September 1, 2012
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God: Embracing the Mystery
“Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For this perishable body must put on imperishability, and this mortal body must put on immortality. When this perishable body puts on imperishability, and this mortal body puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will be fulfilled:
‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’
‘Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?’
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.“What a bunch of nonsense. …So it would seem anyway. This is literally what we Christians believe will happen as Heaven meets Earth. This doesn’t make any logical sense, does it? The dead will be raised? New, immortal and imperishable bodies? It defies the laws of nature. What’s dead is dead. What’s gone is gone. There is no coming back. That’s natural.
So then, we have Jesus. He died and was raised again on the third day. Many don’t understand the significance of Christ’s resurrection. What is the purpose of Jesus coming back from the dead? Some say that his rising proves that he is God. Lazarus was raised from the dead. A 12 year old girl was raised from the dead. Neither of those two were God… so what makes Jesus so special?
Jesus was the first person to come back with an imperishable body. Jesus today sits at the right hand of God in his immortal flesh. This is significant to us because this is God’s promise to us that we too will rise from the dead and have eternal bodies. Many don’t realize this. Many think that upon death, our soul floats up to heaven, in the clouds, where we have wings and play harps. That isn’t true. We rest and on the Lord’s day, we will all rise with our new bodies to be in God’s kingdom forever and ever.
It’s much easier to believe that our souls are simply carried to heaven by angels, isn’t it?
I don’t know how that terrible theology crept into Christianity, but as hard as it is to believe in resurrection from the dead, that is what our faith, when theologically correct, teaches us.
But this idea isn’t logical! It doesn’t make any sense! What’s dead is dead. What’s gone is gone!
I wonder why people try to make Christianity sound like a reasonable and rational religion. It’s not. It’s absurd! Reason out the virgin birth! Explain turning water into wine! What’s the rationale behind resurrection from the dead? How can a person walk on water? These are things that don’t make sense, and they defy the laws of nature. The very point of miracles is that they don’t make sense to the calculated world. They point to something bigger than nature itself: God. So if God is in the business of defying natural law, why are there so many Christians that believe that our faith is logical? Why are there Christians trying to prove God with science?
What does it mean that the first shall be last and the last shall be first? Those who humble themselves will be exalted? If you are struck on your right cheek, turn and offer the left? Love your enemies? I am the bread of life? Those who eat my flesh will never be hungry? I am the living water? Those who drink from me will never be thirsty? These ways of thinking are backwards in some instances. In others, they are completely insane and make absolutely no sense whatsoever! Many people, even Christians, reject these very important teachings of our Lord because they can’t make sense out of them… But Jesus says they work. How? Why?
We can’t turn our cheeks all the time. If we don’t defend ourselves, we can get hurt, or worse, our loved ones may die! That’s an upside down way of thinking! Jesus seems to be saying, “Exactly!”
What we have in God, is a mystery. Everything about our faith is a mystery. Jesus is God? Yes. But the Father is also God? Yes. But isn’t the Holy Spirit God? Yes. So they are all God? Yes. How does that make any sense? I don’t know. It’s a mystery. Mary is the mother of Jesus? Yes. And Joseph was his father? Well, no. God is. So God is the father of Jesus? Yes. And Jesus is God? Yes. WHAT?!? Don’t ask me how this makes sense, because it doesn’t. It’s a divine mystery.
We live in a world that seeks answers for all of the questions life throws at us. There is nothing wrong with searching for answers. That is how we make progress, but God is always a mystery. Mystery is rare these days, and when we come across an unsolved mystery, we feel uncomfortable and disconcerted. We want answers to life’s most asked questions. When we are dealing with what is spiritual, however, we are dealing with that which can’t be quantified or qualified. The spiritual is an unseen, but still, very connected part of our world. By nature, we can’t prove it’s existence, but we can trust in it’s revelation to us.
Embracing the holy mysteries of God gives a feeling of freedom. It forces one to accept the fact that we may try, but we can never know everything. Mystery is what keeps us human. Mystery allows God to remain holy. Questions of God may arise, as they always do, but knowing that God is shrouded in mystery makes me comfortable to give the answer that many are afraid to give: “I don’t know.”
Comments (21)
first of all, thank you for posting this which basically sums up your faith, i guess…
i hope my comment (because i’m always curious about certain things) doesn’t come off as something that is uncalled for..
