To know the Mind of God

One thing that always puzzles (frustrates) me in the discussions that many atheists (in particular evolutionists) raise in objection to God and/or design is this:

“If God was real / created us, He would not have done it like this.”

This is then almost used as a “scientific” argument (at least in the case of naturalistic evolutionists) for rejection of a Designer or a God.

This however is fallacy – and it certainly is not science. Science is not speculation, it is not human imagination, it is not personal opinion nor is it personal expectations. Science is primarily about reproducing observations in order to test hypotheses. It is ironic that naturalists are often the very first to point out God is not a scientific option as a god cannot be tested or defined by scientific method (hence the materialistic dogma that has been put in place for modern day science for all and any interpretation to adhere to). Yet so many scientists are equally as quick to comment on what a god should or should not be like if one were to exist. 

To “know the Mind of God” I would propose is in fact an oxymoron, at least in our human state. People use the word “God” yet fail to attribute that word to what it conveys. The Judeo-Christian God (YWH, Jehovah, etc) has no true name that man knows, that can be uttered. I believe that this is in fact to display the nature of God – man cannot fully know, understand or grasp. We attribute “God” to Him as this is a description of who He is – not just a name. That is to say, a “god” by definition is a being more powerful, more knowledgeable, more able, and wiser than we. It is a conceptual perspective: that is to say, the Judeo-Christian God is transcendent, beyond comprehension and understanding, without limit, outside the scope and constraints of this universe. Yet humans think that they can say:

“If God exists He must be x, y and z. If He created, it would be a, b and c. As x, y and z are not true, and a, b and c are not observed, God is not real.”

But that is an illogical argument, and certainly not scientific. The only thing that Judeo-Christians can claim about God’s character is that which is revealed in Scripture which we believe to be God’s Word and from God Himself. (As a side-note – if the Bible is not the actual inspired Word of God then the whole thing falls down and truly what can we say about God except speculation?) Therefore, we are not claiming x, y, and z – He is. If YOU were God then YOU might do it differently, but you cannot put yourself in that perspective as a human being, full of error, sin and limited vastly by this great universe, constrained by the forces of that which you do not understand.

If everything in this universe was as we would fully expect and understand given our limited state, if we could fully define the character of God and make full sense of it, would God still be a “god”? I think not. Therein lies the paradox of belief in a God – acceptance that you cannot understand a true God. Fortunately though, God has revealed Himself to us, in as much as we need to understand (at least for salvation and some of His character).

Such arguments may be philosophical arguments against God, however they certainly are not “scientific” arguments for lack of a Designer for example, as they are inherently unscientific arguments. Let me give you an example. Imagine someone like myself, who knows nothing about cars, entering into a car factory. I study the process of manufacturing a car in front of me, maybe I take apart a new model of a car and familiarise myself with the pieces and components. I can work out what some things do more easily than others. After a while of doing this, I declare myself an expert in the creation and design of cars, and conclude that the person who designed this car did not know what they were doing because there is a cable here that I do not understand what its function does. It seems to do one thing but it is longer than it appears to be necessary for that function. Therefore I conclude, this is a poor design and the person who designed it did not know what they were doing, or at least was not a “good” designer.

Would I not be considered mad? I was merely investigating something that was already designed, already there in existence. I did not design it, I did not put it there. I can take it apart and try to work out what bits do. But I do not know the mind of the designer, why they made one thing one way and another different. Perhaps there was purpose that I cannot see. Perhaps there were things like back-up mechanisms that any good engineer would put in, in case of primary failure. To declare the design as flawed would be fallible, given my limited knowledge.

How much more so with incredibly complex systems outside our current scope of our full understanding? Then take into account, the Bible says we live in a broken, fallen world as a result of sin (Genesis 3:16-19). Things were made and they were “very good” however sin of mankind (first in Adam) brought a curse and death not just on humans and spiritual death, but physical death and a curse on nature itself. For example there is good reason to believe that thorns did not exist before the Fall if you hold a literal interpretation of Genesis 1-3. Therefore, the world we see now is very different to the intended, first time design. (Another side-note – this is in fact, a great weakness of theistic evolution as it must result in the opposite: i.e. great imperfection slowly making its way towards imperfection).

So use of this argument [To know the mind of God] is down to mere human pride and arrogance. In science, it is not a valid argument against a Designer because it is heavily-laden with personal assumptions (why would a designer do it like this? I wouldn’t...), and it is not testable. Yet it is the essence of many an opposition to design.

