Doctrine – Snapshots

Jehovah by Wisdom

The vast wisdom and understanding Jehovah God displayed in creating the universe is indeed profound. (Pr 3:19); His works are manifold, all designed with infinite precision. (Ps 104:24) One way to explore them lies in what physicists call the fine-tuning of the universe.

Pillars of Creation, J. Webb Space Telescope

For example, the gravitational force G, describing how objects are attracted to one another, must be within a range of one part in 10⁶⁰; if it were slightly stronger or weaker, the universe would not support complex life forms. This is like randomly selecting a particular atom out of all the atoms in the Milky Way galaxy.

There are evidently at least a dozen other parameters, such as the strong and weak nuclear forces, the electromagnetic force and the cosmological constant, which must each be set within a very narrow range (say 2-5%) along with G in order for the universe to support human life. If any of these values are not set correctly, our universe doesn’t work for us.

The obvious implication of this fine-tuning is that there is a wise Creator Who designed the universe very wisely for a specific purpose (Ro 1:20): to support human life so He can reveal Himself to us and through us. While this conclusion isn’t scientific per se (since it isn’t an experiment we can repeat), it is exceptionally strong circumstantial evidence, especially when considering similar arguments in Origin of Life research, that should be a slam dunk in any rational discussion of our existence.

The reason this particular evidence is so strong is that there are only two basic alternatives here: either the universe is designed by God, or it isn’t, in which case it happened randomly by mere chance. Since atheists typically reject the first option a priori, they try to explain how the apparent design of our universe could be the result of purely random processes.

Since atheists can’t rationally expect anyone to believe an entire universe (ours) exploded spontaneously out of nothing with all of these parameters randomly set perfectly correctly on the first go-round under such astronomically low odds, they ask us all to believe there must be an infinite number of universes randomly springing spontaneously out of nothing. An infinite number of randomly generated universes is the only way to overcome the fine-tuning argument, to get a universe with all the right physical properties without a Creator.

But there is no scientific evidence of the existence of any other universe except our own, and it would appear there never could be, by definition.

There is also no scientific explanation for how any universe springs into existence ex-nihilo (out of nothing) all on its own without an independent causal agent to create it. The very concept is inherently self-contradictory on a very basic level.

So, the only way to evade the fine-tuning argument for an intelligent Creator God appears to be to presume the existence of a mindless, inert machine (effectively, a sort of god) randomly creating universes with no purpose or intent. In other words, we can believe in a living God or an inert, mindless one.

Why would anyone cling to the remote and unscientific concept of an inert, mindless god rather than trust in the Living God? Perhaps it is an unwillingness to submit to the living God and honor Him. (Ro 1:21) I don’t see any other reasonable way to account for such behavior.

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The Elders

The Church of the Living God has both a distinct leadership structure and a unique purpose, and each of these complements the other; if we get either one wrong, we’ll likely get the other one wrong as well.

Many churches today are led by a pastor, yet a pastor isn’t one who is called to lead the church; the Holy Spirit calls pastors (i.e. shepherds) to care for the spiritual well-being of others, part of His overall design for edifying the body of Christ. (Ep 4:11-12) This includes counseling, encouraging teaching and mentoring others, but this is not the same as leadership. When the pastor leads the church, the intended purpose and function of the church is largely stifled.

Many other churches are led by a group of men called elders, as if Elder is an office or leadership position in the local church. Yet, once again, this is not found in Scripture: there is no church office of Elder; the term refers to the older men of the congregation (1Ti 5:1), not to an official position. Yet, even the elders aren’t called to lead the church, they’re not supposed to be calling all the shots. The church is in fact largely incapacitated by such a dynamic.

