God Doesn’t Make Sense!
The fact that God’s nature was difficult for me to understand used to be a real challenge to my faith. This was especially true after being diagnosed with ALS. I don’t remember ever asking God “Why me?” but I naturally wondered why God would allow this or any other horrible disease to strike anyone. I began to rethink everything I knew, or thought I knew, about this being we call God.
One of the first things I studied was the Christian definition of God; the Christian belief that God is made up of three separate beings (Father, Son and Spirit) that are actually one being. This doesn’t make sense! I have heard many different analogies that attempted to explain this concept of this three-in-one God by everyone from children’s church pastors to highly-educated Theologians, but I still don’t get it! I know better than anyone that I’m far from being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but after many years of trying to figure out this concept of what we simply call the Trinity, I’ve concluded that no one is able to explain this Triune God in terms that are understandable to even the razor-sharp knives among us. And, I’m now okay with this because –
If we were able to understand God in human terms, He wouldn’t be God; He’d be a man.
C.S. Lewis was one of the best Christian apologists of the twentieth century, but before becoming a follower of Christ, he was an outspoken atheist. He concluded that there was no God because the idea of God didn’t make sense to him. He wondered why a supposedly loving God would allow his mother to die when he was just ten years old. He also wondered why a God that claims to care so much for His creation would permit the horrors he witnessed as a soldier in World War One. I imagine a lot of people asked similar questions after seeing innocent people being killed and maimed in Boston and in West, Texas. But, ironically, it was also this seemingly nonsensical nature of God that brought Lewis back to the God of Christianity.
“Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
As a professor at Oxford, Lewis and some other professors, including his fellow professor and friend, the author J.R.R. Tokien (Lord of the Rings) formed a group where they would meet and discuss Philosophy, Theology and other “Big issues.” Tolkien was a Christian and he began challenging Lewis’ conclusions about God. Like me and so many others that have come to a crossroad, Lewis began to rethink his beliefs about this mysterious God.
“Atheism turns out to be too simple” – CS Lewis
Lewis also came to the conclusion that mere mortals were unable to fully comprehend what we call the Trinity. And, like me and those who understand the implications of this conclusion, this idea of an incomprehensible God intrigued Lewis. He eventually ditched his “simple” atheism and turned to a complex God.
He wrote: “On the human level one person is one being, and any two persons are two separate beings… On the Divine level you still find personalities; but up there you find them combined in new ways which we, who do not live on that level, cannot imagine…If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about…Reality, in fact, is always something you couldn’t have guessed. That’s one of the reasons I believe Christianity. It’s a religion you couldn’t have guessed.”
Why do we expect to understand why God allows tragedy and heartache when we cannot even comprehend the makeup of God? We haven’t yet even figured out why people do the things they do. God sees the Big Picture – the eternal picture, the picture that we’re incapable of seeing. For that reason alone we should give Him the benefit of the doubt when tragedy strikes.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor 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)
Posted on May 1, 2013, in Uncategorized and tagged ALS, Atheism, Atheist, Bible, Christ, Christian, Christianity, Disease, Faith, God, Holy Spirit, Hope, Jesus, Religion, Religious, The Trinity, Trial, Trials. Bookmark the permalink. 123 Comments.
Unshakable Hope 
One of the things I thank God for is that he made me a person who is comfortable with not know or understanding some things – like the Trinity, and the ‘why does God…?’ questions. Thank you for this thoughtful post, Bill.
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Amen, Vera – if we knew all the answers to difficult questions, we wouldn’t be serving GOD, we’d be serving a little god who isn’t any more intelligent than man.
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As to the question of the existence of one being as three, or the Trinity, and forgive me if this has been mentioned in previous comments, but God exists as three in much the same way as one of the elements he created…i.e. water. Ice, liquid, and gas, or vapor. The same element, in three forms, much as God exists as Himself, His Son, and His Holy Spirit.
I love your message and enjoy your words.
Cheers
Taco ‘Merica
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Thank you for your input.
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What an excellent post! God has given you such a powerful ministry in the midst of your struggle.
I’ve always been a huge C.S. Lewis fan. Even though God didn’t make complete sense to him, Lewis makes complete sense out of Christianity to me. I continue to be inspired by his insights and challenged by his practical faith. Someday I can’t wait to shake his hand and tell him just how important his conversion to Christianity became to so many of us.
