Religion. Reason. Relationship.

Were it a matter of intellect, the leading scientists, researchers and philosophers would know Him better than anyone else

Recently someone posted the following question on a popular social networking site: 

Calling God the Most High simply means that He is above relativity and the perceptions it creates? When science even answers the question of which direction is the universal up then maybe it get rid of religion but never can it touch the Living God because He never was a religion. Religion is also the creation of a relative mind.

Going by its basic definition, religion is simply man’s way of attempting to reach God through good works which though is a moral engagement, cannot really change the heart of man nor his life. 

The reason religion fails today is the same reason why has failed in the past. Religion is not a solution, but rather a substitute for God’s solution to the plight of man.

The claim that Christ made was that He had come to set the oppressed free and to proclaim deliverance to the captives (Luke 4:18). 

Before He came, every culture had its own set of religious practices as evidenced by historical and archaeological records, including the Middle East, where He was born. Therefore if religion could provide a means of deliverance and freedom for mankind, there would not have been the need for Him to come in the first place.

Most of the conflicts that have caused untold destruction in the history of this planet have been either directly or indirectly influenced by religion, even today, whether we are speaking of the crisis in the Middle East or the deplorable modern acts of terrorism. God’s solution was never a new religion. It was a relationship with Himself. It still is today. Regardless of what many may believe, this relationship IS possible and it is the key to the restoration of mankind.

As stated above, He is indeed the Most High and the title is used repeatedly in the scriptures. This is why many search in vain for means to be able to “intellectualize” Him or psychologically grasp His existence as though an infinite Creator could be subject to the workings of a finite mind.

No matter how hard we may try to reasonably argue, we eventually fail because one of the attributes that make Him God is that very fact! He is not subject to human reason or mortal powers of deduction. He is above and beyond anything man is capable of intellectualizing, including atheism and the theory of relativity. We can dissect the members of a rare species in a modern laboratory by way of examination and make conclusive reports about its nature, characteristics, attributes, and so on. However, we cannot apply the same approach to the Most High.

Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens- what can you do?

They are deeper than the depths of the grave- what can you know? (Job 11:7-8)

Therefore, we cannot really “know” God in this sense. In fact, we cannot understand God at all this way because if we could, then at that point, He would cease to be God. If He were subject to our human capacities of reason and finite powers of deduction, then we would have taken His place. This is the delusion that some have fallen into, at the end of their quest to “understand”. In humanistic thinking, man becomes the center of the universe and everything we do in life is done in order to gratify ourselves, without considering the gravity of being held accountable for our choices and actions. This multiplies the corruption of individuals and societies, compounding the very evil we are trying to erase.

However well-argued and good-sounding our points may be, we must always remember that the mortal cannot comprehend the immortal. The only thing we can truly know concerning God is what He has chosen to reveal about Himself. Therefore the first question we ought to ask is cannot begin with us. Remember, we are the fallible. He is eternal, immortal and omnipotent. It all begins and ends with Him, not with us. Our first place is to take ourselves out of the first place. So the real question now, is not “How do I perceive God?” because the very nature of this question assumes that He, being infinite can be the subject of the mortal scrutiny of reason. It is a rational impossibility. Rather, the first question on this quest should be, “How has God chosen to reveal Himself?” In the first question, we are the center and everything revolves around us, therefore we can never arrive at the knowledge we seek since we are still being influenced by the attitude of unbelief. The second question however, turns the situation around and places the Originator of all things at the center.

Now here is where we find the contrast as well as the conflict. There are a lot of people out there who have heard concerning the existence of God and the message of the Gospel but they feel frustrated because it doesn't "seem to make sense" to their mind or they feel it doesn't fit in with the way the world is today. Since it doesn't seem to answer all their intellectual questions and thoughts, they find it easier to simply walk away. What we need to ask ourselves is this. Was the message of the Bible just intended to satisfy our human curiosity, satisfy our intellect and answer our every human debate? Are we even the first person or main subject in its communication? What makes us want to occupy that position?

Whenever we feel conflict arising between our mind and truth, it is because we are seeking to know Him in a way He cannot be found. It is like the angels’ question in Luke 24:5, “Why are you seeking for the living among the dead?” Even in man's most sincere method of trying to learn, he must always be conscious of the fact that he can while away his life, probing, criticizing, trapped in the delusions of doubt because he is still looking for the living among the dead.

No, we will not find Him in our human institutions of learning, in clever philosophical arguments or scientific calculations. Had He chosen to reveal Himself intellectually, the leading philosophers, researchers and scientists of the day would have known Him better than anyone else.

The very opposite is true. It takes grace and humility to embrace truth. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies. Jesus Himself said the way to enter the Kingdom is by becoming like a little child. Little wonder then, that the simple-minded people of His day were the first to embrace the reality of who He really was and experience the deep transformation that comes with His Kingdom. Evidence of the existence of an Intelligent Maker abounds everywhere, from the tiny leaf that falls in autumn and snowflake in winter, to the  majestic mountains, planets, galaxies and star systems. Evidence resounds all around us.

The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork. Day unto day utters speech, and night unto night reveals knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. (Psalms 19:1-4)

The sum of what I am conveying here is that the way to the Most High is neither religion nor reason, but RELATIONSHIP. The Most High is a Personal Being and therefore it is possible to know Him personally. In fact, He has already made the way open and invited each of us to arrive at this knowledge.

Jesus Christ is the way. He is also the truth and the life. By simple faith in Him you can overcome the legalistic bondage of religion and the confusing treadmills of reason. You can begin to see the ways He has chosen to reveal Himself. You can repent now, believe and receive forgiveness. You can be transformed and experience eternal life. 

Evidence abounds.
The choice now lies with you and me.