The older men of the congregation are expected to be spiritually mature (Ti 2:2), instructing, mentoring, counseling and guiding others to help nourish and protect spiritual community. (1Pe 5:1-3) This is organic leadership by example, not by having any official position. (1Ti 5:17)

The Scripture defines the role of Bishop (1Ti 3:1) for providing a more general oversight of the church, and it clearly describes the qualifications for this function. (2-7) The older men of the congregation (the elders) who meet these character qualifications may be ordained (Ti 1:5) (appointed, set in place or acknowledged) to be bishops (7); these men accept more accountability for the general health of the local Body of Christ (He 13:17), engaging in broader, more encompassing responsibility to take care of the church as a whole. (1Ti 1:5)

This role of Bishop comprises the character qualities expected in elders who have lived a godly life, so the older men who are spiritually qualified may be officially recognized and ordained to fulfill this role in the Church. Indeed, in some churches, most or all of the elders might qualify, so the terms elder and bishop are sometimes used interchangeably (Ac 20:17, 28), yet there are still key differences which should not be overlooked.

An older man who isn’t fully qualified to be a bishop (such as the Apostle Paul himself, since he was unmarried and had no children or household to manage) will generally still have much wisdom and experience enabling him to mentor, care for and disciple others. Such men are still considered leaders in their civil communities and families (De 22:15), so it will be natural for them to have similar roles within spiritual communities (1Ti 5:19-20), though the responsibility of officially representing the church to the outside world falls to those who are entirely qualified and above reproach: the bishops. (1Ti 3:7)

Yet none of these giftings or roles qualify one to lead the church: oversight is not necessarily the same as leadership, in the sense of making decisions. The church is to be led by the brothers: the congregation of men as a whole. This is the key leadership role in the church, and if we don’t get this right, everything else breaks down. (1Ti 3:15)

The brothers are all expected to actively participate in meetings to edify each other (which is the purpose of the church) (1Co 14:26) and to reach decisions by consensus (Mt 18:17), effectively defining the leadership structure.

In God’s design, all the men of the congregation come together to share out of their own personal life experiences, of their struggles and victories, offering up their own understanding of scripture for the entire congregation to consider, the brothers debating and validating everything as needed for the edification of all, teaching, challenging, edifying and exhorting one another in the Faith. (He 10:25) This just doesn’t happen when a small group has decided they’re in charge, and this is no coincidence.

It should not be surprising that it is nearly impossible to find any churches meeting now like the early church did; the biblical leadership model of the local church is completely foreign to most of us today, yet we wonder why the churches are so broken, failing to see the connection. In working out the details of obeying key biblical patterns and principles for the local church, we find these two concepts of purpose and leadership inextricably interconnected by divine design.

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If We Confess

Being forgiven by God is part and parcel of what it means to be justified (Ac 13:38-39) or saved (Ro 5:9), to be His child. If we die with any sin which isn’t forgiven by God, which is not washed away by the blood of Christ (Re 1:5), the consequence is spiritual death (Ez 18:4), separation from God forever in Hell. (Ro 6:23) So, it’s vital to ensure that all our sins are forgiven, every last one of them. (Co 2:13)

If we make forgiveness of our sin conditional upon our confession, then by definition this behavior becomes a means of earning or maintaining salvation, since it implies we’re lost forever if we don’t faithfully confess all our sins.

This is effectively salvation by works, or legalism, which the Scripture rejects as inconsistent with the Gospel: we’re justified by faith (Ro 3:28), not by works. (Ga 5:4)

God’s salvation doesn’t require that we act a certain way to keep it; rather, it produces behavior within us reflecting the divine nature; we become new creatures (2Co 5:17), moving away from sin to walk with God.

Striving against sin is an ongoing process where we’re growing over time; no believer is perfectly sinless this side of Heaven (Ro 7:21); we continue to sin in ways we hardly even comprehend (1Jn 1:8), but we don’t commit ourselves to a life of willful, presumptuous sin. (1Jn 3:8-10)

As believers, once we realize we’ve sinned we acknowledge this before God; we confess our sin, agreeing with God about it, and look to Him to help us overcome sin, knowing He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1Jn 1:9)

He doesn’t forgive us because we confess our sin, Father God forgives us because Jesus died for us and paid our sin debt once for all. (He 10:14) Confession is how we restore our fellowship with God, how we walk in the light (1Jn 1:7), not how we get Him to forgive us.

