I love the Bible. I love that God has given us clear boundaries to live within and I don't find His boundaries a drudgery to honor. They make sense. I have heard that a life without boundaries can be compared to a freeway overpass with no railings, it is not more freeing, it is only more scary and more dangerous.
Here's when the tension comes in. The Bible I believe in says of itself that it could not contain all the things that Jesus said and did (John 21:25). In other words the Bible is true but not exhaustive. The apostle Paul says that for now (that is on earth) we only see through a glass darkly, meaning we won't have total clarity in many areas until we're in heaven. I just happen to love that God left us with so many muddled areas in this life. This leaves room for so much diversity within the body of Christ and gives us even more incentive to talk to God on a regular basis. Utter brilliance... only let us see through a glass darkly. This makes it so difficult to judge others or turn our Savior into a formula. The mysteries of God remind me how big He really is, and gray areas force me to prayerfully discern the finer points of truth. This push to think has made me a better a listener and a more patient friend to my King.
The mysteries of God are some of the very reasons I am so intrigued by Christianity. I am captivated by this God-Man called Jesus that has enraptured the hearts of so many for so long. How does He do it? There's only one reason. He answers back to the emptiness in our hearts and says "I can satisfy you, when nothing else does". Human hearts ache for compassion and answers. This collective heart begs for something it cannot always name. But He has name. That, I know.
Hey,
ReplyDeleteI like it too, I've always been kinda leery of systematic theology because I see it as a "filling in the blanks". Of a lot of things God left intentionally blank. It leads to deductive reasoning and some pretty crazy conclusions. It's hard not to allow yourself to hold onto those things where you've already done that without knowing it. Theology that I am committed to dies hard even if it's dead wrong or at best pretty shady.
So far I like your blog. :)
Make sure you put a status update on fb when you post new ones.
Well garsh Desi,
ReplyDeleteI just wrote a big comment about this, and after hitting one wrong button on my laptop, I accidently deleted it, or sent it into cyberspace somehow.
Now I am too tired to reply again! But I just wanted to let you know that I really liked your blogs. They have already encouraged me and helped uplift me. Keep 'em coming girl!
Goodnight :)
Great blog, Des! I especially liked this one on the mysteries of God. You easily put into words my exact thoughts on this worthy subject. God has let us know only that which we need to know for now. I'm looking forward, with great anticipation, to the blessed day when the glass becomes clear!!
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