(so here are some of the thoughts that i have when i read this)
i always accept that we don’t know everything… there are obviously many things that are beyond our capability to totally understand..
“By nature, we can’t prove it’s existence, but we can trust in it’s revelation to us.”
this brings up the question, how do we know exactly that that IS its revelation?
how to differentiate what is a real revelation, and something that is being made up by somebody?
when you have a divine mystery that don’t really make any sense, how is it to come to the conclusion that it is the truth (rather than something else that someone else preach that also don’t really make any sense, for instance)
and personally, i think there is a huge difference between a faith in the “illogical” things and an illogical faith… because if you can logically come to the conclusion of a certain faith, that there’s God almighty the creator of heaven and earth for example, then there’s really nothing illogical anymore about his power to raise the dead etc… but if the faith itself is illogical, then… what separates it from any other nonsense out there that people made up and blindly hold on as their faith?
There are a lot of things I don’t know. I accept that, but I sincerely seek answers to every question withing my capacity to understand. I don’t think there is anything wrong for seeking out answers to mysterious things. It is what drives me daily. Its my passion to delve into mysteries and come out with some type of understanding.
logic is not an evil.
I’m not sure how I feel about this post.
I have also noticed that want once took faith eventually turns to ‘knowing’ because experience and life have proven such in me. I find lots of answers in these ‘mysteries’ not all are logical, but still they are very real to me.
I feel like I’m just going to ramble so maybe I’ll come back later for a re-read.
@maniacsicko - “and personally, i think there is a huge
difference between a faith in the “illogical” things and an illogical
faith… because if you can logically come to the conclusion of a
certain faith, that there’s God almighty the creator of heaven and earth
for example, then there’s really nothing illogical anymore about his
power to raise the dead etc… but if the faith itself is illogical,
then… what separates it from any other nonsense out there that
people made up and blindly hold on as their faith?”
this is too where I get stuck. To me, It is not illogical at all to believe these things… God has proven Himself in my life in many areas that required faith. I was recently thinking about faith and wondering how to continue to have faith when faith is something that is required without knowing. But I know. I know that God exists… so then I go from faith to understanding and knowing. I think. Once you have witnessed with your own eyes, heard with your own ears and known a person personally… is it faith anymore?
@xXrEMmUsXx - My intention isn’t to say that logic is evil, but rather, trying to come to logical conclusions about God rather than embracing the mystery (which in itself is logical when dealing with the spiritual) that God has to offer, which makes the faith even more brilliant. There is always a natural curiosity to mystery, so I believe it actually causes us to explore God further. Many people stop exploring God though, believing that they know God like the back of their hand. So I’m not actually saying that we can’t know more so we may as well stop. I’m actually saying that that there is an eternal mystery to the faith and it makes God that much more interesting! But I wrote this late last night, so maybe I need to add that in somewhere.
@jmallory - Certainly, there is a mystery… hence my driven passion to be a part of solving some of the things God reveals. he does reveal the mysteries… of course not all of them, but I feel the longer we are here on earth the deeper the mysteries can be unraveled.
I get what you are saying a little clearer here. I also think that the reason faith is so lgical to me is because I accept and recognize that I am spiritual and the physical part of me is real, but the spiritual is just as real… and possibly even more important, at least in the long run.
I think you are more against science explaining everything? Which I understand too. I do think science can explain many things… even things about God, but there is even mystery in science… afterall it is just logical study of things that are unknown looking for answers. It’s also generally labeled as theory because each finding is another layer in the next finding and ofter alters the understanding of the first theory. We are all just trying to make sense of the world, spirituality, God…
@xXrEMmUsXx - It’s not that I’m against Science explaining everything… I’m very into it. Science has made sense out of the world and it continues to do so. But what Science can’t do is make sense out of God… and that’s my issue, both from the atheist side and from the fundamentalist side. When a Christian attempts to make sense out of things that just don’t make sense (i.e. the resurrection or God as a trinity) they often end up looking silly. These are things that just can’t be proven scientifically because these are mysteries that are a matter of faith. We can’t understand the resurrection until we become resurrected. We can’t understand the trinity until we are in God’s presence… and we Christians have been in God’s presence so we can believe it. I think the bigger issue is that other faiths have these experiences with their god too… coming at this from a logical perspective would be to say that either all of these faiths are right, or all of these faiths are delusional. But this is why we take our belief by faith… because there are a lot of answers out there and our only way to trust is through faith. I rambled… and I don’t know if I made any sense, but it was fun anyway haha
@jmallory - lol.
