I know this is an over exaggeration, but it can sometimes feel like Christians are mainly concerned with the facts regarding the faith. The idea being that the primary goal of Christianity is to get our “God facts” in order.
Now, I’ll be the first to say that understanding truths about God and Christianity is important. In fact, believing wrong things about God can get us into trouble.
When the apostle John wrote his first letter, much of it was meant to refute some nefarious ideas regarding the nature of Jesus. John went to great lengths to get things back on track for some who had bought into these bogus concepts about Christ.
But here’s my thing. Just because we have information about God, doesn’t mean we have God all figured out. Much about God is a mystery!
I believe God has let us know as much as we need to know about Him. But certainly, that doesn’t mean we know every single aspect of our creator. Of the mysteries surrounding God, Billy Graham wrote:
“The word “mystery” is used many times in Scripture. Some of the mysteries of the past have been fathomed by science. Others still bewilder mankind. This fact remains: All of the garnered wisdom of the ages is only a scratch on the surface of man’s search for the knowledge of the universe. For the most part, God retains His secrets, and man standing on his intellectual tiptoes can comprehend only a small fraction of the Lord’s doings.“
The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 11:
Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?
When it comes to God, some things are absolute secrets, while other times God reveals to us just enough to get our heads spinning.
For example, how does it work that Jesus is both God and human at the same time? Or how is God one, but also three? How did God come into being? And how did God create so much out of nothing? Or how about figuring out how God’s sovereignty and human free will plays out. All big questions that theologians have been wrangling over for centuries.
Here’s another thing to throw into the mix: when it comes to one’s theology, doing is just as important as knowing.
Simply put, just having a brain filled up will all sorts of information about God isn’t enough. In fact, it often makes people proud, judgmental and lacking in mercy.
Presenting ourselves to God isn’t about how many degrees we have. It isn’t about how much Bible knowledge we have. It isn’t about how much experience we have. It’s about experiencing the life that has been changed by the power of the Holy Spirit. And out of the Spirit-transformed life comes fresh, new attitudes and actions. We begin to live out Scripture, not just know what it says.
Sadly, Jesus called out the Pharisees for being steeped in knowledge, but falling way short of living out what God actually prescribes. He told them in John 5:39:
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me.”
The Pharisees thought that answers were in the information. But Jesus let them know that the answers are found in a person…specifically, Jesus.
It’s necessary to know things about God in order to worship, serve and love Him. But Christians are called to not only know the truth, but also to act on the truth that has been revealed to them through God’s grace.
Truth be told, gathering information about God and Christianity is easy. But living what we learn about God and Christianity is much harder. Yes, we must learn our precepts, but those precepts are meant to become our practice.
KURT STAEUBLE 