… for God did so love the world, that His Son--the only begotten--He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during. (John 3:16 YLT)
Quite frankly, our English translations of John 3:16 are nonsense!
Let’s try on a less orthodox translation of John 3:16; For God demonstrated his loving-kindness toward that for which he was responsible by act of creation, such that he delivered up his sole, humanly perceptible expression in order that all placing belief on him not perish, but hold life without end. (Thompson’s Literal Paraphrase)
Think about it. What is a musk-ox, but the offspring of another musk-ox? What is an aardvark, but the offspring of another aardvark? What is Newt, but the offspring of another Gingrich? What is Jesus, but God’s only-begotten Son? As man begets man, so God begat God-the-Son. Jesus never favored us with a detailed explanation of how he, in his identity with God-the-Father, could be his own Son, even though God is eternal, as is his Son Jesus.
Confused and confounded? Join the club. God never said we would fully understand his nature, but he did say, So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ. (Romans 10:17 ESV)
If amoeba were rational, could they interpret man's motivations? If ants were rational, could they apprehend human family size? If flies were rational, could they grasp man's revulsion at seeing maggots consuming a human body? Man is rational—more or less—but our understanding God's nature is just as unlikely as finding an intellectual bug.
Mankind seems compelled to theorize, theologize and philosophize, but it's all simply speculation. We know what God's Holy Spirit shows us through his word, and that is all we have. If we find God’s word perplexing, we need to trust him more.
No comments:
Post a Comment