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Thank you very much for your encouraging comments. I am a huge C.S Lewis fan too; even though he’s been dead since I was 3 years old, I feel as if I know him from reading his books…
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love this. 🙂
I nominated you for a few awards. To collect them plz click this link and follow the simple instructions. You deserve them because you are a great writer and a blessing.
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Thank you very much for the nomination and for your encouraging words!
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Hi, I have nominated you for The Super Sweet Blogger Award! Your blog is incredible!!
http://geraldinevanbiljon.wordpress.com/2013/05/22/a-kid-gone-wild-on-wayyy-to-much-candy/
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Thank you so much for your nomination, Geraldine!
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Thank you so much for your article. I too have struggled with senseless tragedies and pondered why God allows horrible pain and heartache and had to come to the same conclusion as the verse. God is God and I am not. I cannot understand his ways as they are far above my level of understanding. They are the ways of the Almighty Creator of the universe. Thank you for stopping by my blog
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Thank you, Elizabeth. I think everyone who has ever seriously thought about these questions can relate to you and I.
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I am so awesomely happy that I found your site! I love your writing and inspiration. Brother, your heart is definitely laid bare for all to see, but—- That is a good thing for we ARE to be transparent to one another. The Bible tells us that from the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks and I like to paraphrase that and say from the abundance of the heart, the hand writes! Those who love the Lord, talk (or write) about their Love!!
I praise the Lord and thank the Holy Spirit for His leading. It looks like I have a LOT of reading to do here! LOL! But I WILL be following! What a breath of fresh Spiritual air!!
God bless you abundantly AND richly!
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Thank you so much for your encouraging words, Pastor!
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Spot on! The beauty of faith is in the fact that it’s all about letting go of the responsibility (and the concurrent anxiety, stress, and pressure) of trying to “know.” It is the acknowledgment that His ways are higher than our ways. It is the acknowledgment that he is the only omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent being. Thankfully, He’s on our side! How amazing that He loves us!
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That’s good! Thank you for your thought-provoking comments!
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In my early years in salvation, I’d shake in my boots whenever I thought about the concept of eternity because I “knew” it was an improbable one. Now I am no longer afraid because I am learning to have faith in a God who is greater than I could ever have imagined.
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That’s good – it’s impossible to understand eternity with human logic.
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Brilliant message! Thank you for reminding us His ways are far above our ways!
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Thank you, Lorraine.
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God’s revelation about Himself seems to come most abundantly and fluidly, when I rest in the realization that it really is okay to find HOPE in that which we do not understand.
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I agree, Catherine. The things I do understand are not great enough for me to place hope in.
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Reblogged this on Enough Tribulations – Peace & Deliverance Ministry and commented:
This is so inspirational. I had to reblog. Thanks for sharing.
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Thank you for the re-blog, Gertrude!
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It didn’t make sense when God sent his only son, whom He loved to endure the beating, the suffering, the abuse, and the death on the cross. He didn’t deserve it. He did nothing wrong. It’s the same thing I thought of when I go through tough times. God loves me, and I go through the stuff, because of the purpose that I am here on earth to fulfill. Jesus Christ was here for a purpose. He had to endure the evil of the cross, so that we could all be saved. Let us thank God for being there, even though things do not make sense to us. I like your post. It’s very inspirational. Please feel free to check out my blog at http://www.enoughtribulations.com. Keep going, your purpose is being fulfilled. God bless you my dear.
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Thank you for your comments, Gertrude.
I agree with you, in the natural – by human reasoning, God sending Jesus to die for our sins doesn’t make sense either. That’s where faith comes in – believing God’s word even when what we read seems unreasonable.
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I’m nominating you for two awards. If you want to accept them, hop on over to http://mrsmendiola.wordpress.com/2013/05/09/liebster-and-very-inspiring-blogger-awards/ for all of the rules.
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Thank you very much for your nomination, Sarah!
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Thoroughly enjoyed this post. God is not to be understood; He is to be worshiped. We’re the ones who complicate things 🙂
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Thank you, Linda. I agree that we’re the ones that complicate things.
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C.S. Lewis is my favorite author. I read and re-read his works often, each time blows me away as if it were the first time.
