Balance and Proportion

In delving into the great depths of the Sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man it is so very important, and extremely challenging, to maintain a biblical balance. There is great danger in over-emphasizing one and downplaying the other.

As a generation, we are not used to such strenuous exercise in the realms of logic, philosophy, critical thinking, and biblical hermeneutics, to wrestle theses weighty issues. But that we should wrestle is vitally important; to chew on meat. To be stretched and challenged. To have someone kick the foundation we stand on. To test it’s solidarity and soundness while wondering if it will crumble and you will topple, is a scary thing, but it is necessary. It is essential.

We must diligently and earnestly seek the Truth with all of our ability and resources; to scrutinize and comprehend. To cry out in earnest for the Spirit to give clarity and understanding. This is good. The Father in heaven sits up in anticipation. The Son breathes a deep sigh of pleasure. The Spirit engages and readies for the task He so adroitly accomplishes.

What is tantamount about growing in the knowledge and grace, is that you are growing. Developing. Stretching. Changing. The perspective that you have about God today is different than you had last year. It is the same picture, mind you, but it is clearer now, the colors are more vivid and deep. The brush strokes are more noticeable. You see details that you never noticed before and this alters your understanding of the picture. Truth, like beauty, is all about proportion.

The real danger is when looking at the hard and deep things of God, we (out of fear or pride) are unwilling to wrestle with God and His Word. We like our comfort zone. We say things like, “My God is not like that!” or “I refuse to believe in a God who would…” or “I can’t believe that, it would change so much of what I’ve been taught about God!”

Friends, these are perilous roads of thought. This is the path of Romans 1. The changing of an incorruptible God into an image made by corruptible man. Squeezing God inside your understanding. Watch out! This could lead to God (for a time, if you are a child of His) giving you over. It leads to exchanging the Truth of God for a lie. Worshipping what you create in your mind about God. What is palatable to you.

The brilliance of a lie is that it has just enough truth to be palatable. No one drinks a glass of rat poison, but when it is disguised in fruit juice, you could quench your thirst...and die.