So should we call
off the search completely and just head home? No way Jose! God desires
an intimate relationship with you. That is to say that He wants you to
get to know Him and while we cannot on our own power lift the veil that
covers His Majesty, He has freely revealed Himself to us!
Before
I go any further allow me today that to fully understand God in this
life is an impossibility. He is quite simply too complex, and it is
entirely too superficial of us to believe that we could wrap our arms
around a being so beautifully profound...With that being said, not for a
moment do I believe that we are entitled to ignorance because of our
limited capacity. As believers God has provided for us everything that
we need to search and seek a deeper relationship with Him. In the
remainder of this blog I'd like to show that we truly can know God
because he allows us to. Here are some examples of how God has paved the
way for our understanding of Him.
Our Hearts
In
the book of Romans Paul writes that no one is excused from worshiping
God "For what can be known about God is plain to [us] because God has
shown it to [us]. For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal
power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the
creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So [we] are
without excuse" (Romans 1:19-20) Just by experiencing the world around
us, whether that be the sight of a New Mexico sunset, the sound of a
string quartet, or the ecstasy experienced during sex...the creations
that we experience point towards the nature and characteristics of our
Creator. Paul later goes on to say in Romans that difference between
right and wrong is written on our hearts and I believe that in the same
way the characteristics of the Almighty have been written on our heart
by God so that we can know Him more intimately.
Our Brains
In
addition to a heart that points towards the Creator, God has given us a
magnificent and undeniably awesome tool that we call the brain. In my 4
and 1/2 years as a psychology major (who needs 4 year degree plans?) I
have been astounded by the brain! Purely scientifically speaking the
human brain is what sets us apart from all other creatures. I could go
on and on about how clever God was in the design of our brain, from
comprehension to memory to imagination but my point is that from the
get-go we have been given an amazing tool that aids us in our search for
an intimate relationship with God
God's Word
Even
if you're using your brain to it's maximum potential (which is way more
than 10% btw) you are still incapable of understanding more deeply who
God is until you get into His word (The Bible). There is an elaborate
and continuous story through out the Old Testament and the New
Testament, and it's all about who God is. It is an elaborate love story
in which He is the Protagonist. Who are we in His story?We are both the
antagonist and the love interest. We are the ones who have turned away
from a perfect and loving God out of selfishness, and yet we are also
the ones that God has sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for.
The
coming, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ serves as the climax of
God's story. To put it accurately, John Cusack and his boom box ain't
got nothin on God's elaborate and dramatic gesture of Jesus on the
cross. (If you don't get that reference then watch"Say Anything)
The Holy Spirit
Of
course Jesus' death and resurrection served as more than just a
gesture, it was a powerful move on the part of God that can irrevocably
change our hearts. Not too long before the betrayal and arrest of Jesus
he told his disciples that he would be leaving them but he also said
that it was to their advantage that he leave so that the Helper could
come (John 16:5-7). The "Helper" mentioned by Jesus is the Holy Spirit
and is the most powerful force we have in understanding who God is
because He IS God and He actually dwells within us (take a second to
recollect the pieces to your blown mind).
Before
the death and resurrection of Christ we were incapable of holding such a
magnificent force within us because God, being perfect and holy, could
not dwell within sinful creatures. In fact there is a story in the Old
Testament about a man who died merely from touching the tabernacle (a
box that Israel carried with them through the desert in which God's
Spirit dwelt). That same Spirit can now dwell within us when we accept
the cleansing blood of Jesus Christ.
Often
times I think "Man, it would be awesome if Jesus was physically here so
that I could talk to him and ask him questions about the universe!" but
Jesus said to his disciples in John 16:13 "When the Spirit of Truth
comes, he will guide you into all truth." You see Jesus was limited on
this earth because he humbly accepted a body of flesh so it would have
been impossible for him to have an intimate and personal relationship
with all of us, but through the Holy Spirit we now have unlimited access
to Him. Not to be too irreverent but having the The Holy Spirit is kind
of like having a backstage pass to God's concert. It's one thing to
enjoy the band from the nosebleeds or even the first row but it's quite
another to actually hangout with the band.
In conclusion
I
hope that I've shown adequately through out my little blog here that we
truly can search an unsearchable God because he allows us to. I would,
however, like to add a word of caution to you truth seekers out there
because there is certainly danger in presuming too much of the Lord, and
we only have to look at Job's life for evidence of that.
"Dress
for action like a man; I will question you and make it known to me.
Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you
have understanding." (Job38:3-4)
So
once again I would like to reiterate that we cannot know God on our own
power or insight, but because of His grace he has REVEALED to us who He
is and we are invited to join Him in an intimate relationship. It will
take all of eternity to truly understand who He is but luckily as
believers in the Son of God that's precisely the amount of time we have.
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