… from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
Summary: Warning: This meditation delves into dangerous waters.
Have you ever wondered why Paul didn’t write, “Grace, mercy and peace from God,” and leave it at that?
Why does he say, “God the Father” and “Christ Jesus our Lord?”
The answer to this question is both simple … and complicated. It is simple because the Bible is God’s Word, and because Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and he calls God his Father. It is complicated because complications arise when people try to explain how one God can be both Father and Son at the same time.
Human beings are curious creatures. We want to know and understand what things are and how they work.
It is fair to wonder if we were made that way originally, or if curiosity is a result of the permanent change in humanity that occurred when Adam and Eve first sinned in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-7).
Before they ate, the serpent promised that if they did, “… your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5). What he didn’t say was that they would be able to tell the difference. Not knowing the difference and wanting to know could explain why we are curious.
But what about things we can’t know?
God’s Word tells us that his thoughts are higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9) and “For now we see through a glass, darkly…” (1 Corinthians 13:12 – KJV). There are things about God that, as humans, we can’t know.
Yet, we’re curious…
What to do?
In its purest form, theology is the study of God. Since the only source of information we have, aside from direct revelation, is the Bible, pure theology is the study of God through the lens of God’s Word. Where people get into trouble is when they get curious about things they can’t know.
Trying to explain how God can be both Father and Son at the same time delves into one of those areas that we can’t know. Of course, being curious creatures, people come up with all kinds of ideas and theories to explain how this works. This process is commonly called “theology,” too. The results can be confusing.
One way to deal with things we can’t know is to imagine putting them into a bucket. Once in the “mystery bucket,” they can safely wait until we meet the Lord face to face. Then we can ask him directly.
Application: Believing in God is accepting that there are things we cannot understand in this life.
Food for Thought: How did curiosity kill the cat?
This is a tough subject to try and tackle, and I appreciate the meditation this morning. I admit through, I wasn’t expecting the question and it made me laugh a little.
There are few phrases used in modern times that have been truncated from their original forms. An example is “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.” The full quote is “imitation is the sincerest form of flattery that mediocrity pays to greatness.” Saying the full quote changes the tone quite a bit.
Likewise, “curiosity killed the cat.” “Curiosity killed the cat, but satisfaction brought it back” is the full quote.
It changes the tone from “too much curiosity can put one in danger” to “not knowing is unbearable, but knowledge brings satisfaction.”
So in that context “curiosity killed the cat” because that cat couldn’t bear not knowing. I think that brings us back to today’s meditation. There are things that bear no significance to our salvation, redemption, and sanctification. We do not need to have all the answers regarding God or His creation in order to place our faith in Jesus Christ, and to walk with Him every day. The Bible is not an all inclusive answer book about God, it is God’s plan to restore us to Him. Unfortunately, there are many people who claim to refuse to believe in God, or accept Christ as their Lord, because they do not have “all the answers” and “verifiable, repeatable, and empirical evidence about God.” In that sense, “curiosity killed the cat” because they use their curiosity to empower themselves from accepting the One who offers eternal life.
Proverbs 2:1-5 My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and incline your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.
Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way, but the folly of fools is deceit.
Chris,
Thank you for the thoughtful answer to today’s “Food for Thought” question. Your words expand on the idea and highlight the difference between walking in faith and walking in knowledge.
And yes, it was intended to provoke a chuckle! 🙂
How did curiosity kill the cat?
He hunted it for weeks and used a remington 700 chambered in .300wsm. Shot the mountain lion at 20 yards when it was stalking him. Curiosity quit hunting after that.
HAHAHA…
Funny, Tim. 🙂