Confession does not cause forgiveness; we believers are forgiven of all our sins — past, present and future sins. Confession of sin is simply the natural response for us as we become aware of our sins, and when we do confess we can rest assured we’re forgiven: He never even charges us with sin. (Ro 4:7-8) This is the only way we can be sure of our salvation: God has already accomplished it for us. (Ro 7:16)

We may confirm 1^st John 1:9 does not teach this cause-and-effect relationship between confession of sin and forgiveness by carefully noting what it says, and what the text doesn’t say. It says: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” The text does not say, “If we don’t confess our sins, God will not forgive us.”

This latter statement, which many infer from this verse, is called the Inverse and it’s not logically equivalent to the original (it means something different). To illustrate, I might say, “If it rains I will go to the store.” If it doesn’t rain and I do go to the store, I’m not being inconsistent; I didn’t say what I would do if it didn’t rain, only what I would do if it did rain. So, 1^st John 1:9 says nothing about what God will do if we don’t confess a particular sin; it simply affirms that as we confess our sins we may be confident we’re forgiven.

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Striving Against Sin

Overcoming sin in our lives is a really big deal; Scripture presumes we’re earnestly striving against sin (He 12:2) and that we aren’t done yet. (Ro 7:21-23) What does this struggle look like and how do we engage in this fight?

Firstly, we must become aware of the specific sins we’re committing, either doing what we shouldn’t (1Jn 3:1a) or not doing what we should. (Ja 4:17) To do so we must start paying attention to what we’re thinking and doing and how we’re feeling. We must take heed and observe how we’re living (Ps 119:9), focusing in on what’s motivating and driving us. We can’t intentionally correct our sinful behavior unless we’re aware of it.

Secondly, we must correctly classify each behavior as holy or sinful, which requires properly understanding the divine moral standard and accepting God’s definition of sin: sin is breaking Torah. (1Jn 3:4) Whenever we’re sinning, we’re violating God’s Law, and whenever we’re violating God’s Law, we’re sinning. This is how God defines and identifies sin. To even begin to fight against sin, we must first get this straight.

Then we must put these first two steps together: start paying attention to our behavior with a proper understanding of sin. Whenever our behavior is violating God’s Law, especially in a repeating pattern, we have a stronghold of sin to contend with, to strive against and overcome. (2Co 10:5)

Identifying sin is easier when we’re suffering from it, but we’re often blind to our worst sins, the ones we should really be focusing on. We can be asking God to search our hearts (He 4:12), exposing our sin and helping us identify it (Ps 139:23-24a), and guide us on what to work on next. (24b) This is when we can begin to fight, when the struggle begins in earnest.

Then we must do a bit of earnest root-cause analysis: why are we sinning? (Lk 6:46) There’s a reason we’re committing any particular sin; to stop we must find the underlying problem and correct it: we’re believing a lie related to this particular behavior. Sin is grounded in deceit (Ro 7:11); believing the truth sets us free from the dominion of sin. (Jn 8:32) We must pinpoint the lies we’re holding on to, which are deceiving us into desiring sin (Ja 2:13-15), and start believing the truth. (2Th 2:13)

There might be a whole web of lies keeping us in bondage to a particular lifestyle (Ro 7:23), but the Son can set us free by helping us believe the truth. (Jn 8:36)

As we prayerfully and regularly expose our minds and hearts to His Word (Ps 119:11), which is the Truth (Jn 17:17), pressing in on those particular verses which relate specifically to our struggle (Mt 4:3-4), He can help us believe His words and deliver us from sin. (Ja 1:21) He gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil world according to the will of God. (Ga 1:4)

If we aren’t making good progress, try as we might, we should engage spiritual community, confessing where we’re struggling so others can pray for us to be healed (Ja 5:16) and point us to the truth. (Ja 5:19-20) At times we need help from our brothers and sisters, and this is God’s wonderful design.

