Large-T Transcendence

 

Have you not known? Have you not heard? 

The LORD is the everlasting God,  the Creator of the ends of the earth. 

He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. 

(Isa 40:28)

By Stephen W. Hiemstra

A popular question floating around today, thanks to the influence of a Hindu sect called Janism, is: How many paths are there up the mountain to God? The presumption in this question is that all religions are equally relevant and subject to personal preferences, nothing more. For the Christian, however, this is a trick question—there are no paths up the mountain to God because God, having created time and space, stands outside of both. We cannot approach God; he must approach us and he did so in the person of Jesus of Nazareth.

Postmodern Context

The spirit of the times refuses to recognize this reality. The prevailing attitude is ABC, anything but Christian. Postmodernism is radically post Christian. Much like the Roman Empire was polytheistic, so is postmodern culture. Any religion that claims exclusivity is openly treated with contempt. This contempt is practiced in the media, schools, and every other public forum.

Often people will argue that ABC is just Christian paranoia because public school sometimes teach from the Bible. The problem is that when people argue that schools teach the Bible, it is to make sure that kids know alternatives to the biblical accounts, like creation, Noah’s flood, and other supernatural events. Before kids have time to develop a faith of their own, they are confronted with alternatives that even their parents cannot sort out. Thus, the multiple-paths-up-the-mountain becomes a focus for teenage rebellion just when secular temptations start to look attractive.

Large-T Transcendence

Before the Big Bang Theory was introduced, creation and science seemed at odds. If you search the Internet for information on the Big Bang Theory (not the television show), the NASA website provides this explanation:

“The big bang is how astronomers explain the way the universe began. It is the idea that the universe began as just a single point, then expanded and stretched to grow as large as it is right now—and it is still stretching!”

The theory dates back to 1927 and an astronomer named Georges Lemaître. This theory gained credibility after another astronomer, Edwin Hubble, observed that other galaxies were moving away from us and the ones farther away were moving away faster.⁠1 

While people still debate the relationship between the biblical creation accounts and science, the chief thing to know is that the creation accounts focus on the who question, not the how question that is the focus of science. Genesis states that God created everything (heaven and earth) and then describes a list of things that he has authority over enumerated by days (Niehaus 2014, 39-41). Much like Congress passes laws on a timetable while in session, the timetable and the implementation need not be tightly linked. Nevertheless, if the Big Bang Theory is correct, God can create a surprising number of things in a very short period!

The question of transcendence in the case of creation arises because God cannot be part of the created order. A carpenter is not part of the desk that he fashions. This is why God cannot be pictured as a bearded gentleman sitting on top of mountain. God created both time and space so he must stand apart from both. This is why our entire lives are within his view much like when one stands on the street in front of an apartment building, one can see all the rooms at once—a perspective not available standing in any room in the apartment.

Creation Implies Authority

The exclusivity of Christ arises because God created the heavens and the earth. Unlike other creation accounts in the Ancient Near East, God does not contend with monsters to win the universe. Neither does he buy or barter for the universe; neither does he inherit it or find it in a quest. God is sovereign over the universe because he created it.

Because God stands outside time and space, and we do not, we cannot approach God without him coming to us—the very definition of Big-T Transcendence. As Christians, we believe that God sent Jesus Christ to bridge this ontological gap. In the biblical witness, Jesus could be described as Jacob’s ladder bridging heaven and earth (Gen 28:12), which is the source of his exclusively. Only someone divine can bridge such a gap. Another gap arises because of God’s holiness, which is a restatement of the same ontological gap because holy means set apart as well as sacred. Being set apart in time and space is just one example of the concept of holiness.

God’s authority in creation is a problem for anyone contending to control other people. Deconstructionists are sensitive on this point because authority denotes power. This is why they challenge every source and manifestation of power as equally illegitimate: family, church, and society. God’s authority is particularly galling for them because it is inherently legitimate. Thus, the creation accounts in Genesis are the focus of the deconstructionists efforts to overthrow God’s authority. If that sounds Satanic, it is because it is.

Implications

God’s authority over creation impacts everything we do—past, present, and future. For me, the goodness of God and his love means that I do not need to worry about the future—I only need to focus on my faith and relationship with God. 

This simplifies everything. Death still stings, but it does not disable. Challenges in work and family life still break my heart, but I am not paralyzed. I am careful to read, understand, and live my Bible, but I do not obsess about prophecies and when God will do all that he does—it is all in hands of someone powerful that I trust.

References

Niehaus, Jeffrey J. 2014. Biblical Theology: Volume 1: The Common Grace Covenants. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.

Footnotes

1 https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/big-bang/...!

Large-T Transcendence

Also see:

The Face of God in the Parables
The Who Question
Preface to a Life in Tension
Other ways to engage online:



Author site: http://www.StephenWHiemstra.net
Publisher site: http://www.T2Pneuma.com

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