[Christians are exhorted to draw near to God, to inquire of Him, and to come to know Him, which brings us to the question of “How do I learn about God?”]
The Knowledge of God
The apostles of the New Testament and patriarchs in the Old Testament would exhort believers today to choose true knowledge of God over all other avenues of knowledge.
Just as Eve was distracted by the appeal of knowledge outside God’s guidelines, humanity today is tempted to exalt other forms of knowledge (intellectual knowledge; cultural norms; psychic knowledge, knowledge obtained by the flesh; personal opinions) above the true knowledge of God.
Believers are exhorted throughout Scripture to draw near to God, to inquire of Him, and to come to know Him. Through the centuries theologians have developed teachings or doctrines about God. So, we ask “What is the doctrine of God?”
This is the doctrine of God: a set of beliefs based on the Bible, developed throughout church history, and taught.
Even the statement, “the doctrine of God” brings to mind questions about how we as humans can form a doctrine of the One who mysteriously transcends all that we can possibly or reasonably comprehend.
For the Lord God Almighty cannot be manipulated as an object of reason or experience.
He “alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Tim 6:16).
The understanding that He is mysterious, “Wholly Other,[1]” and beyond human comprehension is precisely what theologian Emil Brunner points out is most important in knowing God.
“For this precisely is the knowledge of God, and the doctrine of God, namely, that He is incomparable, and that He cannot be defined. . . . The better we know God, the more we know and feel that His Mystery is unfathomable. The doctrine which lays the most stress upon the Mystery of God will be nearest to the truth.[2]”
God is unfathomable in mystery and also the Creator of all things—including humans.
The greater mystery is that He desires intimate fellowship with you and me, and all humanity.
He desires to be known and acknowledged. He desires to reveal Himself to the expectant, seeking person.
How Do I Learn About God?
One way to learn about God is to investigate God’s nature and attributes—after an initial born-again experience, of course.
We can examine Scriptural statements carefully and make inferences from them.
We can see His attributes by what He does. God’s actions are not spontaneous, erratic, or arbitrary; they flow out of His nature, thus are constant and dependable.[3]
From Scripture, certain themes arise that declare the nature of God.
Sometimes the Bible will state outright, “For He is good; for His loving-kindness is everlasting” (Ps 118:1).
And sometimes the Bible will tell a story which describes the goodness and loving-kindness of God.
In this manner we, as humanity, can know certain things about God, although what God reveals is never fully revealed. There always remains a mystery even in the things revealed.
Just when we think have a grasp of what God is like, He surprises us with some new and wondrous experience in His word, or in life.
Then we know we have only begun to know the incomparable Lord of the universe.
Theologian Larry Hart puts it this way,
“Dealing adequately with the doctrine of God is like trying to empty the ocean with a teaspoon.[4]”
In All That We Know About God, We Only Know In Part
Keep in mind that everything we learn about God, He reveals to us by His grace.
Before we can think a right thought about God, He has already done a work in our hearts.(John 6:44).
Everything we learn about God, He reveals by His grace. A humble mindset keeps us teachable.
Everything we see, we see as in an old fashioned, imperfect mirror (1 Cor 13:12).
Ancient Corinth in Bible days was famous for manufacturing the kind of ancient mirrors to which Paul refers.
Unlike the mirrors of today, these mirrors were made of beaten and polished metal that required constant polishing, so much so that a sponge with a pounded pumice stone was generally attached.
The vision was imperfect at best, clouded with scratches on an unclear surface.
Like this imperfect mirror, the finite (limited) human can only know in part the majestic and infinite God.
Everything we know about God is clouded by our finite (limited) humanity.
In all that God speaks to us or shows us, we only see and know “in part.”
This becomes important to realize when we try to interpret and understand His word, and what He reveals.
He wants us to seek Him for understanding. It is helpful to ask, “What else do I need to know?”
God has revealed much about Himself generally and specifically, and He longs to reveal much more to teachable believers.
We will look at some ways God reveals Himself to us, generally and specifically in the next article.
This series will address elements about God that are pertinent to our knowing, understanding, and experiencing God today, in our daily lives.
Thank you for reading, and God Bless you on your discovery journey.
Check out other articles from this Knowledge of God Series.
- The 3 Secrets to Knowing God
- The Surprising Secret to an Intimate Friendship With God
- Why You Might Not Be Aware of God’s Presence
Notes:
- Rudolf Otto, The Idea of the Holy, trans. John W. Harvey (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1950) [Das Heilige, 1917]). Ebook, University of Toronto Libraries Internet Archive, Robarts Library http://archive.org/details/theideaoftheholy00ottouoft, 28, (14 March 2013). ↑
- Emil Brunner, The Christian Doctrine of God: Dogmatics, vol. 1, trans. Olive Wyon (Philadelphia, PN: Westminster Press, 1950), 117. ↑
- Erickson, 325-326. ↑
- Larry Hart, Truth Aflame (Zondervan, 2010), 73. ↑
