Thursday, April 05, 2007
Epiphanies
After much prayer and meditation, and sometimes just straight out of nowhere, I have been given some rather astounding insights (at least, I think they are) into that which is called God. Perhaps they will be of some benefit to you readers, as they have been to me:
1. God is not merely monarch, and metaphors are not literal description. We've kinda been talking about this a bit in my religion class, and it's gotten me thinking. God is most often referred to these days as "Lord" and "King." He is the Ruler Of The Universe. He is God, we are Man. He is a He, a patriarch.
There is nothing wrong with this line of thinking. However, we have to remember something: this is a metaphor. God cannot be accurately described, for God is beyond our ways of thinking. The only way to describe God is through metaphor and symbol. A lot of these metaphors are found in Scripture. Viewing God as Lord and King (the "monarchical model of God") is biblical. However, in Western culture, perhaps we have forgotten that this is not actual description. Perhaps we have forgotten that that is not actually all that God is. Perhaps we have forgotten that God as King is only a metaphor, and not literal description. Really, just think about it. When you imagine God, how do you imagine Him? I don't know about you, but I typically imagine Him as a King or majestic Prince ruling over the universe from up in heaven. When I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that my culture has raised me to think that that is actually how God is, and that is how He relates to the world. But that's not true. If we think of God only as Lord and King, we can come to some very dangerous conclusions. For example, we can conclude (at least subconsciously) that:
a) God is external from the world. He is separate from us, as a king is separate from his subjects. Although He loves us, he is not actively involved in us, as least not from inside the world. He controls everything from afar, and is distant. We must constantly be striving to reach for Him.
b) If God rules hierarchically over us, then we can rule hierarchically over the world. We have dominion over all of creation, and can exploit it as we wish. Just as God is above us, so there are certain elements in the world that are above others.
c) God is a patriarch, and He is Father only as much as a father rules over a household.
These are dangerous conclusions, but if you look at Western culture it's easy to see them at work in our attitudes and our actions. It is important to separate metaphor from literal description, and to realize that no metaphor perfectly encompasses God. Yes, God is in many ways like a Lord and King. However, in many ways He is not.
2. God wants us to be happy. It has been said that suffering comes from God, and He uses it as a tool. This is a lie. God might use suffering, but it does not come from Him. He does not wish to see his creation suffer. He does not wish for misfortune and evil to befall us. In fact, when we do suffer, and when evil does enter the picture, He doesn't sit on his throne, impassive, using the situation for His own means. He suffers with us. He loves us so much that he can't stand to see bad things happen to us. He hates it when we fall victim to our own faults and mistakes and sins. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus, and God cries out in agony when His creation suffers.
3. God is love. It's a simple sentence, and one we repeat all too often. Do we really understand the significance of this phrase? Of all the adjectives used to describe God, of all the characteristics that make Him up, love is chosen as His very definition. God = love. Love is the very substance that He is composed of.
This has vast theological implications for how God relates to the world. He does not rule it from afar, like a monarch. He is very much intimately involved in creation, and in the world. He loves you. He loves me. He is filled with a love that we cannot begin to comprehend, and we can only experience it ourselves in small doses. He loves us with all the possible kinds of love that exist:
a) God loves us as an artist loves his creation. God looks upon us and says, "This is good." God is proud of His accomplishment. In His eyes, we are a beautiful creation. Just as art is a reflection of the artist, so we are a reflection of God. We are a product of His essence.
b) God loves us as a parent loves their child. This does not just mean as a patriarch. God is Father, and God is Mother. We were conceived in love. God loves us despite our limited ways of thinking. He disciplines us when we need it. He does not wish to see us suffer. He wishes us only the best. He lets us make our own decisions, even when He knows they're the wrong ones. He picks us up when we fall. He kisses us and makes it better.
c) God loves us as a friend loves a friend. God doesn't just want to interact with us as master and servant, king and citizen. He wants to interact with us on equal ground. He wants us to share our secrets with Him, and He in turn wants to share Himself with us. He wants to give us advice. He wants to play, and have fun. He wants to just hang out.
