In my sermon today entitled Loving the Truth While Loving Others, I’m preaching about our pursuit of truth and the many “alternative facts” being put forward that ultimately waste our time and divert our focus away from truth. I start the sermon with a simple joke about dark suckers. Now for more serious sounding details about dark suckers click this link.
At this point I truly hope there are NO rational souls who takes this dark sucker thing seriously. But there are many today, people that I thought were actually thoughtful and rational, who have started believing the idea that the earth is actually flat across the whole surface while round like a plate. I was told by one sincere soul that he has 150 verses in the Bible to prove that. I asked for that list and I still look forward to getting it. But actually without using the Bible or NASA we can kind of figure this one out. If you’d like to consider some reasoned science that might cause you to question the Flat Earth theory consider this link. If you are interested in an eye witness account by someone who has seen the earth from about 250 miles up here it is. Of course in my sermon I give some added thoughts as to why I would have trouble coming to the conclusion that the earth is flat.
Now on to my spiritual point. Jesus said that He was the truth (John 14:6). Not “a” truth or “a part” of the truth, but “the” truth. This truth created everything (John 1:1-4)! If He created everything, and the Bible says He did (Ephesians 3:9), it would stand to reason that He knows about everything and understands everything. Now, how would a God who has no limits, who understands everything, speak with beings who are limited in thought, reason, and intellect? Well, consider this.
“The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception, of earthly beings may comprehend His words.… the Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought.” ~FLB 10.4
In the venacular it might be said like this. “If God spoke to a two year old in algebraic formulas she wouldn’t understand. If God spoke to an aborigine in the bush in computer code he would not comprehend the meaning.” Just because God uses language that we can understand doesn’t mean He doesn’t have infinite knowledge beyond what He has spoken. Zophar asked, “Can you by searching find out God?” (Job 11:7). The answer is no, not really. The only way we can KNOW God is by direct revelation, either through nature (Psalm 19:1) or the spoken Word (Revelation 22:6). And that is what He did in Jesus (John 1:1). That is what He did through prophetic utterance (Amos 3:7). We can take that knowledge as far as it will take us. But be careful! That knowledge when attached to our pride can make us puffed up (1 Cor 8:1). Never suppose that you have figured it all out.
“Those who take the written word as their counselor will find in science an aid to understand God.” (Romans 1:20) ~PP116:2. Those who follow where He leads, who obey His words will find a deeper walk with Christ. May that experience never eclipse God’s love for all mankind through you.