Walking With Christ

Happy valentine’s day. Tell someone you love them.

God is a paradox. There is nothing simpler or more complex than His nature. His nature is so simple that even the youngest of children can understand it fully and completely. Yet, all of humanity could devote our entire existence to the study of a single aspect of that nature and still not even begin to understand the mysteries or majesty of that one aspect, let alone His full nature. Nobody knows God in the same way that I do. Conversely, I can’t possibly know God in the same way as anyone else. We have each seen different measures of His infinite nature based on the truly unique lives we each have lived. This isn’t to say that there are not universal things to understand about His nature. He is consistent in all things. He will never claim to love something that He has said He despises or hates. Lies are a perfect example. He is the God of truth and lies go against His very nature.

Psalm 19:1-2 (1)The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. (2)Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.(ESV)

All of creation speaks to His glory. Every single thing we look at can be used as an example of His works. All we have to do is look around without the jaded lenses of this world and we will see it and hear it clearly. These verses capture the simplicity and complexity of God’s nature through creation. The beauty and order of the universe can be understood and appreciated by all, yet its vastness and intricacy point to the incomprehensible greatness of God. If we were to study a tree, for instance, we could break it down into the individual parts. Each part can then be broken down even further. We can drill in so close as to see the very cells of the tree. Then we can dive even deeper and see the molecules inside the cell. Then we can see the atoms of the molecule. We can get even closer and see the protons, electrons, and neutrons of the atom. We’ve even found smaller particles than that called quarks. One day, when we get close enough, we will see our own reflections. Likewise, with the study of God, as we get closer to God, we will see our face reflected in His, not because we are God but because we are becoming like Him.

Isaiah 55:8-9 (8)For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. (9)For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.(ESV)

Does the ant comprehend the way I do things or why? Not at all. It might be vaguely aware that I exist, but it can’t understand what it is to be me. These two verses highlight the incomprehensible difference between God’s understanding and ours, emphasizing His complexity and the depth of His wisdom beyond human grasp. This isn’t to say that we shouldn’t try. In fact, quite the opposite. We are supposed to try to understand it all. The more we study the face of God, the more we will see ourselves looking back. We were made in the image of God, after all.

Matthew 18:3 And said, ‘Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.'(ESV)

The world has a way of stripping us of the innocence that flies in the face of our enemy. It can be a slow, gradual slide into adulthood, apathy, anger, or worse. It would also be a sudden and violent shift in perspective that rocks the very foundations of who a person is. In any case, this verse speaks to the simplicity of faith and understanding God’s nature. A child’s faith is often uncomplicated, yet it captures the essence of what it means to know and relate to God.

Romans 11:33-36 (33)Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! (34)For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? (35)Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid? (36)For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.(ESV)

Paul, arguably in the top ten influencers of the bible, struggled with grasping the scope of God. Paul marvels at the depth and mystery of God’s wisdom and knowledge, acknowledging that God’s ways are beyond human understanding. In the end, Paul basically said “God knows His own creation” and leaves it at that.

Colossians 1:15-17 (15)He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. (16)For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. (17)And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.(ESV)

Jesus is the visible representation of the invisible God, emphasizing both the accessibility of God through Christ and the profound mystery of His eternal power and nature. We can know the unknowable because He walked the earth with us. He ate as we do, slept as we do, wept as we do. He was born in the same was that most people are. His divinity, however, keeps His birth, life, and death apart from any other in history as an example, not only of how much different than us He really is, of how different we can be through Him. If He is alive in us then we are separated from the world and those who are, sadly, left in it.

1 Timothy 3:16 Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.(ESV)

The angels in heaven “know” God. They do not know God. Even the angels have things yet to learn about our (and their) creator. If angels truly knew and understood God then none of them would have rebelled and fallen. However, we have been given the perfect example of God in the flesh. The birth, life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus maintains the paradox we started with. We can study every syllable He ever spoke for eternity and still never fully understand a thing He said. This verse reflects on the mystery of Christ’s incarnation and the godliness that He embodies, a profound mystery that is both accessible to believers and yet beyond full comprehension.

Today, I want to invite everyone to lean in closer and get to know God better. He has a personal and unique relationship with each of us and He cherishes every moment we spend with Him or working for the glory of His kingdom. These verses might make us feel small at times, but they should also be a strong reminder that even with the complexity found in the God we serve, He still comes down to our level to speak to us in ways that we will understand. He will meet us where we are and as we are. We are not perfect. We won’t be in this life. So it’s important for us to get to know the one waiting for us by reading our bibles, praying, joining in fellowship with other believers, serving our communities, and sharing the love we have received. Come to a bible believing church and join the body of Christ. When you do, you will be with family. When you are with family, you are home.

Welcome home.