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 The
modern theologian places emphasis upon "existential
man" rather than upon a pre-existent, personal God; and
would say that man can know of God only via his inner responses
to God-concepts. To many these "concepts" are but
developments of civilization, fruits of soul-searching on the
part of our prehistoric ancestors as they groped for an
explanation of the unknown. The modern theologian knows God in
his "heart" through transcendental meditations o r
the like. He reasons that God is not subject to man's five
senses, and therefore can not be "known" as one might
know of material things.
There
is an element of truth in the above. God IS Spirit, and cannot
be adequately represented by things material (Jn. 4:24 Ex. 20:4
Acts 17:24). We do the idea of God an injustice when we
"place" Him literally on some celestial cloud a
stately old gentleman with long beard. But we must reject Karl
Barth's statement, " we are not thinking of some being
existing in self-contained form prior to his revelation to man.
God is identical with his revelation." God, worthy of the
"God-concept," must have existed prior to the
revelation of Himself, being eternal in nature (Jn. 17:5, 24).
What true God must be created by the imagination of his
creatures? With such a basis there is nothing left for us but
the subjective speculation of men making themselves the
laboratory, the manual, and the final judge of the experiment.
We
believe the Bible provides man with an objective approach to
God. Before you "turn us off" give the idea a fair
examination. What does it offer? What may one expect
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from an objective study of the Bible?
May we expect to fathom the true essence of Deity; to
appreciate, via translation into human experience, the true
nature of God? This is impossible, for man has no experience
comparable with immortality, no basis for understanding such
things. If God had, somehow, expressed the actual glories of
Himself, as "known" by Himself, these glories would
remain hidden from man for we lack the capacity to appreciate
them. But the Bible is filled with
"anthropomorphisms," a Greek compound meaning
"human in form." Attributes of God are expressed in
"man form" so we can grasp them.
God
is Spirit, but He "walked in the garden" in the cool (f.m.
wind) of the day (Gen. 3:8). "No man has seen God at
any time" (1 Jn. 4:12), for He is wholly immortal (1 Tim.
6:16) yet Moses talked with Him "face to face" (i.e., directly,
rather than through a prophet; and "thou shalt see my
back" (Ex. 33:11, 18-23). Moses saw something less
than the full "glory" of the Lord v. 18), but enough
that this glory was reflected upon his face (34:29-35). Heaven
has gates of pearl and street of gold because man thinks
"value" in these terms.
Yes,
the idea of God "transcends" material things, and a
transcendental operation is essential if we are to know Him. But
man does not do the transcending. God crossed the gulf
the gap between deity and humanity and revealed Himself
and His will for man in terms and means of communication suited
to His creatures. (continued next page)
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