| Prefatory
Note This essay is not about some kind of trick, which will enable its possessor to unlock the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. No such trick exists. According to the internal testimony of scripture (Matthew 11:25) the mysteries are hidden, and they are revealed. What God has hidden, we may justly decree, let no man presume to discover. This may seem a hard saying, but it is fundamental. Run a search on reveal, revealed and revelation through the New and Old Testament and the matter will be clear: Divine revelation is the foundation of the edifice of faith. God reveals his Word. He reveals his Word by sovereign intent. The Book Of Nature One cannot force God’s hand in revelation; one can only aspire with goodwill and sincerity. There are however ways of looking that are more fruitful than others. To study the stars we can do better than hide in the depth of a mineshaft. Similarly, to learn about God we can do better than enquire of churches, seminaries and theologians. Where shall we turn our eyes? What arcane and august runes will enlighten us? The answer is: the book of nature – God’s prototypal Bible. The apostle Paul wrote: … that which may be known of God is manifest in them [i.e. in men]; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him [God] from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; Romans 1:19-20 What an astounding statement – ‘That which may be known of God is manifest … The invisible things are clearly seen … understood by the things that are made …’ The suggestion is that nature’s analogy is not merely strong in its explanatory power – it is sufficient! The principle involved is that of types - instances of thematic and morphological similarity across domains or reference. Nature is full of examples – one thing suggests another – in the veins of a leaf a tree is outlined. This principle applies not only to structure and form but also to process, and that not merely in the realm of material nature, but extending into the social and psychological sphere. And even this is not all, for according to the apostle, it applies equally to the highest. Ancient systems of symbology are based on this fact, as is the modern science of complex systems. If nature is the general grand analogue of God’s Word, then man is the same in the specific. Man, after all, is made in the image of God (Genesis 1:26-27). How can it be clearer? When Paul therefore looked for the revelation of Christ, where did he direct his spiritual eyes? But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by his grace, To reveal his Son in me … Galatians 1:15-16 To reveal his Son – in the sky? ... in the church? – in me! God revealed his Son in me! This doesn’t mean we won’t see him out there, but for the saint the essential revelation is the Christ within. I will illustrate this in definitive way. And there were certain Greeks among them … The same came therefore to Philip, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. … And Jesus answered them, saying, … Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. John 12:20-24 The disciples, eager to show off their spiritual master, might have said, ‘Certainly, gentlemen. He is right here - the incomparable Jesus of Nazareth.’ Then why could the Greeks not see him? Certainly they might have seen a man in a robe – a man to them like any other. For, being gentiles, they knew nothing of a messiah and their time was not yet. Jesus, as son of man – a prophet, was ordained for Israel. The seed had to die – to be crucified – before it could be seen of the gentiles. Seen, that is, as the Holy Spirit within. The Seamless Web Other things follow, consistent with the above. Like nature, the Word of God has deep structure. It is infinite in explanatory depth. It’s structure moreover is non-arbitrary but grounded in ontological necessity - beyond all fabrication and contrivance. Significantly, it has organic unity, being the ‘information abstract’ of the Body of Christ. Nothing extraneous can be added and nothing taken away if integrity is to be preserved. We can expect typological and thematic continuity throughout scripture. A doctrine which breaks this mould must be viewed as suspect. The robe worn by Jesus (John 19:23), woven throughout without seam, exemplifies this truth, where robe also has symbolic significance as the ‘robe of glory’ – the covering of the anointed Word of God (see 2 Kings 2:13, where the prophetic mantle passes from Elijah to Elisha). A further attribute of the Word of God, as of nature, is elegance. This concept, as employed in the natural sciences, denotes economy of means. It is considered an aesthetic virtue in mathematical / theoretical constructs insofar as nature is perceived to exhibit this same quality. In the scriptures, as in literature generally, elegance is the ‘knack’ of saying much with few words. Stated another way, the sacred verses are profound in explanatory power, rich in contextual allusion and resonant with multiple levels of meaning. Where for instance it is stated, out of Egypt have I called my son, the reference is initially to Joseph. However it also applies to Jesus and, symbolically, to everyone who enters the kingdom of heaven. This addresses a question concerning the fundamentalist proposition that the Bible comprises a complete exposition of the universal logos - how can a finite text communicate the infinite Mind of God? The answer is that biblical language is not reductive in function, as is scientific or ordinary language. Each word of scripture is rather a seed, opening up worlds of meaning. In holographic fashion each atom of meaning references or reflects the whole, such that a reductive approach is bound to fail in elucidating the greater mysteries. The implication for Christian doctrine is that we should expect our constructs to be similarly elegant and profound – simple yet far-reaching in explanatory power. Let us beware of complexity which ends in the trivial. One could cite one prevalent notion in Christendom, the constituents of which are infinitely redundant, with the resultant trite. To do so, however, would be heresy. The simplicity of which we speak should not be confused with the simplistic; it is a simplicity that is profound as it is sublime. |