Thanks for putting such complicated questions in an easy to understand way, Bill.
After some needed time away, I’m just catching up on blogging – yours is the first I visited. Always love reading what you write.
Hope you and your family are doing well.
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It’s good to hear from you, Lori. I hope you, your dad and family are doing well.
C.S Lewis is my favorite author too – I try to read or listen to the audio-version of “Mere Christianity” every year or two. He really makes you think.
I am glad you’re back to blogging!
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I read this out loud at work the other day. I meant to come on earlier to comment. As always… your posts are my sermons of the week!
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Thank you so much, Diane! I hope you’re doing well.
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God gives us physical images of spiritual realities. H2O is the closest I can come to understanding the Triune God. Liquid water, water vapor, and ice are identical in substance, but they look different and have different functions.
The Trinity is a subject that fascinates me. You can find the Trinity throughout the entire Bible, beginning with Genesis. Elohim (Hebrew for God) is a plural noun. According to Genesis 1: 26, Elohim said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness . . . .” (NASB).
Genesis 1: 2 says that “the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.”
John 1: 1 says, “In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” In Colossians 1: 15, Paul says that Christ “is the image of the invisible God.”
Deuteronomy 6: 4 says, “Hear, O Israel! The LORD [Adonai–a singular noun] our God [Elohim–plural noun] is one.”
The OT often refers to “the angel of the LORD.” When Jacob, Hagar, and Samuel’s parents encountered “the angel of the LORD,” they were amazed because they had “seen God face to face and had not died.” (Some believe that “the angel of the LORD” was the preincarnate Christ–especially since THE angel of the LORD only appears in the OT, not the NT after the birth of Christ.)
King Saul was temporarily filled with the Holy Spirit. Many OT saints were filled with the Holy Spirit–not to mention Pentacost in the NT.
As complicated as the Trinity sounds, I find things in the natural realm more baffling. For example, the fax machine, telephone, GPS, Internet, TV, the remote control for the TV, and my electronic car door opener are mysteries that I can’t begin to understand (LOL).
Here’s the sort of questions I wrestle with: Does outer space have a top and a bottom? Or does it go on and on and on forever. If outer space is endless, then that reinforces my belief that God has no beginning or end. He has always existed. Again the physcial realm gives us insight into the spiritual realm.
Here’s another example. No one seems to understand gravity, least of all me. But according to the NT (Hebrews, I think), the world is made of “unseen things” and Christ “holds all things together.”
Another mind bender: Time is relative. It slows down at the speed of light. C.S. Lewis wrote (in “Mere Christianity”) that God is outside of time.
Thank you for another thought-provoking article. And don’t give up. God is supernatural. He can heal you. Blessings to you & yours.
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Wow, Sheryl, you are a deep-thinker!
While I was reading your comments (about not understanding how some of our modern marvels work…), I was thinking if they’re difficult for you and I to understand, imagine being a time-traveler and explaining the Internet, television or cell phones etc to people 500 years ago; Isaac Newton would have been confused by the explanation! This is how I view Biblical mysteries like the Trinity; in a sense, Jesus was a time-traveler, He came to us from outside of the realm of time and space. We should not expect to understand everything from another realm.
Also, I won’t give up BECAUSE God is supernatural (of that other realm).
Thank you, Sheryl.
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You’re welcome. Interesting point you made. I’ve never thought of Jesus as a time traveler, but it makes sense.
So much is beyond our comprehension, both in the natural and the spiritual realms. I have a lot of questions to ask Jesus when I meet Him face to face.
Keep sharing, I love reading your posts! Blessings.
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Thanks, Sheryl.
Your comment made me think of Jesus’ statement to Nicodemus – “If I told you earthly (natural) things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly (supernatural) things?” (John 3:12)
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Wow! I’ve read that verse many times, but I never noticed that comparison.. Thank you for pointing it out.
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Thank you, Sheryl.
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I liked Sheryl’s “thought-deadening” points. God has a problem with human intelligence. Anyway, I liked Sheryl’s last point best: “…don’t give up. God is supernatural. He can heal you.” I agree with her completely. Stay blessed, we love you.
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Reblogged this on Sowing Mercy and commented:
A thoughtful consideration of the trinity.
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Thank you for the re-blog, Cindy!