And we shouldn’t be surprised if it takes time to correct deeply held beliefs. If we’ve been training ourselves to think a certain way most of our lives, it might take some prolonged effort to renew our minds in the truth. (Ro 12:2) Just as it takes time to heal and retrain our bodies when we’re in poor physical health (1Ti 4:7-8), we should be consistent and disciplined in our pursuit of godliness (2Pe 1:4-8), patient with ourselves and thankful for any progress we see.

This is striving to believe (Mk 9:24), a faith-struggle to rid ourselves of all the lies holding us captive and keeping us in bondage. This is war, a fight to the death; we should engage like soldiers in combat (2Ti 2:3-4), not expect to overcome as we watch passively from the sidelines.

Wherever the enemy has taken us prisoner, Jesus Christ is offering us the key to freedom and fullness; we shouldn’t be content to remain in our chains. Yeshua has fully committed Himself to this fight (Ti 2:14); He’s all in and will set us free as we cleanse ourselves through Him. (2Co 7:1)

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Unskillful in the Word

It is often claimed the Bible does not teach Sola Scriptura, that Scripture itself does not teach that Scripture is our only authority in faith and morality and that we’re each responsible to interpret Scripture for ourselves.

If something as important as Sola Scriptura is true, one would expect it to be evident in Scripture. Perhaps it is, and just we can’t see it; maybe we’re expecting it to be stated in a certain way, unable to perceive it as He’s actually stated it.

Or it may be that we don’t want to see it because we’re unwilling to obey it. (Jn 1:17)

One way to tackle this is to observe that if any scripture is inconsistent with rejecting Sola Scriptura, Scripture is effectively stating Sola Scriptura via Proof by Contradiction. To recognize the truth in such a context we must carefully think through the implications of the passage, or we’ll likely miss it.

Consider the last part of Hebrews 5, where God accuses believers who’ve been in the Faith a while with neglect for being unskilled in interpreting Scripture. (He 5:12-14) They are expected to have a reasonably good handle on Scripture by this time, able to use it to parse out difficult moral dilemmas and articulate their faith. If we’re not expected to interpret Scripture for ourselves, and to interpret it properly, this passage makes no sense. This proves Sola Scriptura by contradiction.

And when Paul exhorts Timothy to be diligent to demonstrate he’s approved by God, a laborer in the Word who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly interpreting Scripture (2Ti 2:15), he’s telling Timothy to immerse himself in the Word, pondering it day after day, comparing Scripture with Scripture, until he can demonstrate how all of his personal beliefs are consistent with all of Scripture. Again, if we aren’t expected to interpret Scripture for ourselves, and accountable to God for how we interpret it, this passage makes no sense, proving Sola Scriptura by contradiction.

And when Paul exhorts Titus to ordain to the office of bishop older men who have a firm grasp of Scripture, who are able to challenge and expose false teachers (2Ti 2:15), he’s telling us all by example to immerse ourselves in the Word, pondering it day after day, comparing Scripture with Scripture, until we can reason properly from Scripture to expose those who are trying to exalt themselves through false teaching. Again, if we aren’t expected to interpret Scripture for ourselves, and accountable to God for how we do so, this passage makes no sense, proving Sola Scriptura by contradiction.

And when God commends the Ephesian church for exposing false apostles (Re 2:2), He presumes we have an infallible authority by which to evaluate and expose deceptive authority figures who would lead us astray, which by definition cannot merely be other men claiming the apostolic role. Disqualifying one claiming to be an apostle of Christ requires showing their message to be inconsistent with the words of Christ. This requires having the written, infallible Word and the ability to interpret it correctly. Again, if we aren’t expected to interpret Scripture for ourselves, and accountable to God for how we do, this passage makes no sense, proving Sola Scriptura by contradiction.

