The Universal ConneXion
I once heard a guy joke with an Australian friend that he “got along pretty well
for a guy who had spent most of his life walking upside down.”
If that statement strikes us as funny, it’s because we can easily picture people
on the south end of the globe standing ‘upside down’ even though we’re well
aware that the law of gravity pulls everyone toward the center of the earth.
Whether we’re Australian, American, Asian, African or anything else, gravity is
one example of many things that all of us share in common. While we tend to
‘notice’ and focus on our differences, we humans actually have many more
similarities than differences.
This is why universal principles are so intriguing. Universal laws are rules
that apply to us all. Violation of them brings similar consequences to us all.
Understanding these universals, then, is something that is --- or should be ---
important to every single person in the world.
Universal Physical Laws
Like the illustration of gravity mentioned above, laws relating to the physical
world are fairly obvious to us:
> Our human bodies follow the same laws of physiology.
> We live in ecosystems that follow the same laws of biology.
> We interact with a material world that follows the same laws of physics.
> We shelter ourselves from weather that follows the same laws of
meteorology.
Universal Emotional, Mental & Moral
Laws
Beyond the material realm there are principles we cannot ‘see’ as obviously, but
we still share in common:
> We experience and process the same kinds of emotions.
> Our minds calculate according to universal laws of mathematics.
> We think via common logical laws — the universal principles of thought
and reason.
> A universal moral law gives us a common instinct for right and wrong and
produces legal codes in every culture with similar injunctions against killing,
stealing and so forth.
These universal concepts are so deeply embedded in us that we automatically
assume we share them with other humans that we encounter.
Universal Spiritual Laws
Isn’t it interesting, though, that when it comes to the realm of spiritual
things, so many people suddenly seem to think that anything goes? We experience
inescapable universal laws and principles in every other level of life, and then
we’re expected to believe that the spiritual realm is a free-for-all. We know
that not everyone believes in God. But consider this thought — If it were to be
true that there is a God, then it follows that He must be the source of all
life. Why should we think that the source of all these other universal laws of
life would have less form or definition than the things He has brought into
being? Fuzzy popular thinking would give us the impression that we can believe
almost anything we want about the spiritual nature of the universe. But why
would the pattern of universal laws and principles suddenly become different in
just the spiritual dimension? If anything, we should expect the spiritual realm
to be even more exacting than other areas of life.
In other words, if there is a God, then His powers, abilities and nature would
represent the highest orders of development. If mathematical laws, for example,
require us to use absolute precision in our calculations, wouldn’t it seem
likely that the source of mathematical laws is the mind of God and must
represent a higher and more stringent order of perfection?
But we act as if it is just the opposite. We think of the spiritual realm as
some invisible, malleable mush that can conform to and absorb any viewpoint or
contradiction. How sloppy! In fact, spiritual principles are the very heart of
knowledge and understanding. Harnessing a correct perspective on key spiritual
principles will tend to bring all other issues into harmony. If these spiritual
principles exist at the source-point of life then they will impact all facets of
life.
How We Discover Spiritual
Principles
If it is the case that higher-order spiritual principles (i.e. – principles that
describe who God is and what He is like) are so precise, exact and perfect, then
how are we to go about discovering what they are? Do we find them through
scientific experimentation, philosophy, ESP, communication with aliens or what?
This question, of course, has presented itself throughout history. It always
seems to bring us to the point of hopeless speculation and debate, for who is to
know and who is to say?
Our hapless condition in this matter was made clear by the German philosopher
Immanuel Kant way back in the 18th century. He demonstrated that the quest to
find out the nature of ultimate reality by means of human reason was impossible.
No matter what effort we muster, humans are only finite and temporal beings who
can never fully grasp the infinite and eternal.
We are therefore left with only one possible solution. As Francis Schaeffer
explained in his book, He is There and He is Not Silent, if there is a God, He
must take the initiative to reveal Himself to us, otherwise there is a severe
limit to what we can know about Him. We as finite creatures cannot comprehend
Him, but He, on the other hand, has the ability to reveal Himself to us,
provided He chooses to do so. We could compare our relationship with God to that
of an infant with an adult. The infant desperately needs the adult but cannot
comprehend him or her, while the adult is fully aware of the baby and is able to
meet its needs in many ways.
But assuming that God is there and that He does want to communicate with us, how
do we go about looking for what God has said?
This is where the Bible gets really interesting. It tells of God being
alternately known and forgotten by the people of the earth. When differing
nations developed and drifted farther away from the true God of heaven, He
created His own nation from the descendants of a man called Abraham. His purpose
in doing this was to have them guard knowledge about Him and His ways until He
sent His Messiah (or chosen one) who is to be the communication link between God
and humanity. This promised Messiah has many intriguing facets to His purpose,
but the ultimate surprise is that He is actually God, Himself, taking on human
form to visit the world and reveal Himself on a level humans can relate to and
understand.
And that’s where the New Testaments picks up the story of Jesus Christ. He comes
into the world not just speaking as a prophet of God, but with a much more
radical claim. He comes into the world speaking to us as God Himself. He extends
Himself to every person, regardless of national or ethnic origin. The Messiah is
presented as the universal spiritual connection to knowing and understanding
God. He comes out of Israel, and to Israel, but not just for Israel. Israel is a
vehicle for bringing the Messiah to all the nations of the world.
Avoiding Common Diversions
In a world filled with religious traditions, Jesus is often folded into them as
just another option. The casual thinker might assume that Jesus is a good
teacher or a noble prophet whom some may choose to follow. But as C. S. Lewis
writes in Mere Christianity, the claim of Christ is actually much more than
this. He identified himself as God. This is a position which often elicits
skepticism, or worse — attempts by some to modify the historical biblical
message. Was Jesus or His followers fraudulent in proclaiming His deity? Was He
in the bonds of a delusion? Or was He saying something we should seriously
consider? As Lewis pointed out, Jesus left us only these three options: He was a
liar, He was a lunatic, or He truly is the Lord of heaven and earth. As a
respected professor at Cambridge University in England, Lewis himself came from
atheism to embrace the latter of these three positions.
Many brilliant people invest much time and energy mastering the laws of their
academic disciplines. But it is amazing how few look seriously at even the most
basic issues of spiritual knowledge. People will casually wave away efforts at
critical thinking with regard to spiritual understanding, while demanding the
utmost rigor in exercising the principles of their chosen professions. But
success at making sense of life flows from a willingness to take seriously the
source of life.
How to Tackle the Spiritual
Question Seriously
For those who want to face spiritual questions with the weight of intellectual
honesty, Jesus provides a good starting point. His claims are bold, clear and
unique. If they are wrong, that makes them easy to debunk and move on to other
considerations.
If you would like to take a closer look at the life and message of Jesus, try
reading His story. The first four books of the New Testament give separate
accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John). You’ll find an intriguing resource at
www.jesusfactorfiction.com, where you can explore many questions. We’d love for
you to come talk them over with your friends at The ConneXion. We’re happy to
tackle the hard questions. Contact us through the information below. If you’ve
read this far you are already on the journey! You’ve probably already discovered
that there is no area of exploration as enthralling as that of the spiritual
realm.
Bud Fox, Th.M.
Pastor, The ConneXion Christian Community
September 2006
www.LifePlace.org
theconnexion@bellsouth.net
270-779-3934