Important to mankind’s concepts of God are the unknowns. Christians know he is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three persons in one God. We have analogies employed to make the understanding of the Trinity clearer, but it is unlikely that we fully grasp the concept, because we have nothing higher than personhood, an image of God, in us to relate some meaning. We believe God is one and perfect. His nature is perfect love, perfect peace, which with his power attributes become the source of all virtues. God’s nature is in truth, so there is no room for falsity in any issue. When truth reigns one does not have to remember anything other than to engage truth. When mankind falsifies we are often found out because our story changes. God’s truth never changes. God can manage mankind because he (God) is perfect. The perfect can manage perfection. Imperfection can never manage perfection, and has trouble managing its own imperfection. Imperfect means that even in an imperfect context, imperfect persons manage imperfectly. These sentences are not merely a play on words. This is the way natural life is. The well-ordered, devout, loving parent will make mistakes for no other reason than that he or she is imperfect. Imperfection is part of the context of mankind. Perfection is the context of God. It is up to God to make reconciliation, if we are to have relationship with him. It is up to each person to accept that reconciliation, if it is to mean anything to the individual’s functioning (natural life context) and future (heavenly life context). In short, the perfect God makes a way for imperfect mankind – both in individuals and in groupings (nations).
So it is that mankind begins with a perfect God about whom we know only what we need, but enough for life application. According to the Apostle Paul Christians see the Lord we worship, and the meaning he seeks through a darkened (smoked) glass. (1 Corinthians 13:12) There is some spiritual blindness. So the perfect Savior makes provision for his flawed (imperfect) children. The operation of that redemption and patience introduces various duties and privileges on us. One is faith, another is humility, and another is prayer. The story proceeds according to God’s selective parables (experiences/examples) of all history of mankind and faith in God related in Scripture (narratives of culture and faith emanating from tribes of people, as representatives of all human orders). It really doesn’t require a great deal of sophistication to grasp the plan, from either direction – from the beginning forward in several vital steps of understanding to faith, or by reversing the process from the prophetic end backward to the needy person. Some persons are so formed they reason in one direction, others choose another direction. Some persons read their language right to left from a page – others from left to right. Some persons stumble over any theology of God, because of suffering. Some can’t find God without suffering. (Today, my elder daughter returned from a meeting. The speaker had attempted suicide that, in recovery, sacrificed her legs. The beautiful woman, well married, is spending her life in communicating faith, noting that God arrested her through tragedy.)
Likely every person has somewhere a door that if it is opened will admit God. For many persons that door will never be opened. There is no seeking for it. They may not perceive it is there. They do not hear the knock on the door when it occurs. They might take even the Savior as an interloper. One’s mind may be so occupied that what is current is permitted to close any alternative. I remember well a thoughtful young man attending a freshman class I taught. An idea was introduced to the class with a question to begin discussion the following day. He interrupted saying what he believed about the issue, and that there was nothing that would persuade him otherwise. For some reason the idea that there might be another approach was rejected. The next day when pressed to a series of possibilities he felt his mind awakened. Something that he had believed from as far back as he could remember was gone. Although now persuaded of a different point of view, he felt he had lost a long-time friend. He was not, and is not, alone. Truth opens our life doors, if we are willing to seek truth. We become noble to leave the comfortable for the true. Apparently Judas could not do that. He had a design that would solve the problem of the mismanaged purse, and Jesus by miracle would escape the betrayal. His plan cost him his life and soul. What if he had sought forgiveness, and designed a plan for restitution? The experience of Peter, denying Jesus at the fire, was not only forgiven but given a primary place in the church. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020