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I can very much relate to this. When I face questions about God or this earth or whatever that I just can’t grapple with, and definitely don’t have answers for (and never will), that’s when I remember just how limited we as mankind are. It is somehow comforting to recognize just how much bigger God is than us, who cannot even comprehend “eternity.”
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That’s good, Jessica. I find a lot of “unknowns” in the Bible and the writers of the New Testament seemed to be fine with not having every answer. For example, the Apostle John wrote that they didn’t know or couldn’t understand what our eternal bodies would be like – he just knew that we’d be like Jesus was post-resurrection; able to appear as solid as we are now, able to eat etc, but also able to walk through walls and even disappear altogether? Like the Trinity, this defies human understanding, but yet, the God-given faith inside of us tells us to believe in these mysteries even though we cannot understand them.
“Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him…” (1 John 3:2)
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Thanks for this, Bill. I’ve reblogged in on Witnesses to Hope . . .
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Reblogged this on Witnesses to Hope and commented:
When things don’t make sense . . .
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Thank you for the re-blog, Sr. Dorcee.
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Well said, Bill! I echo the sentiment of others… I wouldn’t worship a God I could completely figure out. He would just be my “buddy.”
To me, it will never be about understanding God.
It will be, “Can I trust God?”
And from what I’ve seen, God is trustworthy.
Thanks for an excellent look at the mystery of God and The Trinity!
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That’s good, Bill! I am with you; I couldn’t trust in a simple god – a god like those described in Psalm 115 – “They have mouths, but they cannot speak; They have eyes, but they cannot see; They have ears, but they cannot hear; They have noses, but they cannot smell; They have hands, but they cannot feel; They have feet, but they cannot walk; They cannot make a sound with their throat.”
Sadly, whether it’s literally or figuratively, billions of people still worship simple gods like this today.
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Bill, you’ve posed a question that so many of us have about the nature of God. I began writing a long response about my experience of God, but think it’s perhaps inappropriate to post it here. I’ll work on it and post something in my blog in the next few days. Thank you for being an instrument through which the Spirit could lead me to want to write more. Blessings, Peg.
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Thank you, Peg. I look forward to reading your post!
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I just found your blog and so enjoy reading your understand of the Trinity. Caring for ALS patients for 30 years now – I am often asked the “why me” question. Thank you for giving me your insight into how to better address and reply to this question. Please continue to share with us all the thoughts, dreams and wishes that pour from your heart.
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Thank you, Mary Beth, for your comments and for your work with ALS patients! Where would we be without caregivers like you and my wife? Dead. Your website (http://www.alscare.com/ ) is packed with great information for people with ALS and our caregivers – thank you for that too.
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This was an excellent post! At times, life can be so hard especially when we cannot make sense of it. I have found Isaiah 35 very comforting as of late & wrote about it here: http://daysnthoughts.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/lessons-from-a-sigh/
May you find encouragement in His Word!
Blessings,
Joanne
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Thank you for the encouragement, Joanne. We all go through times where nothing seems to make sense, but we grow in faith in the search to make sense of it.
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Hi Bill…. this post is a good followup to our recent dialogue and your introducing me to The Case for Christ and Lee Strobel. Reason being, I watched some of his material on youtube and inadvertently ended up watching some of his opponents and critics as well.
One particular critic was quite dismissive of Strobel’s methodology and research saying Strobel appeared to be attempting to confirm his curiosity in God rather than objectively examine the evidence and apply critical thought to his research in order to come to a conclusion.
And none of us will ever know whether Strobel did objective research or if he had an unknown inkling to want to know God and subconsciously validated his own desire by seeking out supporting evidence…. or, if he simply did research that was valid to him but perhaps not to his critics.
I found myself asking …. why would it matter? And since when is God ever discovered through reason alone? Are we to assume that the human capacity to reason is comprehensive enough to fully understand all things in this universe?
I read an interesting quote recently by Carl Sagan…. “The absence of evidence is not the evidence of absence.” To me this brings into question human reason and trust of our limited senses. In other words, just because our senses and reasoning ability can’t detect, embrace, or comprehend something, does not mean it doesn’t exist.
Will we ever understand all things? I doubt it. And God’s ways which are higher than our ways, perhaps references the fact that they are on a different plane that is beyond our senses and reason.
