By: Brian G. Chilton | September 28, 2020
Curtis Evelo and I recently completed the first part of our Basic Theology series on the Bellator Christi Podcast. The first section was devoted to studying the attributes of God. The deeper we got into the series, the more complex we realized that God’s nature becomes. Recently, I have been reading through the works of Karl Barth. Barth is a theologian whose theology can often take some bizarre twists, particularly his disavowal of natural theology. While he holds some issues here and there, one cannot avoid the grandeur and mystery he places on God’s transcendent nature. He often calls God the “Unknown God” (Barth, Romberbrief, 11–12).
Barth contends that “For even though there were in this case some unknown entity corresponding to the concept of the Word of God, if we really had no knowledge of it, the thing denoted by the concept would have no reality for us despite its unknown correlate, but would still be a figment of the imagination” (Barth, Church Dogmatics I.1, 188–190). Thus, people can never know this Unknown God unless the Unknown God reveals Godself to humanity.
One like myself being a non-Calvinist and a pro-apologist would push back to a degree arguing that Romans 1 and Psalm 14 note that everyone is without excuse and foolish to deny God’s existence due to the evidence of God’s nature. Still, Barth’s logic cannot be denied if one notes the complete otherness of God’s nature. While there are nuances that need to be fleshed out, Thomas Aquinas may have the best solution to this enigma at the end of the day. He contends that reason can allow one to know that God exists, but it takes revelation to know who this God is. Aquinas writes, “Although by the revelation of grace in this life we cannot know of God what He is, and thus are united to Him as to one unknown; still we know Him more fully according as many and more excellent of His effects are demonstrated to us, and according as we attribute to Him some things known by divine revelation, to which natural reason cannot reach, as, for instance, that God is Three and One” (Aquinas, Summa Theologica 1q12a13ad1). When human knowledge is recognized to be inadequate to know the details of God’s transcendent nature, certain spiritual disciplines follow.
Humility. Christians are not always the humblest of people in the world. Often, people will read a passage of Scripture, and then confidently believe that he or she knows all there is to know about God. In reality, God’s otherness should bring about great humility. No matter how great one’s theology may be thought to be, it pales in comparison to the grandeur of God’s reality. No matter how much one thinks one knows about God, the person’s knowledge is only a small fragment of the totality of God’s being. Think about it this way. I knew a couple who photographed Denali Mountain in Denali, Alaska. The mountain was 20,322 feet high. They were moved with awe by the mountain’s size. However, Denali pales in comparison to Mt. Everest’s 29,035-foot stature. Mt. Everest pales in comparison to Olympus Mons on the planet Mars which stands 15.5 miles high. Mars pales in comparison to the size of Jupiter, which pales in comparison to the Sun, which pales in comparison to VY Canis Majoris star. VY Canis Majoris pales in comparison to the universe. The universe pales in comparison to the grandeur of God. What makes us think that we could know everything about a God who is larger than the universe itself? For all of us, we must approach God with the greatest of humility while realizing that we all are going to discover that we were wrong about something in our theology when entering eternity.
Patience. Each person must realize that God is above and beyond time. Therefore, God’s timing is perfect, whereas our timing may not. God knows the future and can construct things better than we ever could. God sees the inner man. Therefore, God can make better judgments than we can. This should evoke a sense of patience as we note God’s ability to piece things together majestically and marvelously.
Faith. Faith is not always easy for me. I like to have a plan and know what is to come. However, I have learned first hand that when we trust the work of Providence, we are much better served. As I have gone through great difficulties these past few years, I have heard the voice of God whispering to me, “Trust me, I’ve got this.” Looking back, I can see the hand of God at work in ways that I never thought possible.
Peace. Lastly, when a person realizes that it is impossible to know everything about God and is finally able to trust God with one’s future, something amazing happens. Peace comes to that person. The believer can rest in the sovereign hand of God, knowing that God has everything under control. Even when everything seems to be in a state of chaos, God is still at work.
I am coming to the uncomfortable yet amazing notion that I am not going to know everything about God. Instead of that making me uneasy, I have found a marvelous sense of contentment. This does not mean that I won’t keep searching for answers. I believe this is a mode of worship if done to glorify God. Nonetheless, my state of mind is far different than it once was. If I don’t find all the answers, it is understood that the majesty and transcendence of God far outweigh what my feeble mind can comprehend. The more one knows about God, the more one realizes that one knows very little. It has taken me nearly finishing my classwork for my Ph.D. to realize that I know very little about God. And do you know what? I am enthralled by that fact.
Sources
Aquinas, Thomas. Summa Theologica. Translated by the Fathers of the English Dominican Province. London, UK: Burns Oates & Washbourne, 1920. Logos Bible Software.
Barth, Karl. Church Dogmatics. Edinburgh, UK: T&T Clark, 1936.
Barth, Karl. Der Romerbrief: Adruck der Neuen Bearbeitung. Zurich, CH: EVZ Verlag, 1967.
About the Author
Brian G. Chilton is the founder of BellatorChristi.com, the host of The Bellator Christi Podcast, and the author of the Layman’s Manual on Christian Apologetics. He received his Master of Divinity in Theology from Liberty University (with high distinction); his Bachelor of Science in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Gardner-Webb University (with honors); and received certification in Christian Apologetics from Biola University. Brian is enrolled in the Ph.D. program in Theology and Apologetics at Liberty University and is a member of the Evangelical Theological Society and the Evangelical Philosophical Society. Brian has served as a pastor in pastoral ministry for nearly 20 years.
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