d) God even loves us sexually. He lusts after us. He is filled with raw, wanton desire. We are an object of obsession for him. He wants to know us in the most intimate, personal ways possible. He wants our spirits to be one.
e) God loves us as a groom loves the bride. He loves us passionately, as lover. He entire existence is dedicated to loving us, even though we don't deserve it. He follows us around our whole lives saying, "Marry me. Let me love you. Let me love you! My heart cries out for you!" He desires a relationship. He is the guy in every chick flick who will pull any impossible stunt, and embarrass himself in the most humiliating way, if that's what it takes for us to understand the scope of his affection.
I am amazed and humbled when I think about the things and the people I love, and what I would do for them, and realize that that is only a fraction of how much God loves us. There is at least one person I have loved with my full heart, and all that I am. I am so overwhelmed by love that at times I can't breathe and have to gasp for air, and feel a profound emptiness without them. If we loved with the fullness of God, we would be blown apart, for we wouldn't be able to contain both its power and the hole that results from rejection. Even so, given the fact that God is love, I can only conclude that love is not from us. Any love, no matter what type, cannot be produced by the human brain or the human heart. True love is the most powerful force in the universe, because it is the essence of God Himself. "Love can conquer all obstacles" - it's a rather corny adage, but one I am forced to believe, since love is even powerful enough to wipe out sin. Granted, our love is not pure, and can be tainted, but at its core, I believe all love to be good. It is impossible for true love to be sinful, or to stand in the way of God. True love is a sign of God's presence in the world. True love goes against our very nature as human beings. Human nature says, "I am what matters. I want only what serves me. I want only what satisfies me." Love says, "I am a fool for you. My life is not worth living if you are not in it. You make life better. I want to do whatever I can to satisfy you, and make you happy." Love says, "I would die for you." This is why Christ died. We can dress it up with theological talk about atonement for sins and resurrection and conquering death, but the core of the act is simple: love. Christ died because He loves us, and would do anything to be with us. Love is the only thing worth dying for.
4. We will never be perfect. This is not what our culture would have us believe. American culture says that it is possible to be perfect. If we wear certain clothes, eat certain food, and look a certain way, we will be perfectly satisfied. American religion says the same thing. If we act a certain way, if we don't sin, if we strive after God in the way we're supposed to, if we believe the right things, then we will be right before God.
This could not be further from the truth.
We talk about grace like we understand what it means, but we don't. We still think that if we do the right things, God will love us more. Whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, we still think we have to earn His love. We think that if we stop ourselves from sinning, He will love us more than the others. We think that if we believe the right doctrine, we are more "Christian" than those who disagree (to all of those of you who belong to a particular denomination, just be honest - subconsciously, do you think your denomination is more right about things than all the other ones, and that you're better Christians than them because of it?). We think that if we have a quiet time every day, and pray like we think we're supposed to, and say "I'm sorry" after every mistake, then we will eventually be spiritually satisfied. We still believe that it is possible to be spiritually complete through our own efforts. And it's easy to why - that's exactly what our culture and nature would have us believe. If there is anything human beings desire, it's control. We want to have control over our fates and our accomplishments, spiritual and otherwise. What makes God's love so amazing is that it completely goes against our nature, and makes control worthless and pointless to strive for.
We will never be complete. We will never say all the right things. We will never do everything right. Our motives will never be pure. Like it or not, in the back of our minds, we will think about ourselves most of the time. Our doctrine is most likely as flawed as our spiritual condition, and we will never be 100% correct in claiming what goes on in the mind of God.
And this is good.
God loves us even though we don't deserve it, and even though we will never measure up to it. Christ came not for those who had things right, but for those that had it all wrong, and we all have it wrong. We are sick, and He is the doctor. His love has no boundaries, and nothing we ever do will make Him love us or approve of us more than He already does. We all have our good days and our bad days. We all have times when we are as wrapped up in Him as we possibly can be. And we all have times when we are wrapped up only in ourselves, and we leave Him on the sidelines. That's okay. He doesn't want to be there, but He will love us just as much from there as He will when He's in front.