Today, I am ok with not knowing everything. And yes, there are many painful mysteries like death, disease, suffering, and tragedy. And yes, one day I have some pretty big questions for God.
But for today, and I can’t even explain all of the reasons why, I believe. And I am ok with that.
Ciao.
Chaz
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Thank you for your thought-provoking comments, Chaz. I too have read articles from Strobel’s critics and I find them laughable. Their primary criticism is that he used mostly Christian and neutral sources in his research for “The Case for Christ.” I think he should be commended for this! He set out to prove the resurrection was a farce. As a highly-educated man, a long-time atheist and as a seasoned reporter, he already knew all of the arguments for the atheist point-of-view; he was, so to speak, an insider. If I was writing a book to disprove macro-evolution, the last people I’d talk to would be Christians – I am well-versed in the Christian arguments against Darwin – I’m an insider. No investigative reporter, or anyone trying to be objective, would be doing their job if they didn’t get both sides. And, as for his opponents questioning his motives, we can’t do this, only God knows what’s in people’s heart. Regardless of who does it, when people start playing the motive card, I always think it’s because they’ve got nothing else in their hand.
And, by the way, Strobel is far from being the only well-known atheist to become a Christian, I can think of many – check out this short CNN interview with Francis Collins, the Geneticist who was the head of the Human Genome Project –
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Thanks Bill. I just watched the vid. I appreciate it.
I suppose the conclusion I continue to draw is that we cannot predict or direct how God will reach someone. Through reason? Perhaps. Or in part.
I know people who found God through ways that one would not align with reason whatsoever. One friend thought he had a dream about being visited by someone who brought him a message, then the next day, waking up thinking it was a dream, found unlikely indicators that someone did indeed come into his home. Then he had an uncontrollable physical experience that led him to make a decision to believe in Jesus Christ.
There was not rational thought here. No comparison of theories. It was peculiar but undeniable for him and this was 20 years ago. He believes in and serves God to this day.
As long as man has existed, he has debated ideas, theories, and theologies. I don’t think we will ever get to a consensus or to the bottom of it all through our intellect or through a process of human reasoning. At least I won’t.
As your original post stated, and keeps proving itself in our dialogue, God’s ways are higher than our ways. And dare I say also different than our ways.
The other thing that concerns me is the air of elitism I tend to sense among many who consider themselves as great thinkers. Certainly not all, but many. Just something that I am often uncomfortable feeling. Can’t quite describe it, but it feels somewhat protectionistic. Like thought processes are the safe place and the governing forces in life. But are they?
There must be a gravity that builds when one gets swept up in intellectual elitism. Again, can’t quite describe it, but all I suppose I can say is it seems to have a life of its own.
Thanks again for the inspiring video and dialogue.
Ciao.
Chaz
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More thought-provoking thoughts, Chaz.
Personally I don’t believe anybody finds Christ through reason – I mean like searching for a cure for a disease. To my way of thinking, Christ doesn’t work through our intellect; He works through the heart of man. Intellectuals like Lewis, Strobel and Dr. Collins might claim that they found Christ through objective reasoning, they might even believe it, but at some point they had to set their pride down and humble themselves to let Christ in – the intellect (our “flesh”) refuses to do that.
As you said, many atheists are also elitists (intellectual snobs), as the Bible says, their hearts are hardened – God cannot penetrate hardened hearts. You listen to that interview with Dr. Collins and you hear the progression of his heart being softened before he accepted Christ – he began to empathize with the sick and dying; empathy isn’t a quality of those with hardened hearts. Jesus was there all the time, waiting for us to open the door.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.” (Revelation 3:20)
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Thanks Bill…. ya, I think we see this issue much the same way. God does not reach us through our inellect…. at least not that alone. Yet, the apologists do address many of the issues the intellect struggles with. But to me, that is only a component. The complete connection is not made without God somehow reaching our heart through is higher ways. The ones I don’t understand. And I am sure the ones even the intellectual apologists like Lewis, Strobel, and may as well add Chuck Colson to the list, would argue that it was not a conversion of their intellect that tipped them over.
And yes, I did notice the progression of Dr. Collins. He references that specifically in that it was in working with the dying that he began to ask the questions about eternity and the greater meaning of life.
Thanks for the dialogue! Look forward to the next one.
