I recently heard a church historian say that the best theologians know when to quit pursuing answers to questions. They know when they come to a mystery, and need to just stop, drop to their knees, and worship the God who is above them.
Undoubtedly there are a host of tricky theological questions. Issues like the intersection of human responsibility and God’s sovereignty, or the Trinity are just examples of the complexity.
So how should we approach these sorts of difficulties?
Here’s a list of things to keep in mind when you’re wrestling with tough theology:
1. We are finite in our abilities to understand. There are things that no one understands, and we should rest in that reality.
2. None of us has read ALL the thoughts of Godly men in the history of the church. If you have a theological question that’s bugging you, odds are, someone smarter than you has already considered it. Seek out help to find resources that might help you with your pursuit of answers.
3. At the end of the day, our epistemological grounding is in the text of the Bible. We come to questions seeking answers, but when the Bible teaches certain things that we simply cannot reconcile, we need to settle our hearts in knowing that God is in control, and that His Word is true.
4. Difficult questions point us to the transcendence of God. If He is big enough to create the universe, there are many things that simply will not be understandable to us. That’s ok.
Lastly, I’ve always been encouraged by the explanatory power of the Christian faith. No other worldview provides so much insight into human nature, the problem of evil, and the reason for the existence of the world.
Like nothing else, Christianity offers deep answers to the ‘WHY’ questions of existence. It may not answer all the ‘HOW’ questions, but no other worldview even comes close!
Keep digging, and when you’re stuck, stop and worship God through the simplicity of the Gospel!
