Thus far, I’ve simply stated, in three posts, that God is testable and should be tested. God, in history, has made certain promises to His people and to the world, and I believe He can be taken at His word. Not only that, but He can be tested on His word.
If you have not caught the first three posts in the series, I offer them here for easy reference. Before going on, you’ll find it helpful to read these three posts first.
Let us continue, shall we?
A Summary of the Purpose in Studying God
Studying God is a tricky subject. More often than not, those who undertake the practice find themselves embroiled in arguments over dogmas. The term theology—which means “the study of God”—itself does not do justice to the actual practice of studying God simply because God exists outside of man’s invented frameworks.
If you’ve read the first three parts of this series, you are already familiar with my high regard for the Bible. As important as Holy Scripture is, there is a danger in relying too much on the written word and not enough on the visible word and the intangible word.
When Christians discuss studying God, the emphasis is usually placed on studying and understanding the concepts found in the Bible. The problem is, the Bible must be interpreted. Scholars have created a branch of philosophy called hermeneutics, which involves the methodology and the process of interpreting a written text. Depending on which methodology a person uses to interpret the Bible, those who study the text often come away with very divergent views concerning the Deity of which it speaks. In my view, the study of God should be broader than merely relying on written text.
God is not a physical being. He exists intrinsically outside of space and time. However, as Creator, He has the ability to move within space and time. For that reason, a holistic study of God will include more than a single source.
The purpose in studying God is to understand, first, who He is, and, secondly, what His divine purposes are. If we cannot understand those two things, nothing else matters. Faith, which Christians believe is the means through which God delivers the grace that saves us, is the act and the process of acting on what is known, or what is revealed, about God. What is known can only be known by divine revelation (1 Corinthians 2:11), but the Bible is clear that those who seek Him will find him.
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you (Matthew 7:7)
Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. (James 4:8)
Therefore, the purpose in studying God is to know Him and to understand His purposes so that this knowledge may be acted upon. And the promises one finds that He has made can be tested.
While studying God is necessary to understand who He is and what His purposes are, knowing where to study God is also important. If we believe that the Creator Of All There Is has interacted with His creation in history through practical and material ways, then it make sense to study those instances where God has interacted with His creation in order to get a better sense of who He is and what His purposes are. For that reason, the Bible is helpful, but it is not exhaustive. Therefore, studying God wherever He has been and wherever He can be found at any time in history—past, present, and future—is necessary.
God is Not Natural, But Does Have a Nature
Since God, in His self-existent prevenient state, stands outside of creation, it might seem a distinct impossibility that we mortals could know Him or understand Him. This would be true were it not for the fact that He has injected Himself into His creation in various ways. Our task is to discover those ways and to study them so that we can know our creator.
Everything that exists has a nature. That nature consists of the essence and the substance of the thing. Merriam-Webster defines nature this way:
the inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing
"Natural" is a word with various meanings but generally is used to convey that something is and of nature, nature being the order of the physical and material world. The concept is wrapped up in the Greek word kosmos, which the Bible often translates into English as "world" but conveys much more than that. The actual, literal meaning is "an ordered system," but in the case of God's creation, it refers to everything that was created by God, which is, literally, everything. In other words, the cosmos themselves, the universe, the entirety of the heavens and the earth, all of creation.
But there is another meaning of the word "natural" that helps us understand the nature of God. In a legal sense, natural conveys the idea that a child is born to a set of parents rather than adopted by them. Colloquially, we may say "legitimate" as opposed to "illegitimate," which has a derogatory connotation. But the idea is parallel to the meaning I'm working with now. Again, I'll consult with Merriam-Webster:
having an essential relation with someone or something: following from the nature of the one in question
In other words, to be natural means to derive one's essential substance from nature. A tree, for instance, is natural. Humans are natural. Water is natural. Space and celestial bodies are natural. God is not natural because He created nature, not the other around. As such, nature derives its essence and substance from God, not vice-versa.
These distinctions are important for laying the groundwork on the study of God. Because He has a nature, He can be studied. He can be known, although not perfectly understood.
In Exodus 3, God appeared to Moses in the form of a burning bush. He commanded Moses to deliver the Israelites from Egyptian slavery. When Moses asked God what to say when the Israelites asked him who commanded such a thing, God responded by saying "I am who I am."