Chaz
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C.S Lewis actually played a part in, among others, the conversion of Chuck Colson and Francis Collins – they both credit his book “Mere Christianity” with causing them to reexamine their beliefs about Christianity.
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Well there you go…. case in point. I would imagine the intellect portion of their pre-conversion experiences were a result of finding some validity in sound reasoning of the likes of CS Lewis. I am really going to have to read some of his material. And this Brennan Manning who many are talking about…. recently died… perhaps not an apologist but seems to have affected many people very positively by his writing.
Again… great dialogue Bill. Thanks.
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I love the post. I believe it was Lewis who said that Christianity has to be the correct religion because of the Trinity. A human cannot come up with such a concept in a million years. The idea of God who exists in Three Persons as One. Amazing!
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You’re right, Lewis did say that. As a professor of ancient literature, Lewis had studied virtually every ancient society and concluded that their gods always seemed made-up; they were either gods that became men or men that became gods. But the trinity intrigued him; as the quote I used said, it’s not something man would make up.
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Truth is truth – until our own little worlds are shaken, and then we want to know – why do we suffer? Why disease, and pain, and heartache? It’s amazing what tossing some honest-to-goodness pain into the mix will do to our theology… You make an excellent point – God is God! He isn’t bound by laws of physics or time or limitations. He needn’t obey any set of preconceived notions. He runs outside of space and history and certainly knows things that we cannot grasp!
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Yes, Melody, pain and trials force us to reexamine our faith. When you mentioned that God isn’t bound by time and space, I thought of one of my favorite Bible passages – God isn’t bound by things like time and space because He lives outside of them, He created them –
“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)
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I’m so glad Paul was inspired to pen those encouraging words!
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Thank you so much for this post. There are so many things I don’t understand about my God … maybe I need to be better about expanding my faith rather than trying to make Him fit into my tiny understanding. Your post reminded me of Proverbs 25:2 It is the glory of God to conceal things, but the glory of kings is to search things out.
Thanks again for blessing us with your blog!
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Thank you, Heidi. I agree with you, we need to get a bigger picture of God. Why do we think we should fully understand Him; I’ve been married to Mary for almost 28 years and I haven’t even figured her out yet:-)
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Thank you Bill,
As a layman in spiritual terms I find it hard to understand why all the pain and suffering could be allowed to take place. I am, as many, naive in the concept of the ” big picture” but most of us live in the day. I just have to have to keep my faith and put it in God’ s hands…..
Vin
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Thanks, Vin. It is hard to get a big picture about God or anything else when we’re so focused on the here and now; this is especially true if the here and now involves pain and suffering.
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If the depth of His love can’t be fathomed, how could we even hope to understand any of His other facets?
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Excellent, Patti!
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I really appreciate the honesty of this post and the C.S. Lewis references, especially ‘Of course anyone can be simple if he has no facts to bother about…’
I find that so many things become difficult to comprehend, because we are trying to figure it out using earthly logic and not a spiritual mind. Too often we try to apply the rules of this world to the kingdom of God, and that just isn’t so. We are in this world but not of it (John 17:15-18) and we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:2)!
Suffering happens and terrible things occur because we have 3 very real enemies against us at all times. (I mentioned them in my recent post No Weapons Shall Prosper http://wp.me/p2uDC0-AA) Among these enemies is our flesh and with that comes our free will, even to do the most heinous of things. God’s heart breaks with ours when bad things happen, but He bears with us until the Second Coming, giving us opportunity after opportunity to accept Him. Until them we can rest in knowing that in spite of the unexplained and in spite of the negative things, His love for us knows no bounds and that’s what’s most important!!
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Wow! Great sermon, Patricia! As Lewis said, if the focus was merely on gaining followers, they would never have come up with a hard-to-believe doctrine like the trinity, or for that matter the resurrection either. That’s why Islam and all of the many cults that have spun off of Christianity don’t believe in the trinity or the resurrection – they preach “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:4). It’s the trinity that defines the real Jesus.
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Absolutely! That and Christ’s resurrection. How much faith does it take to believe a man was sent here from heaven to die and rise again?!! It’s all a part of building our faith! 🙂
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That’s right, Patricia!
