I have always loved learning new things, especially when it’s about something I find rather fascinating. For example, I think I could watch documentaries on the deepest places of the ocean for hours. In the same respect, the more my relationship with the Father matures, the more I enjoy studying scripture. It’s amazing to me that you could probably camp out in one book of the Bible for the rest of your life and consistently learn something new about the heart of God.

He will forever be a mystery.

One particular topic I’ve been thoroughly intrigued by for the past couple of years has been Jesus as a perfect representation of the heart of God. Quite a few verses in the New Testament back it up. (Colossians 1 would be a good place to look.) 

Jesus is perfect theology.

Though we (the collective church as a whole) would agree in word that Jesus is who He and the scriptures claim Him to be, our lifestyles (obedient actions) say otherwise. For example: Jesus always healed and not once used sickness, disease, or affliction as a tool of teaching, but many today use and attribute such things to God as tools in His arsenal for teaching or maturing us. If Jesus didn’t do so, and He was the “visible image of the invisible God,” then why would the Father?

The Holy Spirit leads you into all Truth, and Scripture is written by the Holy Spirit.

For those who believe God contradicts Jesus in using harm to His children as tool for teaching or maturing, 2 Corinthians 12:7 has become one of the go-to verses. I would suggest to those people using what has become one of my favorite studying tools: The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge. This book is an incredible cross-reference of the context of words and their meanings as used throughout scripture. For example, to assume that Paul’s “thorn” was blindness or some other physical ailment would be false. We must not forget Paul’s ability to brilliantly build a case or teach from his knowledge of scripture. So it should be assumed that he is referencing the metaphor of “thorn” as it relates to Numbers 33:55 before we assume that he is revealing a characteristic of God.

We must not attribute to God what we do not see in the person of Jesus.

Happy Digging!