We have a little problem with our understanding of YHWH. A problem stems from our trying to fit our understanding of him into our human context – it is impossible.
I will make analogies but kindly note that these are to aid us and not to minimize the majesty of God.
Now I love Sci-fi. I love the fact that some people can be big enough to acknowledge that there might be something or things beyond them, their world or scope. This is a very healthy spiritual position to be in - a position of humility. However, in most Science fiction depictions of ‘Aliens’, i.e., beings from other life dimensions, many of our human writers and film producers fall desperately short in their scope of imagination and therefore creativity. Often, the ‘Alien’ character is just a mash-up of human or earth life i.e. our plants, animals and principles. We often cannot grasp the scope of diversity that there could be outside Earth. The inability to grasp that there could be a being(s) who does not think, function or even attempt to conform to our ‘arrogant’ expectations, experience and sense of entitlement, makes most people earth-bound in more ways than one.
Genesis 1:1a informs us: ‘In the beginning God…’.
Obviously, in the beginning, refers to a start for creation, i.e. everything outside God.
Here, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’, automatically places God as a being separate and in a dimension outside ‘the heavens and the earth’
To clarify, I'll use this example: In the beginning, Sir Leonard Lord (of the Morris Company) and engineer Alex created the (British Iconic car) MINI. The Mini as a creation will obviously show the thought process and elements of the character and personality of its creators. But obviously, the creators, though connected to their creation, are unfathomably (to the car) beyond the scope of reasoning and the existence of their creation.
In John 4:24, John informs us that ‘God is spirit’.
Note that this New International version rightly does not say God is a spirit (as some other translations render John 4:24) but God is Spirit. Spirit is a dimension without origin, time and space – it is the existence of the self-existent one. God is Spirit means he is a ‘dimension’ - I speak in our limited human vocabulary. From him came all spiritual beings, heavens, the universe and the physical world as creations within his Spirit
I love how the Amplified bible comes close to capturing this: God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
There is a dimension into which our universe is submerged. In it, our time, space and matter are just constituents. This dimension has no beginning and therefore no end. It is boundless and therefore beyond human understanding of time and space.
What I am getting at is this: God wants to be known but to understand or begin to grasp the concept of God, you will need to first acknowledge your position. You need to come with the heart of a little child. This heart of humility enables one to understand because it has no preconceptions, arrogant expectations and pompous know-it-all mentality. A child-like teachable heart is eager to learn and receptive to things outside its scope of experience, and knowledge and has no sense of entitlement.
The great news is that, unlike the MINI car, the Human was created to experience the dimension of God, his creator, in its fullness by becoming its citizen. That dimension is called the Kingdom of God and not only are elements of it here with us now, they are available for all of eternity. However, it is only experienced as a child in union with YHWH.
As Jesus said, “What I’m about to tell you is true. You need to change and become like little children. If you don’t, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.’’ Matthew 18:3 NIRV
Will you be humble enough to be taught by Him?
‘’At that time Jesus said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.’’ Matthew 11:25
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