In fact, when Christ died, He died not only for all the sins we have committed in the past, but for all we ever will commit in the future. We are forgiven for being flawed, and broken, and for having such self-righteous attitudes. In fact, I think that the American church has neutered grace by its theology of redemption. The American church says that in order to be forgiven, we have to say the equivalent of, "I know I did wrong. I'm sorry. Forgive me. I won't do it again." This isn't true. You don't have to apologize. And you will do it again. God knew this when He sent His son. You don't have to apologize and ask for forgiveness, because He has already forgiven you. When you tell God you're sorry, He will ask, "What for, my love? I don't know what you mean." Not only has He forgiven us, but He has truly forgotten what we did to need forgiveness in the first place. My love pales in comparison, but at the same time it is even more precious with the acknowledgment that at it's core, it is Him.
May we never be complete. May we never be perfect. May we never have all the right answers. We don't need to. His love is sufficient.
When I realize the full implications of these epiphanies, I am torn down. The walls of my spirit collapse, and my heart implodes in on itself. I can't breathe. I can only weep with joy, and rest in the arms of my Lover.
Quote of Da Moment:
"For those who feel their lives are a grave disappointment to God, it requires enormous trust and reckless, raging confidence to accept that the love of Christ knows no shadow of alteration or change. When Jesus said, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened,' He assumed we would grow weary, discouraged and disheartened along the way. These words are a touching testimony to the genuine humanness of Jesus. He had no romantic notion of the cost of discipleship. He knew that following Him was as unsentimental as duty, as demanding as love. He knew that physical pain, the loss of loved ones, failure, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, and betrayal would sap our spirits; that the day would come when faith would no longer offer any drive, reassurance, or comfort; that prayer would lack any sense of reality or progress; that we would echo the cry of Teresa of Avila: 'Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!'"
--Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
1. God is not merely monarch, and metaphors are not literal description. We've kinda been talking about this a bit in my religion class, and it's gotten me thinking. God is most often referred to these days as "Lord" and "King." He is the Ruler Of The Universe. He is God, we are Man. He is a He, a patriarch.
There is nothing wrong with this line of thinking. However, we have to remember something: this is a metaphor. God cannot be accurately described, for God is beyond our ways of thinking. The only way to describe God is through metaphor and symbol. A lot of these metaphors are found in Scripture. Viewing God as Lord and King (the "monarchical model of God") is biblical. However, in Western culture, perhaps we have forgotten that this is not actual description. Perhaps we have forgotten that that is not actually all that God is. Perhaps we have forgotten that God as King is only a metaphor, and not literal description. Really, just think about it. When you imagine God, how do you imagine Him? I don't know about you, but I typically imagine Him as a King or majestic Prince ruling over the universe from up in heaven. When I'm honest with myself, I have to admit that my culture has raised me to think that that is actually how God is, and that is how He relates to the world. But that's not true. If we think of God only as Lord and King, we can come to some very dangerous conclusions. For example, we can conclude (at least subconsciously) that:
a) God is external from the world. He is separate from us, as a king is separate from his subjects. Although He loves us, he is not actively involved in us, as least not from inside the world. He controls everything from afar, and is distant. We must constantly be striving to reach for Him.
b) If God rules hierarchically over us, then we can rule hierarchically over the world. We have dominion over all of creation, and can exploit it as we wish. Just as God is above us, so there are certain elements in the world that are above others.
c) God is a patriarch, and He is Father only as much as a father rules over a household.
These are dangerous conclusions, but if you look at Western culture it's easy to see them at work in our attitudes and our actions. It is important to separate metaphor from literal description, and to realize that no metaphor perfectly encompasses God. Yes, God is in many ways like a Lord and King. However, in many ways He is not.