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People don’t like to admit that God is unfathomable because they want a God who fits into their pocket, someone they can understand and control. They want a God who makes them feel comfortable and who they don’t have to answer to. I often wish I had more answers about God but, at the same time, I’m so thankful that He’s bigger than my – or any other human – understanding.
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Yes, Joy, true faith – mature faith – is when you come to the place where you’re comforted when you discover that some questions about God are beyond human understanding; we won’t know the answers in this life.
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Your post brought me to realize that I have gone so long believing in how God describes Himself in the Bible, that I nearly forgot that His being defies human comprehension or explanation. It is a good to remember that God is so perfect our imperfection often distorts our view of Him. What a mysterious and miraculous God we serve! I yearn to discover Him all the more. He has yet to fail, and I am confident He never will.
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Good points, Clayton. I agree with you – He will never fail us!
“The LORD’S lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22-23)
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“It is a good to remember that God is so perfect our imperfection often distorts our view of Him.” — This is a great summary statement Clayton!
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That is a great quote! It made me think of Paul’s words – “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully…” (1 Corinthians 13:12)
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You’re an encouragement to one who also has a debilitating, incurable disease, and who has also suffered severe financial losses. I feel like I’m starting to claw my way back – only through the grace of God – who gives me the little hope that I have. Thank you for your honesty, faith and positivity, which are helping me to realize that God may still have something useful for me, that will not only please Him but glorify His name.
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Thank you for your comments, Dennis. I’m sorry that you’ve been experiencing physical and financial difficulties, but I’m happy to hear that you still have hope – even a tiny “mustard seed” of hope can grow and flourish and I believe in your case it will.
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Reblogged this on The Weekly Word & Much More.
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Thank you so much for the re-blog.
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Great post! You very well articulated the complexity of the Trinity. One of the great things about God, is that once you take the steps of faith for those things that are difficult to believe or understand, He eventually gives you either understanding or peace. C.S. Lewis is a great example. Revelation first begins with faith.
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Thank you, David. I agree with you – for the things we cannot understand (like Paul with his thorn in the flesh), that’s where God’s grace; His peace takes over. This kind of grace and peace is such an amazing thing, a supernatural thing because it’s better than human understanding. In fact, I really do understand the Trinity, but with my spirit, not my mind.
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I am so thankful that so much of this life can not be explained. The mysteries of God will always be the mysteries of God, despite our scientific intelligence, our philosophical answers and our desire to make common sense out of biblical faith. In my life struggles, I am constantly reminded of the spectacular, yet simple truth of Isaiah 55.8,9 and I thank you, Bill for always reminding me that God is in control of the big picture.
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Thank you, Diane. I agree with you; I like the mystery – that’s what keeps us searching to know Him more!
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This was very insightful!! I can relate to your questions and thoughts about the Trinity and God. I remember after I had my third miscarriage, a dear friend of mine thoughtfully shared with me the Scripture at the end your post (Isaiah 55:8-9). Though this may sound strange to some, this Scripture comforted me and released me from trying to explain why tragedies happen. It allowed me to shift my focus and put my trust in God and His eternal plans. Thanks for sharing this post! :0)
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Thank you, Juliet. I understand how/why verses like that can help people through difficult times; they remind us that God isn’t a mere man and He doesn’t view things from our level – He has an eternal view and verses like that remind us that we need to adopt His “Big picture” view instead of expecting Him to adopt our limited view.
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Thank you for your honesty, Bill, and the logical insights you shared today, especially: “Why do we expect to understand why God allows tragedy and heartache when we cannot even comprehend the makeup of God?” Also enjoyed reading about C.S. Lewis. I didn’t remember his statement about giving up simple atheism for a complex God. My prayer for loved ones who do not know Jesus: that God would give them a holy curiosity(much as he did to C.S. Lewis) to seek truth and to know God, even though he’s beyond human understanding.
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Thank you, Nancy. I am amazed at the lack of curiosity about God; maybe that’s the fault of Christians.
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Great message today Bill, enjoyed it very much.
Tim
Sent from T. Mulvey iPhone
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Thank you, Tim.
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Bill, it’s always a pleasure to read your posts. This post reminds me of what St. Thomas Aquinas said: “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.” At some point, Christians just have to say “I don’t get it, but I believe it.”