@jmallory - I just think there is a healthy balance. Logis is fabulous. Faith is grand. there is room for both, which I don’t think you are saying there isn;t… thats just my conclusion on the topic.
@xXrEMmUsXx - I am a Methodist and we follow what is called the Wesleyan Quadrilateral- It simply means that we come up with theological conclusions based on four elements: Scripture, Tradition, Reason, and Experience. John Wesley had said that Scripture is the ultimate authority, and by scripture, the other three are tested and balanced. Here is a short excerpt from Wikipedia regarding the “Reason” facet of the quadrilateral:
Although scripture is sufficient unto itself and is the foundation of
true religion. Wesley wrote: “Now, of what excellent use is reason, if
we would either understand ourselves, or explain to others, those living
oracles”.He states quite clearly that without reason we cannot understand the
essential truths of Scripture. Reason, however, is not a mere human
invention. It must be assisted by the Holy Spirit if we are to
understand the mysteries of God. With regard to justification by faith
and sanctification Wesley said that although reason cannot produce
faith, when impartial reason speaks we can understand the new birth,
inward holiness, and outward holiness. Although reason cannot produce
faith, it can shorten the leap.
I just thought that was an interesting and relevant bit.
@jmallory - ooooo, i truly do not like tradition =/
@jmallory - Love what Wesley said… =]
I like this post. Lots to think about. I know that’s not really a discussion, but right now I don’t know what I’d start out with. lol.
Tradition teaches us that Lazarus and the girl who Jesus brought back from the dead were resuscitated, notresurrected. Ergo, Jesus raising from the dead does point us toward his divinity because he was the firstborn of the dead….the first to be resurrected.
Just a little theological correction:). Love you!
@myareoplane - Even though his sister said he stunk?
@mtngirlsouth - If you’re arguing that Jesus wasn’t the first to be resurrected then you’re arguing with 2,000 years of church history…not me. I’m not going to argue about it. lol.
@myareoplane - So, basically, Martha was wrong and some tradition you speak of was right? “And he that was dead came forth” is a lie? What about the resurrections in the OT?
@mtngirlsouth - I think the difference between resurrection and resuscitation is that in resurrection, our bodies become immortal, imperishable… resuscitation is restoring to what it originally was. Even with the 12 year old girl, Jesus said, “She is not dead. She is only sleeping.” These are the dynamics of proper vocabulary and theology, I guess. He also said that Lazarus too was sleeping. It seems that Jesus preferred that term rather than “death”. Nevertheless, Jesus did raise these two from the dead. However, they were raised into mortal bodies- hence the term “resuscitate”… because these two eventually died again. Jesus was resurrected into a body that is enduring and everlasting. He is the only man with a glorified body. This is what the resurrection is all about
@jmallory - Okay, that makes better sense.
@myareoplane - @jmallory - I love you guys!! The truth of Christ is so simple, but we are too complex to ever simply accept it at face value. Jesus is the first; the blueprint and the first of his kind. We, if we are born of the Holy Spirit, are kind after his kind, and will follow his lead. The old saying is true: “…as surely as day follows night…”
“Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.” We hear about Jesus, then Jesus reveals Himself alive within us, and in our hearts, our spirits, we
know
we have been born again, born from above,
new creatures
, aliens on the earth, but henceforth alive forever as our older brother Jesus forever was. “Beam me up, Scotty.”
I laughed as I read the beginning of your post, remembering how the Lord led me to teach about the rapture of the church to my fellow prisoners in the dorms of Westville years ago. I told them I was going to teach about “the great snatch” at our next session. Like the Apostle Paul I became all things to all people. And all people are curious to hear a mystery explained.
Great Post My Brother Mallory.
this might be part of the reason why i’m agnostic. i’m not against illogical faith, for the record. if it makes your life better, go for it. but i’m never going to accept something that illogical and let it define my life AND the lives of others as i perceive them. there’s plenty of information i take on faith: faith in my parents when they say they love me, faith in the weatherman when he tells me it won’t rain, etc. but none of those things demands that i believe anything that goes against what i see to be right and wrong.