We are a people that love the truth. Consider… as I prayed about launching UP, I selected not one but two statements of faith to provide a robust grounding for our understanding of what it means for us to grow to maturity in Jesus as a community! I wanted to be tethered to both ancient and global understandings of following Jesus - all founded in the Scriptures.
But as a people who love truth, how do you feel about mystery?
For instance, the mystery of encountering another person. The wonder of their story. The incomparable twists and turns of their life. The astonishing variations of our extraordinary cultures.
Or the intricacies of diving into Scripture with fresh questions - seeing it from the inquiry of another image-bearer. The marvels of language, interpretation, questions, and communication.
What do you like about mystery?
Or… are there ways that you find it unsettling, even scary?
And… how does embracing curiosity enable us to grow?
In any pursuit of truth (or love of truth in this case), one must come to terms with the fundamental reality about truth is that it’s shrouded in mystery. It’s the mystery that drives one deeper into the love of truth.
So how do I feel about mystery? The mystery feeds the hunger. Every nugget of truth reveals another corner of hidden mystery that calls me ever onward.
So yeah I like it. At times it’s exhilarating, at other times intimidating. But we need it. Eternity is written in the hearts of men and we need it.
This certainly is part of the excitement of discovering and learning about God’s truth. I think there’s something exhilarating about knowing that He has laid out creation, and all that goes with it, under the sovereignty of his omnipotence and omnipresence, for us to learn about. It has an element of adventure, as well as a deepening of relationship.
However, I also consider that we are not necessarily to discover everything that God has hidden. For example, we will never be able to fully comprehend Him, and there may be many aspects that humans wrestle with for eternity, such as the concept of the Trinity. Whilst at times, this could lead to a frustration, overall there is a joy in knowing that however much I learn there’s always more to grasp. I compare this to a library where I could ready every book whenever I like, but more books are being added every day, and I could never read them all. It’s wonderful!
This raises an important element: that of ensuring we are always based in truth. Possibly when frustration comes from unsolved mystery, it could be tempting for some to draw more elaborate conclusions aside from scripture, ones that seemingly allow a different explanation of divinity and the supernatural, because these ideas become more accessible than some of the loftier aspects of God. When we become so fixed on being able to understand everything that it overrides our sense of standing in God’s truth when we can’t understand it, may result in Gnosticism.
Diving in to God’s mystery within the framework of scripture with a humble acceptance that we’ll never fully understand everything should keep a healthy balance to mystery and truth. It’s an exciting journey, that I believe God enjoys calling us to.