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” (Exodus 3:14, Berean Study Bible)
The "I AM" has been understood by Jewish and Christian scholars for centuries to be an expression of God's self-existent nature. He is the only thing that is, that always has been, and that was never created. His existence is not based on anything outside of Himself. Christ uttered the same expression in John 8:58 when he told the Jews questioning him that he existed before Abraham did. They asked him if he had seen Abraham and he responded, "Before Abraham was born, I am." This is why Christians can say with confidence that Christ was God in the flesh.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The point here is, God has a nature and can be studied. Where he can be studied, and how is the question. I will attempt to answer that question in the following segments.
Where to Begin Your Study of God
Wherever God is, or has been, that is where is He can be studied.
That's a bold statement, but what does it mean? Where is God? Where can He be found?
I will use an analogy to kick start the conversation: If you wanted to learn about an artist--Vincent Van Gogh, for instance--where would you go? My suggestion would be to start with his art. Sure, you could read books about Van Gogh, learn where he lived, who his parents were, what year he was born, etc., but what value would any of that have if you didn’t first understand who you were learning about? A proper study of an individual should begin with the intrinsics that make that individual who he or she is. Therefore, we should begin with what makes Van Gogh particularly Van Gogh and that is, namely, his art.
I’ll pause here to say, were it possible, it would be better to start by having a conversation with Van Gogh. If you could sit in a diner and have a cup of coffee with the artist, that would be the best place to start. But one can’t do that with a dead man. Fortunately, God is not dead. We can actually have a conversation with God, so I’ll violate my own reasoning here and say that one could start with prayer, which is having a conversation with God (I’ll discuss prayer in more depth in a later post). But most people don’t start there. If someone has a problem conversing with a person they don’t believe exists, they might be better off starting with an examination of that person’s alleged handiwork.
It is for this reason that I recommend a serious study of God begin with His creation: Nature itself.
In Romans 1:20, the Apostle Paul wrote:
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood from His workmanship, so that men are without excuse (emphasis mine).
The book of Romans is an explication of systematic theology. The letter was written to Christians in Rome, made up of both Gentiles and Jews, probably some time between 54 A.D. and 57 A.D. In the first chapter, Paul lays the groundwork for the rest of what is to follow for 16 chapters. Beginning in verse 18 (Chapter 1), he begins to explain why God's wrath on the unrighteous is just. The gist is, because of man's idolatry; but underlying that idolatry is the fact that primitive man refused to recognize the imprint of God in His creation and subsequently gave up worshiping the creator for worshiping the creation instead. This indicates that humans need nothing more than to look at nature itself to see evidence of God.
In our day, many a natural scientist has begun the study of their specific discipline with the assumption that there is no God. This is a mistake. Their assumption further leads them to believe that the claims of science prove that God doesn't exist. Again, the assumption is a mistake for no man-made system, which science is, can determine the existence or non-existence of a being outside of that system. Such a notion is as absurd as the potato eaters rising up to declare that Van Gogh doesn't exist.
So, the study of God should begin with an exploration into His handiwork--the "workmanship" of His creation. But it shouldn't end there.
Where Else Can God Be Studied?
All study is the intentional, thoughtful, and sober attention to experience. When applied to the study of Van Gogh's art, it means to undertake a deliberate appreciation of the expressions the artist poured out on his canvas. It does not mean reading books about the art. It means experiencing the art firsthand. The same can be said of the study of God's masterpiece. The study of nature is the deliberate and attentive approach to experiencing nature as it was designed, or as close as we can get from our vantage point.
That does not mean, however, we cannot read books about the art. I simply recommend not starting there.
Most people can tell you that Van Gogh cut off his own ear, but few people can tell you the circumstances around that event, and even if they could, the fact that Van Gogh only had one ear says nothing about who Van Gogh actually is. In other words, those who make that observation have a fact but no context.
This is how most people approach the study of God. In my own faith tradition--evangelical Christianity--one will often hear how important it is to study the "word of God," the phrase being a reference to the Bible. While I admit such a study is valuable, simply reading the Bible to extract facts from it about our creator (and ourselves) is akin to knowing that Van Gogh cut off his ear without knowing why or how. It says nothing about the intrinsic nature of Van Gogh as Van Gogh. This is why I believe it's important to begin with experiencing nature when embarking upon a study of God, but not ending there. If one is bold, one could simply approach the throne room of God and solicit a conversation.