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Thank you, Terry. I’ve always liked that quote. And, you’re right, at some point in our walk with Christ, we’ll all come to a place where we say “I don’t get it, but I believe it.” Wouldn’t the Christian life be boring if there were no mysteries?
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Fabulous truth!
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Thank you, Lori.
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Great post, Bill! There are so many things about God we won’t understand until we get to Heaven. My daughter is 8 years old and is constantly asking me questions about our Creator. I’ve been encouraging her to focus on God’s love and building a relationship with Him to get to know Him more. Then I’m trying to make sure I do the same!
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19).
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Thank you, Danielle. It sounds like you have a very smart and curious daughter. I remember when our girls were that age; they were asking questions about God (and other things:-) too. Maybe this is why Jesus said we must become like children.
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Even as a Christian, the Trinity is something that I have difficult wrapping my mind around, but you are right … if we could, He wouldn’t be God. That is what makes Him so awesome! People don’t have trouble being in awe of the vastness of our universe. Though there are places and galaxies yet to be discovered, they don’t deny their existence. Yet they would quickly deny the God who created them.
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Thank you for your comments, Joyce. The vastness of space is another good example of something that’s impossible to understand. But I view this as another proof of God; Space is endless, which is exactly what we who believe in eternity should expect to find.
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Excellent post. CS Lewis is amazing. My daughter’s favorite author. You put a lot of time into this post to share with us. Thank you.
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Thank you. Lewis was a great author – he’s one of my favorites too.
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Thank you for this. I have struggled with this myself since last year when my anxiety and panic attacks were at their worst. I began, too, to rethink everything I thought I knew about God. My faith was shaken and at times it’s still a bit wobbly, so to speak. But instead of turning from it, I continue to read and try to learn as much as I can. I like the C.S. Lewis quote. He’s becoming a favorite of mine. Thanks again. It’s nice to know this is something that others have gone through as well.
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Thank you for your honesty, Tammy. Don’t ever feel like you’re the only one with doubts about their faith – after a while, you figure out that the times of doubt and the times you felt abandoned by God, were the times you grew the most in your faith. Unchallenged faith isn’t real faith – it’s just religion. God’s preparing you, Tammy!
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Thanks! And yes, I have felt for some time that maybe He is just working on me for a reason or purpose. Exciting yet scary thought sometimes. But it can only be for the good I suppose, so I have to continue to trust and have faith : )
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Tammy, religion is boring; following Christ is “exciting and scary sometimes.” You’re on the right path.
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God’s Word says to “consider it joy” when you fall into various trials. We are to be refined only by fire (ouch!). It is through suffering that joy comes. “His ways are not your ways”. The ‘mystery’ is yet to be revealed. We have to know that this eye blink of time that we spend here on this earth, is rewarded with an eternity of health, a perfect eternal body, the absence of pain, no sickness, no disease, total joy, unending peace, perfect love and no more tears. Those who suffer the most, are the ones most trusted by God to do His work. God bless you, brother! Your words move mountains. You inspire everyone who pops in here!!!
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Thank you so much for your encouraging comments, Dina!
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True, God is indefinable by human standards. Perhaps the best illustration of the Trinity is a cube. It has length, width and height, all at the same time, but it isn’t three cubes, only one. The length isn’t the width or height, the height isn’t the width or length, the width isn’t the length or height.
Like His creation, God is “three-dimensional”: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. The Father isn’t the Son or the Spirit; the Son isn’t the Father or the Spirit; the Spirit isn’t the Father or the Son.
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Great analogy; the cube is one of the best I’ve heard.
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Wonderful post. I love C.S. Lewis’s logical mind. And I love the little poster inside the post. I hadn’t heard that quote by him before, but what a good one. Thanks for sharing this. You give it credibility in light of your own experiences with suffering.
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Thank you, Barb. It was reassuring to me when I discovered CS Lewis didn’t grasp the Trinity either:-)
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Where there is faith, there is uncertainty. The more uncertain a person is about a concept, the more faith he must have to believe it. Where there is no uncertainty, faith is unnecessary. That’s why there is no faith in heaven: there we shall see Him face to face, that is, know that He is and what He is, and know this with certainty. God bless!
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“Where there is no uncertainty, faith is unnecessary.” EXCELLENT!
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Thank you so much for the re-blog!
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