Theory, Obedience and the Light of God

One of the knocks I have against ivory tower intellectuals is that they live in the land of the theoretical. Theory is a powerful thing and is necessary in our pursuit of trying to understand the character of God. Philosophical theory played a big role (and rightfully so) in the Christological controversies of the early church. The Metaphysical phrases like “same substance” (homoousios) or “similar substance” (homoiousios) were the hinge points of the debate about who Jesus was in relation to the Father. With the Church rightly deciding that Jesus was Eternally God and of the same substance of the Father. That He was begotten not made, a begetting that had a unique albeit mysterious dimension to it that is wrapped up in the Greek prefix “mono” to the word “genes”. Monogenes is often translated “only begotten” but if considered in the context of the God who created all of existence - including mankind - is I believe is rightly understood to mean that the Father begetting the Son has an exclusive dimension to it that makes it transcend an event in time while still denoting a relationship of some kind between the Father and the Son that has some degree of correlation between and earthy father and his earthly son.

Theory is necessary in matters such as this because when talking about the attributes of God we are discussing a Being that we know because He has revealed Himself to us using language and phrases that correspond to our experience. Jesus goes into this by saying to Nicodemus “if I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I told you heavenly things?” (John 3:12). John Calvin has famously said that when God speaks to us He speaks to us with a lisp or as an adult speaks to a child - which is to simplify things in such a way as to make them understandable by the people He is communicating to. (A good sermon series on the Attributes of God can be found here https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/attributes_of_god/)

As such the task of the Theologian is to take the Truth revealed in Scripture and employ theory in a way that is consistent with the content of Scripture. The Church did this faithfully in her early councils regarding the Divinity of Jesus, the mysterious combination of both the human and Divine in the Person of Jesus and in the definition and declaration of the Trinity.

Yet while theory has its place it also has its limits. Jesus declares in John 8:31 that "if you continue in My Word then you shall know the Truth".  The word "continue" in this context means to not only continue believing it but also to continue obeying the Word of God.  Over and over again in Scripture it teaches that understanding of God comes as the fruit of obedience.  One place that is seen is in Acts 11:1-18.  These verses are about Peter explaining to his Jewish brethren why he preached the Gospel to the Gentiles.  He explained that he received a vision from Holy Spirit and that right at that moment some men came to his house and wanted him to preach in Caesarea.  Holy Spirit told him to go so he went.  He started preaching and Holy Spirit fell upon this group of Gentiles just like He had fallen upon the disciples and apostles in the Upper Room in Acts 2.  After recounting all of this Peter speaks a phrase that I think speaks to the way in which God likes to do things.

"Then I remembered the Word of the Lord, how He said, 'John indeed baptised with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'"
-Acts 11:16

What is significant about this statement that Peter made is that it is one of the fulfillments of the prophecies that Jesus gave about Holy Spirit.  Jesus declared that Holy Spirit would both "bring to remembrance all that I said to you" (John 14:26) and that He would "guide you into all truth" (John 16:13).  Both of these prophecies found fulfillment in part during this experience in Peter's life.  But what is profound about this is that Holy Spirit didn't bring about the guiding into truth and the calling to remembrance of what Jesus said in the context of isolated meditation or prayer in some cave on an elusive mountain.  But rather He did it as Peter was obeying the Lord.

Do you want to be brought into deeper realms of experience with God?  Do you want Him to illumine your soul to become aware of the truths of the Love of God, of being fully accepted by the One who fully knows you in your deepest insecurities and flaws?  Do you want your heart to soar with expectation of the Life to come in the Eternal Kingdom of God?

Then yes give yourself to prayer, fasting and seeking the face of God but in the context of doing this obey His Word and follow Holy Spirit in all the ways that He would lead.  When we do this He promises that we will "know the Truth and the Truth will set us free."

Make known Yourself to us in greater ways oh God.