There are several ordinary points that stand out as problems related to the life and theology of the Christian faith. They are problems not only for sophisticated humanists who hold no faith in a personal God, but they are also problems for serious Christians. They include prophecy, miracle, scriptural inspiration and other themes, like eternal punishment. It is interesting that these are made major barriers to belief, but are inevitable themes from the large structure affirmatives of the Christian faith. Theologians as eminent as Karl Barth and Jurgen Moltman, and others argued over these themes, while holding to the preeminence of Christ. The arguments and analyses of these theologians tend to change somewhat, in the passing of time, and the siftings of theories through the decades. As a young student in a Christian environment more than seventy years ago, I was part of discussions over the concepts of Barth and Brunner and the Neo-orthodox thinkers who were presumed violators of some factors of biblical Christianity. Recently Barth and Brunner have reemerged in discussions as more friendly to the evangelical view of Christian faith. One wonders what was missed either earlier or presently. But, the very shifting is valuable in keeping students of scholarly bent working on the ideas, their meaning and effectiveness. Mysteries wrestle with theology.
Many theorists, even gentle regarding all others, are rather firm in erasing the concept of hell, of eternal punishment, from the theology that includes Christ. These persons can’t reconcile punishment with a loving God. The inability to understand or absorb the concept is enough to make them doubt the inspiration of Scripture. In some way these factors relate to miracle, which is something introduced to nature coming from outside nature, but relegated now to past beliefs now dissolved. Scripture has this revelation from God in it; prophecy, which is a division of Scripture, embellished with some oral prophecies not used in the record of Scripture; hell, which is outside nature and perceived as retribution unspeakable; and, of course, physical miracle, that interrupts nature, especially in the physical healing of ill or otherwise handicapped persons, or other special situations. The healing of the man born blind, and the division of the Red Sea to permit Israel to march through dry shod are illustrations of this last category.
All of this is related to mystery which recognizes a conclusion without clear or persuasive explanation. We may not like it. It rubs us the wrong way to think there is something impinging upon mankind that can’t be explained, seems so contrary to our context of life and thought, especially our views about God that it becomes a problem that presses in. The wise person, at this point takes a humble stance, admits the possible impression, and rests the matters in his or her faith in God. It is an admitted mystery. We do not permit the mystery, never to be revealed in natural life, to keep us from the essentials of our faith in Christ and a grasp on the truths adequately revealed. Redemption is in Christ relationship, not in other factors.
Mankind on earth simply does not know what kind of fire exists in which a worm can’t be burned, in which a body (not constituted as our present bodies are) will receive whatever future offers of good or ill. No one knows what God may do for hell once the settlement has been made of his kingdom, made up of his faith persons. God will clear up the mystery. It is his concern. He can override any past to make eternity, an ever present, in whatever way he chooses. Time shall be no more. One of the reasons we struggle with the revelation of God, is because our God is too small – when we conjure. Which point is to say we tend to form God more like mankind. God is in the business of making his children more like himself. We trouble our minds by making God human and immortality like natural life, and find it difficult to accept the God of holiness and compassion. He makes all things well. It would be odd if we did not have some trouble of mind related to the details of the context and activity of God. It is clear from Scripture that my admittance to the Kingdom of God rests in a straightforward faith in Jesus Christ that is gained through repentance and request for acceptance by God. In this my freedom is respected even by God, but the request is entirely to surrender and related to giving up my own personal formation to God for his formation of a life acceptable to him. If I can trust God in this, I can trust him in the mystery factors – and all for good. I am driven to the gift of faith that covers both the unknown and known. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020