The Search for God
Petronius, was a member of Roman who high-society who served as an official at the time Nero was Emperor, about the same time Paul was taking the Gospel to Athens. Athens was a city full of temples and pagan sacred sites. Petronius famously wrote that in Athens, “one was more likely to find a god than a man.” Which was pretty much how Paul found Athens, as he said to them; “I perceive you are a very religious lot!” Then, in preaching to the religious and civil leaders of Athens, he said:
The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything since he gives to all mankind life and breath and everything. And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place, that they should seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us. “For in him we live and move and have our being”, as some of your poets have said. Acts 17:24-27 ESV
In western countries and certainly here in Australia, we live in what is perceived to be a secular society. Yet, around half of all Australians identify as being Christian and a greater majority as being ‘spiritual’. Just looking around we see and hear signs that most people are still looking for a spiritual reality.
People speak of ‘karma’ or ‘putting things out to the universe’, as though somehow there is a spiritual force, an intelligence that gives meaning to life. Visit any street market, or even stroll through a shopping center and you will find crystals, angels, American Indian thingies with feathers and many other icons of mankind’s spiritual search.
On one hand, famous atheists, or anti-theists, such as the late Christopher Hitchens claim that any idea of God, is merely a construct of our human mind. On the other hand, others believe apparently, sincerely that God is, in fact, whomever we believe him to be.
Actor Mark Ruffulo, who starred as Bruce Banner in ‘The Hulk’, talks about his confused Catholic upbringing. His grandmother became born again and told the family they were all going to hell. His father joined an eastern religion. He claims his first role in acting was falling down when being prayed for by a tele-evangelist. Coming to terms with a serious of painful events in his life; suffering a brain tumor, one friend committing suicide and another falling to his death in a climbing accident, Ruffulo says that he would ‘shake his fist at God’.
He says; “I had a very eclectic experience of religion, and what I came to understand is that each man's relationship to God is their own. The idea that any of them are more right than the other ones is just a completely insane thing. Where do you draw the line?”
In thinking about these things, I began to realize something. How could I, being infinitesimally small on a scale of the universe, with my trivially small brain, that struggles to remember where I put the car keys, possibly hope to know and understand God?
Perhaps it was one of the few things that Job’s friend, Zophar, got right when he said to Job:
“Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? It is higher than heaven—what can you do? Deeper than Sheol—what can you know? Job 1:7-8
The legendary Australian folk hero, Crocodile Dundee, when discussing land rights disputes in Australia said that it reminded him of two fleas fighting over who owns the dog: a profound statement. Two-minute fleas fighting over a dog is laughable when we think of their size. But even the idea that a flea would think they could own a dog is, what they call in philosophy a category error. Fleas can’t own dogs.
Likewise, how could we begin to think we could understand God?
I have a bird. If I own the bird or not, I’m not sure, because I don’t think the bird likes me. It used to like me. It would happily sit on my shoulder and talk to me. Then one day it flew away and the cat got it cornered behind our Venetian blinds. The bird was very distressed and, unfortunately, didn’t appreciate my attempts to rescue it. To make matters worse, I had to clip it’s flight feathers. I suspect the feather clipping incident was the last straw in my relationship with my bird.
As a consequence, I’ve resorted to putting my bird on an intermittent fast. I allow it to run out of food and go hungry for a few hours. Then, when I put my hand in the cage with an enticing smorgasbord of birdseed displayed on my palm. The bird is forced to call a truce.
The whole scenario is quite ridiculous. The bird has no understanding of who I am. And I'm pretending to know what it thinks.
If we think about the difference between fleas thoughts and dog ownership, or how a bird could understand what I am thinking- how much more unlikely that we could understand God?
Unless, of course, unless God made a way for us to know Him. And, if God did want us to know Him, you would think that He would make a way for us to know Him.
The Bible talks of ways that we can know about God, and ways that we can know God personally. We will outline them briefly.
The first way we can know things about God is through the natural world. Many scientists testify to coming to faith through observing the world, the unlikelihood of its creation, it’s season and beauty and the incredible brilliance of its physical structure.
For what can be known about God is plain to them because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20 ESV
We can know from nature that it’s author must be beautiful, immensely powerful, faithful and bountiful; because that’s the creation He has made. We can know that although works in amazingly powerful ways, He sees, knows and cares amount minute detail. We know about seasons, sowing and reaping, life and death, joy and love.
Secondly, we can know God’s thoughts through His Word.
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and training in righteousness. 2 Timothy 3:16 ESV
God has laid out His thoughts of mankind in His Word- the Bible. The Greek word ‘logos’ meant to reason. Greek philosophers used to sit around and discuss ‘logos’, trying to explain the meaning of the universe. The Bible is God’s ‘logos’ for us.
Thirdly, we have an exact representation of God’s nature in the person and life of Jesus Christ.
In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:1-5 ESV
In the life of Jesus, we see the nature and will of our Heavenly Father, and we gain access to our Heavenly Father.
Finally, we can know God intimately through the abiding indwelling presence of His Holy Spirit
And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:16-17
The great promise of the Bible is that God will make His home, His dwelling with us and in us.
To begin to know God, we need to first understand that all true knowledge of Him, must come from Him. His love, grace and mercy, have been made known to us so that we can know Him.
