Discovering the Depths of God’s Glory

(1) Knowledge vs. Knowing

2009-09-27T22:02:00.000-04:00

I remember when I was in college, doing two major papers of important historical figures. One was on Christopher Columbus, “The Dark Side of Discovery.” The other was on J. Edger Hoover, “Did J. Edgar Hoover Abuse His Power for Personal Gain?”

I did a great deal of research and reading about these two men. I got to know quite a bit about them. Most of what I discovered is now forgotten; all but my personal assessment of these two men. The title of the first reveals my opinion of Christopher Columbus and my answer to the question posed by the second was a pretty confident “yes.” But this matters little.

What does matter is what this illustrates. I can learn a lot of facts about a person and even draw conclusions and do character judgements of them. But this does not mean I really know them. In fact, if I had known them personally, I suspect my opinion might differ, even significantly. On top of this is the reality that knowledge of facts doesn’t stick in our minds or in our psyche. We forget facts about a person if that is all there is to our relationship. When it becomes personal and truly interactive, the facts take on more of a reality to us. The facts grow to be a fuller, personal, and experiential knowledge. Instead of knowing about the person, we actually know them.

We will soon begin a factual study of the character of God. And, it is vitally critical that we get the facts straight based on scripture. But this factual study must not remain at the fact level. It must become real and personal. Fact must become familiarity and familial. Jesus said: "This is eternal life that they might know You (God)", and "know" there means experience. There is a difference between knowing about something and experiencing something.

Let me put this in other, theological terms. Theologians have debated the nature of the Word of God and how it is to be viewed. Some say it is propositional, meaning that it is truth given in propositions or principles that are objective in nature. Others say that the Bible is personal and is meant simply to influence and impact people and does so differently with each person. Perhaps the proper view of scripture needs to take both the propositional and personal concepts into account.

We must affirm that the Bible contains timeless moral absolutes as well as timeless principles which are to be followed across cultural and chronological boundaries. The Bible is propositional. It is propositional in that it contains objective truth and universal principles. But, the Bible is meant by God to be personal as well. It is personal in that God gave these propositional truths with a view toward revealing Himself to man in order to transform our lives and to have personal relationship and fellowship. God never meant for His Word to only impart knowledge. He designed it to change lives.

Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise. (Matthew 7:24 NLT)

But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (James 1:22 NLT)

If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the LORD. (Leviticus 18:5 NLT)

Some might argue that this simply amounts to a pragmatic approach to scripture. It is not. Pragmatism would say that scripture is good and applicable to life if it works. So, when scripture says a husband is to love his wife as Christ loved that Church, and that a wife is to submit to her husband, the pragmatist might say, this doesn’t work for me, you don’t know my spouse.

The propositional yet personal approach to scripture says that the propositional truths of scripture must be put into practice irregardless of the difficulty due to our circumstances. Scripture must change our thinking and life, not the other way around. Proposition always trumps.

So as we study propositional truth related to the goodness and greatness of God, we must assure that we get the facts straight by careful study of the Word of God. But, we must not stop there. These truths must transform our thinking and our lives. We must go from knowing about God to knowing God . . . personally . . . practically . . . intimately . . . transformatively.

Soli Deo Gloria

Next: (2) Can We Really Know God?

(2) Can We Really Know God?

2009-09-26T07:06:00.000-04:00

As we approach our study of the nature and character of God, there are two important truths we must keep in tension. No, that’s not a mistake, I really do mean that we need to keep these truths in tension. Not an antagonistic tension of conflicting ideas, but a tension between two truths that balance each other out and keep us from error. The first truth is that God created us and gave us life in Christ in order that we might know Him. The second truth that is critical for us to keep before us is that we cannot fully understand God. Let me briefly expand on each of these and then we’ll consider why it is so important to hold tightly to both truths.