Secondly, outside of science and into philosophical arguments, the objection to the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible in “knowing the mind of God” is a rationalisation of the claims about God’s character. For example:

“God is love, yet He sends people to eternal suffering and damnation in Hell. Therefore God is not love. God is not real.”

“God loves mankind yet He allows incredible amounts of suffering, therefore God does not love mankind. God is not real.”

I am not sure in the Bible where it says that understanding God is easy (Job 15:8; Job 21:22; Isaiah 40:13; Jeremiah 23:18; 1 Corinthians 2:11). I am not sure why we expect to fully be able to rationalise every detail in our minds. If we could fully understand and comprehend these issues, we would be like God ourselves. That cannot happen until He makes us like Him as we are full of sin and blemish. The Bible is clear on that (1 John 3:2; 1 Corinthians 13:12). 

And therein lays the issue with these complaints. People cherry-pick from the Bible statements but they take them out of context. What is the context? The whole Bible! That is to say, if you are going to take a statement in the Bible and say “if this is true...” and then extrapolate on it, you HAVE to take the rest of the Bible with it. Therefore, when God says He is love (1 John 4:8) it does not negate His Justice (2 Thessalonians 1:6), or Holiness (1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). We cannot understand those concepts because we are neither Just nor Holy (Romans 3:10). We cannot even comprehend His holiness. Whenever people in Scriptures caught a glimpse of His Holiness what happened to them? Look at the prophets, look at John in Revelation (1:17). John knew Jesus when He was on the earth, veiled in His humanity, His glory covered up. John was closer to holiness arguably than anyone alive today, as an apostle of God. Yet what was his response much like Isaiah (6:5), Ezekiel (1:28), Paul (Acts 9:3-4) and other prophets? He [John] fell on his face like a dead man. He went into a coma-like state of near death upon seeing the Risen Lord Jesus in glorified form. Isaiah proclaimed woe on himself for he is ruined (Isaiah 6:5). Upon facing the most Holy One the only response can be that of ruin, death, separation from God as it shines the light on you and exposes your true unholy state. The uncleanliness of man and the inherent inability of man to coexist in the presence of God in such a state is made fully and abundantly aware. When you take that into consideration it is even more amazing that any human could ever end up in the presence of God, and makes Jesus’ sacrifice even more astonishing especially in relation to God turning His Back on Jesus.

We cannot comprehend nor understand the perfect harmony of judgement, holiness, Hell, forgiveness and God’s love. But when we take the whole Bible, and not isolate characteristics of God and interrogate them with human understanding isolated away from His other attributes, we see a picture that fits and makes sense, in as much as it can to the human mind.

I truly believe that when you delve deep and read in the Bible about Jesus and His life on earth, any questions you have about His Love, His Justice and Hell fade from confusion to acceptance. Why? Quite simply because of the profound nature of Jesus’ life on earth. When you read the Scriptures about Jesus, with the knowledge that He is in fact a sinless, pure man that is yet fully God (Hebrews 2:9-18), you can be nothing short of astounded at His meek, mild, loving, forgiving and humble nature. That is God when He came in human form. He wept at the death of one He would raise to life (Lazarus; John 11:35). He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41), despite the fact it was full of sinners and rejection of Him and salvation. He asked His Father to forgive the people who beat Him (Luke 23:34), who drove nails into His feet and hands, who mocked Him, who taunted Him, who gave Him vinegar to drink. Yet we want to question His love and justice and how they can work out in eternity? If you ever doubt as a Christian how a loving God could do things that are spoken of in the Bible, all you have to do is read about the life of Jesus. Those questions will fade into complete acceptance that whatever happens you can be confident of the most supreme and highest form of justice will occur in the spiritual realm.

Who is there like God? Who can know the mind of the Creator? Who can understand His ways, His thoughts, His wisdom? The wisdom of God is foolishness to men (1 Corinthians 1:18, 25; Ecclesiasties 8:17), and He still makes the wise of the world to be most foolish. We cannot know the mind of God. The Scriptures can give us a glimpse, and one day when those of us saved by His grace will be “made like Him” we will certainly have a better understanding of His mind, but I would argue we will never fully know the mind of God, for that is only possible for God Himself. We will simply come to a better comprehension of God’s mind.