If we’re unwilling to shoulder the responsibility of rightly dividing the Word, since that takes a lot of investment on our part, a lot of soul searching, much prayerful pondering and digging, if we don’t care much about finding the truth for ourselves and owning our personal beliefs before God, thinking we can delegate this to others and that God won’t mind too much if we’re wrong, we’ll be looking for ways to support that mindset, and be totally blind to what the Word is actually saying.

When God tells us to labor to enter into His rest (He 4:11), to strive to enter the heavenly kingdom (Lk 13:24), to give diligence to make our election sure (2Pe 1:10), to search the Scriptures to ensure we have eternal salvation (Jn 5:39), to obediently receive His Word into our inmost being since it’s able to save our souls (Ja 1:21), He’s warning us we have no excuse if we neglect His offer of salvation (He 2:3), if we don’t personally seek the Lord until we’re absolutely sure we belong to Him. (Mt 7:13-14)

“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting.” (Ga 6:7-8)

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Throughly Furnished

The doctrine of Sola Scriptura (Latin for scripture alone), a pillar of the Protestant Reformation, is a topic of continued debate. The claim is that the Bible is the only spiritual authority we have to guide us in our spiritual walk, and that we are each individually responsible for how we interpret and follow it.

This debate isn’t about whether Scripture is true and profitable to study; it’s ultimately about whether we’re each required to search the Scriptures to find the truth for ourselves (Mt 7:7), or whether we can rightly delegate this to others.

Another way to frame this is to ask whether God holds each of us accountable for our beliefs and actions. (Ro 2:6-9) If God wants us to trust others as a final authority, how can He judge us for doing so and then acting accordingly if we are misled, as long as we do what we’re told?

And how might we determine who qualifies to be such an authority (Re 2:2), apart from validating their claims against our own understanding of Scripture? (Ti 1:9)

Jesus calls us to search out the truth in the Scriptures for ourselves (Jn 5:39), and to be wary of those who would mislead us (Co 2:8); if we end up in error, we have no one to blame but ourselves. (2Th 2:12)

Scripture is sufficient to make us wise unto salvation (2Ti 3:15) and to fully equip us for godly living. (16-17) We must each be diligent to understand and interpret Scripture for ourselves (2Ti 2:15), and do the best we can to follow what we learn. (Ja 1:21-22) Believers can hear Christ directly and be taught by Him through the Holy Spirit. (Ep 4:21) We have no need for any other authority. (1Jn 2:27)

God tells us to check everything we’re taught against Scripture and to reject anything remotely inconsistent with it. (Is 8:20) Turning from Scripture is equivalent to turning from God (Jn 12:48); He treads down all those who err from His commands: there are no excuses. (Ps 119:118)

Common opposition to Sola Scriptura focuses on verses encouraging us to follow tradition (2Th 2:15) and apostolic teaching (2Ti 2:22), yet none of these contexts indicate that such teachings or traditions are extra-biblical, or that believers are not accountable to first validate everything for ourselves in Scripture. (Ac 17:11) Scripture gives no man ultimate spiritual authority over another: the right to tell anyone what to believe or how to act. (1Co 11:3)

What mortals are qualified to stand between us and God and tell us all what to believe? (2Co 1:24) How is this different from adding to God’s Word? (Pr 30:6) Pity anyone positioning themselves in this role, usurping the role of the Holy Spirit. (Mt 23:8)

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Pray for Us

It’s good for saints to pray for each other (Ja 5:16a), and effectual, fervent prayers of righteous souls can make a real difference. (16b) Paul asks his brothers to pray for himself and for those working alongside him (He 13:8), at times even begging in the strongest possible language. (Ro 15:30) So, is it reasonable to ask saints in Heaven to pray for us?

Though all saints are part of Christ’s body, the Church (Ep 5:25-27), including those in Heaven (He 12:23), there are significant difficulties with this practice.