2. God wants us to be happy. It has been said that suffering comes from God, and He uses it as a tool. This is a lie. God might use suffering, but it does not come from Him. He does not wish to see his creation suffer. He does not wish for misfortune and evil to befall us. In fact, when we do suffer, and when evil does enter the picture, He doesn't sit on his throne, impassive, using the situation for His own means. He suffers with us. He loves us so much that he can't stand to see bad things happen to us. He hates it when we fall victim to our own faults and mistakes and sins. Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus, and God cries out in agony when His creation suffers.
3. God is love. It's a simple sentence, and one we repeat all too often. Do we really understand the significance of this phrase? Of all the adjectives used to describe God, of all the characteristics that make Him up, love is chosen as His very definition. God = love. Love is the very substance that He is composed of.
This has vast theological implications for how God relates to the world. He does not rule it from afar, like a monarch. He is very much intimately involved in creation, and in the world. He loves you. He loves me. He is filled with a love that we cannot begin to comprehend, and we can only experience it ourselves in small doses. He loves us with all the possible kinds of love that exist:
a) God loves us as an artist loves his creation. God looks upon us and says, "This is good." God is proud of His accomplishment. In His eyes, we are a beautiful creation. Just as art is a reflection of the artist, so we are a reflection of God. We are a product of His essence.
b) God loves us as a parent loves their child. This does not just mean as a patriarch. God is Father, and God is Mother. We were conceived in love. God loves us despite our limited ways of thinking. He disciplines us when we need it. He does not wish to see us suffer. He wishes us only the best. He lets us make our own decisions, even when He knows they're the wrong ones. He picks us up when we fall. He kisses us and makes it better.
c) God loves us as a friend loves a friend. God doesn't just want to interact with us as master and servant, king and citizen. He wants to interact with us on equal ground. He wants us to share our secrets with Him, and He in turn wants to share Himself with us. He wants to give us advice. He wants to play, and have fun. He wants to just hang out.
d) God even loves us sexually. He lusts after us. He is filled with raw, wanton desire. We are an object of obsession for him. He wants to know us in the most intimate, personal ways possible. He wants our spirits to be one.
e) God loves us as a groom loves the bride. He loves us passionately, as lover. He entire existence is dedicated to loving us, even though we don't deserve it. He follows us around our whole lives saying, "Marry me. Let me love you. Let me love you! My heart cries out for you!" He desires a relationship. He is the guy in every chick flick who will pull any impossible stunt, and embarrass himself in the most humiliating way, if that's what it takes for us to understand the scope of his affection.
I am amazed and humbled when I think about the things and the people I love, and what I would do for them, and realize that that is only a fraction of how much God loves us. There is at least one person I have loved with my full heart, and all that I am. I am so overwhelmed by love that at times I can't breathe and have to gasp for air, and feel a profound emptiness without them. If we loved with the fullness of God, we would be blown apart, for we wouldn't be able to contain both its power and the hole that results from rejection. Even so, given the fact that God is love, I can only conclude that love is not from us. Any love, no matter what type, cannot be produced by the human brain or the human heart. True love is the most powerful force in the universe, because it is the essence of God Himself. "Love can conquer all obstacles" - it's a rather corny adage, but one I am forced to believe, since love is even powerful enough to wipe out sin. Granted, our love is not pure, and can be tainted, but at its core, I believe all love to be good. It is impossible for true love to be sinful, or to stand in the way of God. True love is a sign of God's presence in the world. True love goes against our very nature as human beings. Human nature says, "I am what matters. I want only what serves me. I want only what satisfies me." Love says, "I am a fool for you. My life is not worth living if you are not in it. You make life better. I want to do whatever I can to satisfy you, and make you happy." Love says, "I would die for you." This is why Christ died. We can dress it up with theological talk about atonement for sins and resurrection and conquering death, but the core of the act is simple: love. Christ died because He loves us, and would do anything to be with us. Love is the only thing worth dying for.
