Seven Spirits of God… so John writes about, some suggest that this represents the seven archangels that come up in some Jewish literature, however I take it to be a way of speaking about the full manifestation of the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit. In Jewish monotheism the Spirit was a way of speaking about the presence and activity of the one true God, into Christian theology the Spirit became personal, with the Spirit being God, but distinct from the ‘Father’ and the ‘Son’.
Irenaeus (130-200AD approx, bishop in Lyon) is the probable originator of the term ‘the two hands of God’: the Spirit being the universal ‘hand’ that was present everywhere and the Son being the particular hand that brought people to the Father. Thus we have the presence of God everywhere and yet it is through the Son that people come to the Father. The Spirit is present everywhere and it is that Spirit that believers receive, at which point we can name that one Spirit ‘the Spirit of Jesus’.
‘Universalism’ refers to a belief that ‘all will be saved’ but there certainly is a Universalism that relates to God in and through all things. Paul wonderfully affirms this (in a pagan context of idols to many gods)
[God] is not far from each one of us. For ‘In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your own poets have said, ‘For we, too, are his offspring.’
Paul’s suggests the unique claim for what he was proclaiming (call it the Christian faith) was that ‘What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.’ If I update his words, he did not say that ‘Christians know God’, but that they know who this one God is, that there is a relationship, an ‘I-Thou’ relationship. This was what set Jesus apart, and also set him apart from Judaism, he was the way not to God, but to the Father, to a familial relationship to the one true God. That is an astounding claim! To seek to make an image of this God is futile as it holds that we can draw lines around God and present God… maybe some of our theology does just that? The invitation from Jesus means we expand, with all our ignorance, into the knowledge of God. Idolatry does just the opposite… maybe why Paul was (strangely) non-confrontational in Athens is that at least one of their altars seemed to represent that God was beyond their knowledge (‘the unknown god’).
I am going somewhere in this post!!
‘Saved from their sins’. That was according to Matthew what Jesus was going to do for the Jewish people. Not ‘saved from hell’. I think we focus too much on what we consider will happen ‘then’ rather than what is promised ‘now’. There is some talk of ‘wrath to come’ but some (most?) of it seems to historically fit with a context of earthly trouble… the real issue is being set free from the slavery and bondage of ‘sin’ which is represented as a dominating power (alongside its partner ‘death’).
Not a very full post this one, but when it comes to beliefs, I do not believe we are justified in ‘God is not present in…’ and we can fill in the blank. Maybe making it more concrete, if we ask the question is ‘Allah God?’ we can’t (OK, I can’t) come back with an automatic ‘yes / no’ answer. Let me go a roundabout path first – ‘is the Christian God God?’ That depends what you mean by the word ‘Christian’. Or to make it very personal – ‘is Martin’s God God?’ The answer has to be ‘yes’ and ‘no’. The grace of God / that universalistic hand means even for Martin God is present, and the particular hand of God (through Jesus) there should be some evidence of a growing into the intimate knowledge of God in my life.
God can be present where we do not think any ‘decent God’ (one in my image!) should travel. This does not mean that ‘the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth’ is found there. Truth is in the final analysis, and always will be, personal not propositional.
God is present with those who are not ‘believers’ (to what extent?) but I wish that there is a fullness, a knowing the unknown God that is on offer to them, a true being saved from their sins. The proclamation of the Gospel is a proclamation of freedom from captivity and an invitation to an adventure with the God of Israel and the Father of our Lord Jesus through the One Spirit.
I think that is why I have a real problem with Christian Apologetics as it seeks to make faith scientific and forensic. The real connection with the Father through Christ is always only meaningful if there is some subjective experience of Jesus. I think it is hard to argue people into the kingdom – I could be wrong but in general I believe that? It also tries to sort of define exact modes of belief deemed to be the only ‘true’ doctrine which leaves no flexibility and rather limits the reach of God and diminishes the magnitude of who God is in my opinion. Faith comes from a different source though and who are we to say whether a person is ‘in’ or ‘out’ of God’s reach and touch. God alone knows the heart and can do what God pleases and reach anyone from anywhere with no clever arguments and knowledge. It is that gentle movement of the heart at times that causes a person to choose to do something redemptive like forgive an enemy and many other things. Therefore they are following Jesus even if they don’t know it? I don’t know about the salvation thing as I’d love to be a universalist more than anything else but there’s so much said in the bible that indicates that to be in the age to come at least (or not in hell or annihilated – a better scenario) a person needs to believe that Jesus is only way, truth and life so maybe hopeful (because God is infinitely merciful) but I still cautious on that subject! Thank you for the interesting post.
Yes faith and apologetics… I think ‘faith’ in the God of Scripture is not illogical, and yet it has to remain faith. A step rather than a leap into the dark. Universalism… I certainly got a sneaky suspicion that God might be!!! And I have something stronger than suspicion that there will be more people than simply those who ‘came the narrow way’. Mercy will triumph over judgement – they are not on equal terms.