First, we focus our attention on man’s ability to know God. It is clear from scripture that God made man for relationship with Him. Remember what Jesus said as he prayed to the Father, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God (John 17:3). That God wants us to know Him is clear in that He has revealed Himself over and over again to man (Hebrews 1:1-3).

For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6 NIV)

God also chose to communicate to man in clear language. God didn’t use the language of the elite, academics, politically powerful, or in complex legalese. He communicated in the language of the people, using culturally relevant language and illustrations. God wants us to know Him and to grow in knowing Him better. It is incumbent upon each of us to pursue greater knowledge and insight into the character of God.

But with this pursuit of understanding must always be the conscious recognition that we can never fully understand God and there will even be things we see in scripture that make no sense to our human reasoning and logic.

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

Great is the LORD, and highly to be praised, And His greatness is unsearchable. (Psalm 145:3 NAU)

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the lord, or who became his counselor? (Rom. 11:33-34 NAU)

Scripture does present God as one who can be known and understood, but we must remember that this knowledge will always be incomplete. Finite humans can only understand the true essence of God's being in a limited manner. Therefore, as we study the character of God and indeed, all of scripture we must always be keenly aware of our weakness. We must be careful we do not actually distort the nature of God and His ways in our attempt to understand them.

Let me get a bit more specific. There will be times as we study the character and ways of God that it will be offensive to our humanity and sense of human dignity. We will think it doesn’t seem right or fair. But here’s what we must do. We must embrace the teaching of scripture whether it sits well with us or not, whether we understand it or not, whether we like it or not.

So, before we go any further in considering the character of God, let's firmly answer two questions. "Will you let scripture speak for itself and determine for you what you will believe?" "Will you let God be God or will insist that He fit within your preconceived ideas and what you think is right?"

Soli Deo Gloria

Next: (3) The Meaning of Attribute

(3) The Meaning of Attribute

2009-09-24T01:23:00.000-04:00

When we think and talk about the character of God, we often hear the word “attribute” to describe God’s nature. An attribute of God is simply qualities that constitute the nature of God or describe an aspect of His nature. Some of these attributes would describe God’s authority, power, knowledge, presence, holiness, grace, mercy, and love to name a few.

When we study to attributes of God, we study them individually but we must remember that they must be considered inseparable from each other in the essence of God. God doesn’t have multiple personalities in conflict with each other. In fact, James describes God as having “no variation or the slightest hint of change (James 1:17).” This verse speaks of God’s unchanging nature, but it also expresses the unity of God’s nature in His actions. God doesn’t show one side of His character at one moment and another the next.

All God's acts arise from the sum of His attributes which make up His nature. A. W. Tozer explains,

The harmony of His being is the result not of a perfect balance of parts but of the absence of parts. Between His attributes no contradiction can exist. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one.

I think it might be demonstrated that almost every heresy that has afflicted the church through the years has arisen from believing about God things that are not true, or from overemphasizing certain true things so as to obscure other things equally true. To magnify any attribute to the exclusion of another is to head straight for one of the dismal swamps of theology; and yet we are all constantly tempted to do just that.

So while they can and must be studied individually, they must be seen as one in the essence of whom God is. We must endeavor to keep all of God’s character in mind even as we explore each attribute individually.

As we study these attributes of God, we will immerse ourselves in the bottomless well of His glorious nature. Each attribute will bring us closer to understanding the vast and magnificent brilliance of His nature. And, we will be left in wonder and worship of this God who is our God.

Soli Deo Gloria

Next: (4) Defining God

(4) Defining God

2009-09-23T01:05:00.000-04:00

How would you define God? Give it a try. Pretty difficult isn’t it? You can describe God, using His attributes fairly easily, but its pretty hard to define God with any kind of brevity. Theologians and denominations have sought to give concise statements regarding the nature of God but even these statements end up being more descriptive than defining.

The historic Baptist Faith & Message states, “There is one and only one living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the Universe. God is infinite in holiness and all perfections. To Him we owe the highest love, reverence, and obedience.”

