When we are discussing limitations, we need to understand that we are wrestling with the issue of revelation. Can God reveal to us, even we who are not the often overglorified apostles and prophets of old? We might have faith for our pastor, or for the spiritual inspirations of our lives, but when the finger is pointed into our chests and Jesus is asking, “Who do you say that I am,” what do we respond with? The Father revealed to Peter, who many like to mock because of his immaturity and lack of understanding, that this man Jesus was the Son of the Living God. He isn’t some revolutionary that wants to lead Israel out of the oppression of the Romans, but rather the very Son of God, the son of David promised, the one that God Himself says, “This day you are my Son”.
That kind of spontaneous insight comes from above. Theology should always be the distinct revealing of the Son of God within the one speaking. It is God’s revelation through us unto those we teach. This begs the question: Is God free to reveal Himself in us, to us, and through us, or is there limitation on God Himself because of our condition as creature and fallen?
Our study of theology is from knowing God, and that knowledge continues to grow as we continue to walk with God. To then say there is limitation in the study of theology is to undermine that relationship that we claim to have with God. It is like the atheist who asks whether God can create a rock so big He cannot lift it, only to be laughed at by the theologian. Jesus told His disciples that if you say to this mountain, “Be cast into the sea,” it would be done for you; how can we use this term “lift” in such circumstances? And to what avail does it actually discredit God anyway? In our current question we have the same enigma, but this time theologically: Is human finiteness and sinfulness a rock too large for God to lift?
We aren’t asking whether God can reveal. The very fact that Jesus came in the flesh, and that He reveals (exegetes even) the Father says that God can reveal Himself. The question is whether God can reveal Himself in you and I. Can God come in a manner that we don’t simply see Him outside of ourselves, but even within the depths of who we are, we know that we know that we know that God has shown this to us? We come to know truth and know Him because He has spoken to our spirit, and deep has cried unto deep to find lodging for that word. Can our study of theology not be a matter of terms and definitions, but a matter of a Person and relationship with Him? The answer is a resounding yes, because God doesn’t think like that.
If salvation says anything about our condition, one thing is certain. We were dead in our sins and trespasses. That isn’t to say that we must die, but that we were dead. Dead is dead, and if we’re foolish enough to think that life is death then it is little wonder why we have such questions. You were dead, but now you are alive. You were once fallen, once an enemy of God, once under the bondage of sin, and once ruled by the principalities and powers of the air, but that no longer defines you. You are no longer “in sin”, but now “in Christ”. Sanctification is the discovery of what that means, what it looks like, and how we now live in life instead of death. This is why the resurrection is so important. Without it we are left scratching our heads wondering how God can speak to us. But since we’ve been raised with Christ Jesus, by the same glorious power of the Father, we now have ample ability to hear and respond to God. That is the basis of our Christianity, and this is simple Christianity 101. To stumble at this shows where we truly are in our modern theology. God has made means of communion, and we should rejoice in that grace.
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