Firstly, it presumes the souls to whom we’re praying actually are in Heaven, that they’re true believers. However, unless scripture explicitly affirms this it’s presumption. There’s nothing stopping God from working through an unregenerate soul (Samson? King Saul? Jonah? Nebuchadnezzar?) to accomplish His purposes. We can therefore safely claim salvation for only very few, such as Abraham (Lk 16:23), the Twelve (except Judas: (Jn 17:12)), Paul (2Ti 4:7-8), etc. For example, scripture doesn’t explicitly tell us that Mary, Christ’s mother, ever came to true faith; she evidently lived many years after His birth without it. (Mt 12:47-50) She’s likely in Heaven, but there’s no way to be sure until we get there.

Secondly, praying to Heavenly saints presumes they can hear us across the immense expanse of the universe, which is, again, presumption; there is zero indication of this in Scripture.

Further, if it’s right to pray to saints at all, it’s right for a billion souls to pray regularly to a given saint (e.g. Mary), yet this is essentially attributing infinite capability to a finite soul, elevating them to godlike status. Distinguishing this from an affirmation of omnipresence and omniscience is semantics at best; the practice is therefore evidently unreasonable and problematic.

So, given such uncertainties, why would we spend any time at all asking saints in Heaven to pray for us? (Co 4:5) If it could be a waste of time (and it certainly could be), can it be excellent? (Php 1:10a) If we can’t prove it’s the will of God (Ro 12:2), why would anyone recommend it? On what authority?

If it’s good and right to ask saints in Heaven to intercede for us, and we’re unable to verify this from Scripture alone, Scripture must be incomplete as a lamp to our feet, and a light to our path. (Ps 119:105) We then require other (and necessarily fallibly human) sources of light. Yet this violates 2Ti 3:16-17; a fundamental claim that Scripture alone is sufficient to perfect us, to equip us to all good works. It’s one thing for teachers to show us how to rightly interpret Scripture, it’s another thing altogether to require secret, extra-biblical revelation or knowledge to live a godly life: this is Gnosticism.

Finally, since Christ Himself (He 7:25) and the Holy Spirit (Ro 8:26) are always praying for us, why would we need others in Heaven to intercede for us as well? They certainly aren’t any closer to God than God Himself.

God knows what we need before we ask (Mt 6:8); our prayers don’t inform God. Evidently, the purpose of prayer is primarily to engage us in pursuing and experiencing God’s will, which makes sense for believers on Earth. When we ask according to His will, we know He hears and answers us. (1Jn 5:14-15)

In presuming Christ came to start a new religion, which appears to be inherent in such ideas, we invariably find ourselves in error. He didn’t. (Mt 5:19) Ultimately, if what we’re saying and doing isn’t grounded in Torah itself, it’s darkness. (Is 8:20)

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The Beginning of Knowledge

Knowledge helps us orient ourselves in the world. As our brain stores information from our experiences our spirits and souls interpret it to help us avoid future pain and suffering and benefit ourselves and those around us.

Understanding facts about our world is certainly a type of knowledge, but there are simply too many facts to consider; in order to properly navigate complex circumstances, we must focus our attention and prioritize some facts above others. What we attend to depends on what we value, and this is driven by our moral frame of reference: our world view or story.

So, there’s a certain kind of knowledge which provides a foundation for all other knowledge; it forms the basis of our world view and dismisses facts which seem irrelevant or uninteresting. So, getting our world view wrong corrupts our minds and hearts, literally blinding us such that the facts we value don’t enable us to properly engage reality.

The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge (Pr 1:7); it is the first, foremost, chief or primary type of knowledge. Acknowledging and respecting Who God is, what He is like, and submitting to what He requires of us is the only point of view which makes sense of the world and rightly aligns us with reality. This is the essence of both wisdom and understanding. (Pr 9:10) Failing to choose the fear of God is equivalent to hating knowledge itself. (Pr 1:29)

The fear of Jehovah is to hate evil (Pr 8:13a), to despise the slightest tendency to turn away from God, to fail to love and obey Him with our whole heart. This is, of course, exceptionally rare (Ro 3:18); very few are able to find it. (Mt 7:14)

