The Mystery of Faith

Scripture Verse that caught my attention today: 1 Timothy 3:16 Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great:
He was revealed in flesh,
vindicated in spirit,
seen by angels,
proclaimed among Gentiles,
believed in throughout the world,
taken up in glory.

Observation: One of the certainties of faith is its mystery.

Application: One of the courses I took early on in seminary was “Systematic Theology.” I’m not sure I was really ready for it at the time, and sometimes I think it would be good if I could sit in on those classes again. I’m sure I would learn so much more now than I did then. Still, I do remember some discussions about the existence of God. The short version of those discussions is this: believers cannot prove that there is a God and unbelievers cannot prove that there isn’t a God.

I realize that there are many people who will use a variety of approaches to insist that there must be a God. Unfortunately, most if not all of those approaches can be refuted or at least called into serious question. But if you’re a believer, don’t despair; those who insist that there isn’t a God are on equally shaky footing. Science is a wonderful tool for probing the question of how things came to be. But it is ill-equipped for the question of who might be behind it all. Thus it makes little if any sense to join the effort to prove there is a God nor the effort to prove there isn’t a God. It seems to me that there are better uses of our time.

Right between these two approaches are the concepts of mystery and paradox. Christian faith in general and Lutheran theology in particular are full of them. Take communion for example. We believe that the bread and wine are the body and blood of Christ but that they are also still bread and wine. Go figure. There are many more examples.

Perhaps the most tangible aspect of the Christian faith is Jesus. But even he is a mystery of sorts. His teachings often leave us puzzled and inspired at the same time. But then again, he’s not so much a mystery to be solved, but rather a mystery to behold and embrace. There is a sense of beauty in mystery after all, a freedom that comes with not needing to know it all. Hence the ‘mystery’ of our religion is not just ‘great’ in the sense of there being much that we do not know, but it is also ‘great’ in the sense of being ‘wonderful.’ We don't have to know everything.

Prayer: Lord, allow me to be more and more content with all that I do not know even as you drive me to learn more and more with each passing day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Readings today included 2 Kings 6-7, 2 Chronicles 20, 1 Timothy 3)