The Westminster Shorter Catechism, “God is a spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable in His being, wisdom, holiness, justice, goodness and truth.”

Of course these are just two of many attempts to define God. What we see in these definitions is that in their quest to define God apart from an extended description certain distinctives of God’s nature are often mentioned.

1. Spirit:

God is not composed of matter and does not possess a physical nature.

2. Person:

God is a personal being, with self-consciousness and self-determination, capable of feeling, choosing, and having a relationship with other personal and social beings.

3. Life:

God is alive and is the originator of all life. In that life He is self-existent and eternal.

4. Triunity:

God is one being, eternally existing in three persons.

5. Infinite:

God is limitless and measureless. All of God's attributes are limitless and measureless.

6. Unchangeable:

God is not capable of or susceptible to change in nature, but is constant, enduring, stable.

7. Unique:

God is one of a kind, one-and-only, different form all we know and even what we can conceive.

8. Perfect:

God is the embodiment and standard of all that is good and desirable by which all else is judged.

9. Sovereign:

God alone is the autonomous, free, independent ruler of all creation, exercising absolute control and direction over all creation.

With these distinctives in mind, I will venture to add one more futile attempt to define God:

God is a spirit, eternally self-existing and personal trinity, the source of all other existence, infinite and unchangeable in the totality of His nature, uniquely existing as the one and only God. He is the embodiment of all that is of value and that which His creation exists to describe.

This is the complexity and glory of God. Even in the simple exercise of trying to give a basic definition of God we are left with futility and inadequate words. There is nothing simple about God here and we have not begun to explore the true depth of His glory. Perhaps Mark Altrogge has captured the reality in his song, I Stand in Awe of You.

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension

Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom

Who can fathom the depth of Your love

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty enthroned above

And I stand I stand in awe of You

Holy God to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of you

Soli Deo Gloria

(5) How to Study the Character of God

2009-09-22T01:06:00.000-04:00

We turn our hearts now to the truth of God’s Word as it reveals His character. This is at the same time an intellectual and a Spiritual exercise. Paul admonished Timothy, “Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything (2 Timothy 2:7 ESV).” Notice, he tells Timothy he needs to think. We will not learn and grow without thinking. But, notice also, that he tells Timothy that the Lord will give understanding. We must study, think, and evaluate as we are guided and taught by the Spirit.

Often, this understanding of truth and the ministry of the Spirit will produce an emotional response. We may be led to joy over the greatness of God. We may be led to sorrow over our sinfulness and pride. Whatever emotion is produced, we should not think that it is something that must be controlled and avoided. In fact, emotional reaction to truth is encouraged in scripture.

If the ministry of the Word of God and the Spirit lead you to joy and praise, express it to God inwardly and outwardly. Spend some time in praise, singing songs in worship to God. “Shout for joy,” as the Psalms encourage.

If the ministry of the Word of God and the Spirit lead you to sorrow or humble brokenness, don’t fight the flow of tears, don’t resist being broken to the point of tears. This too is Biblical.

There is one more way in which the Word and the Spirit should work in us. God never intended His Word to produce only an intellectual or emotional response. To come away from God’s Word with only these responses is complete foolishness (Jesus’ words). God intends for the ministry of His Word and Spirit to produce in us a change in action.

When we are confronted in these meditations with the truth of God’s character we must not respond only emotionally. We must respond by bringing our actions in line with the character of God. We must go even beyond the exercise of application in our study to the point of implementation.

This is true worship: To recognize the truths of God, to apply them to our lives, to allow the ministry of the Holy Spirit to seal these truths to the depths of our hearts, producing the appropriate response, and then, to act according to this truth.

Each one of these meditations on the character of God has spanned several sessions in study and meditation. I would encourage you to take your time. Meditation is essential to reap the full benefits of the Word of God.

I pray that “you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you may walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of eh saints in light.” (Col. 1:9-12)

Soli Deo Gloria