Consequently, we live in an age overwhelmed with information, and people filled with false hope in having instant access to whatever details they like. But without a suitable foundation we build on the sand (Mt 7:26), grounding our world view in our own pride and arrogance. (Pr 8:13b) It will not deliver in the time of trouble. (Mt 7:27)

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I Was Thirsty

God is omniscient; He knows everything about everything; His understanding is infinite. (Ps 147:5) He knows about all of reality, what has been, what is and what will be (Is 46:10), and He also fully understands every possible variation of reality, even things that will never actually happen. (Mt 11:21) Yet does this mean God actually experiences everything? Can God know something perfectly without personally experiencing it?

Since God cannot be tempted with evil (Ja 1:13), it must be that we experience reality differently than God experiences it; God knows with perfectly infinite understanding and awareness exactly how we feel and experience these sinful tendencies without Himself experiencing them. In other words, God knows what it’s like to sin without ever having sinned. (He 4:15)

So, yes, God doesn’t need to personally experience anything in order to fully comprehend all of its detail. Yet this doesn’t mean God is aloof from human experience, that He doesn’t engage intimately with His creation. Evidently, this is especially true of innocent suffering; He so identifies with His elect that He suffers in and with us. (Mt 25:35-36) While He allows pain and suffering in His children, it is not without personal sacrifice: God is willing to enter into our suffering Himself, and actually does so, being one with us. (Co 1:24)

While nothing exists apart from God (Co 1:17), and while all being and activity is of God and by God (1Co 8:6), it is incorrect to say God is any created thing, or that any created thing is God, or even part of God’s divine essence or being. (Panentheism) It is also evidently incorrect to say God is in (in the sense of inhabiting or indwelling) anything physical other than His earthly temple (Ha 2:20) and the bodies of the saints. (1Co 6:19)

While God is ultimately sovereign, controlling all things (Da :35), He is entirely distinct from the entire physical universe and independent of it. He forbids identifying Himself with any particular aspect of His material creation (Ex 20:4) other than His bride: the church. (Ep 5:30)

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Let Us Reason

To read between the lines is to look carefully at what is written in order to infer truths which are not explicitly stated. We call this reasoning, and God invites to use it as we seek Him (Is 1:18), employing logic to expand from what is explicitly revealed to see what some might consider hidden, yet if one is paying attention and thinking deeply it becomes obvious.

To illustrate, the arrow in the FedEx logo may not be apparent until someone points it out; but once you see it you can’t stop seeing it. The arrow isn’t exactly hidden, but it isn’t exactly there either.

To see it you must look between the E and x at the resulting white space connecting them, which is really nothing by itself: the mere juxtaposition of the letters reveals a shape implied by what surrounds it, and this insight enhances the logo, making an impression which creates additional value.

There are many truths like this in Scripture; what is explicitly stated in the text often implies priceless truths which remain unwritten. We may consider what is unspoken, which we might think ought to have been spoken, or which is certainly implied by what is stated, to learn more about God and His ways.

For example, when Paul is meditating in De 25:4, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn“, he infers a principle for supporting Christian workers. (1Co 9:9-10) Paul reasons from the general context of scripture that God isn’t particularly concerned about the feelings of an ox, so He must be providing a general instruction in how we’re to treat those called serve in ways which make it difficult for them to earn a living in the traditional sense.

We often see this kind of reasoning explicitly stated in Scripture with the phrase how much more; when God shows us how to address the relatively unimportant, He expects us to reason similarly about more important yet related concerns. For example, if the saints shall judge angels, how much more are they qualified to judge temporal matters? (1Co 6:3) If we expect earthly parents to care for their children, how much more should we expect God to care for us? (Mt 7:11) If animal sacrifices sanctify the physical man, how much more shall the blood of Christ sanctify the spiritual man? (He 9:13-14)

We should certainly be careful when looking at the white spaces in scripture, but they’re indeed present and we should be on the lookout for them, meditating both on what’s explicitly written and prayerfully considering what’s implied.

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