4. We will never be perfect. This is not what our culture would have us believe. American culture says that it is possible to be perfect. If we wear certain clothes, eat certain food, and look a certain way, we will be perfectly satisfied. American religion says the same thing. If we act a certain way, if we don't sin, if we strive after God in the way we're supposed to, if we believe the right things, then we will be right before God.
This could not be further from the truth.
We talk about grace like we understand what it means, but we don't. We still think that if we do the right things, God will love us more. Whether we consciously acknowledge it or not, we still think we have to earn His love. We think that if we stop ourselves from sinning, He will love us more than the others. We think that if we believe the right doctrine, we are more "Christian" than those who disagree (to all of those of you who belong to a particular denomination, just be honest - subconsciously, do you think your denomination is more right about things than all the other ones, and that you're better Christians than them because of it?). We think that if we have a quiet time every day, and pray like we think we're supposed to, and say "I'm sorry" after every mistake, then we will eventually be spiritually satisfied. We still believe that it is possible to be spiritually complete through our own efforts. And it's easy to why - that's exactly what our culture and nature would have us believe. If there is anything human beings desire, it's control. We want to have control over our fates and our accomplishments, spiritual and otherwise. What makes God's love so amazing is that it completely goes against our nature, and makes control worthless and pointless to strive for.
We will never be complete. We will never say all the right things. We will never do everything right. Our motives will never be pure. Like it or not, in the back of our minds, we will think about ourselves most of the time. Our doctrine is most likely as flawed as our spiritual condition, and we will never be 100% correct in claiming what goes on in the mind of God.
And this is good.
God loves us even though we don't deserve it, and even though we will never measure up to it. Christ came not for those who had things right, but for those that had it all wrong, and we all have it wrong. We are sick, and He is the doctor. His love has no boundaries, and nothing we ever do will make Him love us or approve of us more than He already does. We all have our good days and our bad days. We all have times when we are as wrapped up in Him as we possibly can be. And we all have times when we are wrapped up only in ourselves, and we leave Him on the sidelines. That's okay. He doesn't want to be there, but He will love us just as much from there as He will when He's in front.
In fact, when Christ died, He died not only for all the sins we have committed in the past, but for all we ever will commit in the future. We are forgiven for being flawed, and broken, and for having such self-righteous attitudes. In fact, I think that the American church has neutered grace by its theology of redemption. The American church says that in order to be forgiven, we have to say the equivalent of, "I know I did wrong. I'm sorry. Forgive me. I won't do it again." This isn't true. You don't have to apologize. And you will do it again. God knew this when He sent His son. You don't have to apologize and ask for forgiveness, because He has already forgiven you. When you tell God you're sorry, He will ask, "What for, my love? I don't know what you mean." Not only has He forgiven us, but He has truly forgotten what we did to need forgiveness in the first place. My love pales in comparison, but at the same time it is even more precious with the acknowledgment that at it's core, it is Him.
May we never be complete. May we never be perfect. May we never have all the right answers. We don't need to. His love is sufficient.
When I realize the full implications of these epiphanies, I am torn down. The walls of my spirit collapse, and my heart implodes in on itself. I can't breathe. I can only weep with joy, and rest in the arms of my Lover.
Quote of Da Moment:
"For those who feel their lives are a grave disappointment to God, it requires enormous trust and reckless, raging confidence to accept that the love of Christ knows no shadow of alteration or change. When Jesus said, 'Come to me, all you who labor and are heavy burdened,' He assumed we would grow weary, discouraged and disheartened along the way. These words are a touching testimony to the genuine humanness of Jesus. He had no romantic notion of the cost of discipleship. He knew that following Him was as unsentimental as duty, as demanding as love. He knew that physical pain, the loss of loved ones, failure, loneliness, rejection, abandonment, and betrayal would sap our spirits; that the day would come when faith would no longer offer any drive, reassurance, or comfort; that prayer would lack any sense of reality or progress; that we would echo the cry of Teresa of Avila: 'Lord, if this is the way you treat your friends, no wonder you have so few!'"
--Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel
# posted by Andrew Johnson : 4/05/2007 01:23:00 AM 