A proper study of God must move beyond the experience of the expression on the canvas and to other indications of His presence, motivations, and purposes. There is not just one go-to source to gather up all of the information we can obtain about the subject. Rather, there are various sources, and knowing where to find them and how to use them is important.
The following list is not meant to be exhaustive. Being fallible, I may forget a few things and leave them off the list. There may be other things I have not discovered. For that reason, I'll simply list a few ways a proper study of God can be undertaken based on my current understanding and drawing from past experience.
But first, let me answer this question: Why is studying God necessary for testing God's faithfulness?
It's a fair question, and I'd say the answer lies in the nature of God Himself. Since we're talking about the God of the Judeo-Christian mythos, it's prudent to discuss the attributes of God as understood from that perspective. One of those attributes is faithfulness. God is faithful to keep His promises. We know this, first, because of the testimony of the scriptures concerning Him (Deuteronomy 7:9, New American Standard; Hebrews 10:23, Berean Study Bible), but we can test it and know it by experience, and that is the kind of testing I am talking about.
Holy Scripture - Since we're talking about the faithfulness of the Judeo-Christian God, it's important to study the Judeo-Christian religious texts. This includes the Old Testament and New Testament of the Holy Bible.
Extra-canonical texts - While Christians believe that those texts which have been canonized are inspired by God, there are some non-canonical texts that are helpful. These include The Apocrypha, the Didache, religious writings from saints of the past, Bible commentaries, handbooks, Greek and Hebrew lexicons, and other study helps.
Prayer - Prayer is often thought of as making requests of God, or "asking God for favors." To be sure, there may be times when asking God for things may be appropriate, but a proper understanding of prayer has more to do with listening to God than speaking to God. Although, to be fair and honest, if we believe that God is a person, as is the Christian belief, then prayer is, by definition, a two-way communication with God and involves both listening and speaking. As such, supplication is an excellent way of testing God's faithfulness, but only insomuch as requests are made that align with God's will.
Meditation - I'm sad to say that many Christians in our day have forgotten about, if they ever knew it at all, the incredible value of meditation. Many in the church today seem to prefer the noise of crowds over the solitude of God's presence. Quaker author and pastor Richard Foster calls meditation "the ability to hear God's voice and obey his word" (Celebration of Discipline). But this simple definition can be misleading--it is not prayer, although it is closely related. Where prayer is outward-looking, communicating with (speaking and listening to) the God external (the omnipotent, omniscient God in the heavenly places), meditation is inwardly-focused on listening to the God internal. This only makes sense if you believe in the filling of the Holy Spirit as has been church doctrine for over 2,000 years. Unlike Eastern meditation, where the practitioner is taught to empty the mind, in Christian meditation, the practitioner fills the mind with thoughts centered on God, His nature, the beauty and mystery of God, His word, and communion with the Holy Spirit.
Fellowship - Fellowship with other Christian believers is another way to test God's faithfulness. In John 17:21 (Berean Study Bible), Jesus, praying to God the Father, expresses his desire that his followers will be as united as He was (and is) with His Father. The idea of fellowship for the Christian has its roots in the understanding of fellowship and unity in the Trinitarian nature of the Godhead. From that unity flows the fellowship of believers. We test God's faithfulness by showing our love for one another as expressed in Christ on the cross, sacrificing our own desires for the other and submitting to one another in the spirit of Christ-like humility.
Obedience - Finally, the ultimate way to test God's faithfulness is simply by being obedient to His commands. What God has commanded, man must obey. That is the great imperative, universal in nature, and puts God's faithfulness ultimately to the test because God's commandments come with promises. By obeying His commands, one puts God's promises to the test.
Again, as stated above, this is not an exhaustive list. But it does contain some of the "big rocks" on the mountain climb of faith.
In the coming weeks, I'll expound on these various means of studying God in more detail, but I'll try to keep the discussion focused on its relation to testing God's faithfulness. Taking these methods one at a time, I'll show how studying God is a means of testing God, and why it is important to do so.
Allen Taylor has been walking (and wavering) with the Lord for 28 years. He has served local churches as a Sunday school teacher, a small group leader, a worship leader, a prayer group leader, and a minister of the Word. His journey isn’t over yet, and he still needs discipling.