While the Bible is a big book there are many things that God in His wisdom and counsel has chosen to not reveal to His children. Scripture refers to these unknowns as “secret things.” For we read: “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (Deuteronomy 29:29).
I believe there are many reasons why God has declined to reveal these “secret things” and while I would like to know the answers to some of my outstanding questions about our universe and life, after reviewing my points below, quite frankly, I believe God made the right decision to keep me in the dark on these matters.
Secret things help strengthen my faith that a supernatural God wrote the Bible
To leave us with so many unanswered questions increases my faith that a supernatural God must have written this book – albeit using man to pen His words. If uninspired men wrote the Bible I believe they would never leave us with so many unanswered questions. For example, how can Jesus be both 100% God and 100% man? Or how can God exist from everlasting to everlasting – or before time began and after time ends? And how can we fully understand the Trinity? To me by definition the God of the universe must be somewhat mysterious. I like what the late theologian J. I. Packer said here: “A God whom we could understand exhaustively, and whose revelation of Himself confronted us with no mysteries whatsoever, would be a God in man’s image, and therefore an imaginary God, not the God of the Bible at all.”1
Since when can a finite man understand everything about an infinite being
Since God is infinite in His being, we as finite humans must be content, that there will be much about God that remains a mystery. Quite simply a finite mind, such as we have, by definition can’t understand the infinite mind of our God. Let me explain. Since our great Creator has no beginning or end, it is only possible to even know that He exists if He supernaturally reveals Himself to us, (and thankfully He does through His Word and nature). But to expect our God to reveal everything about Himself and our universe is an impossibility since finite can never fully understand so many infinite concepts about our infinite, all-knowing, and all-powerful God. Thus there must be secret things that finite man is incapable of knowing.
God wants to be loved and trusted by faith
As I shared earlier the God of the universe must by definition be somewhat mysterious. But just because we can’t fully understand Him doesn’t mean we can’t know Him in a deep and personal way. And that’s where the Bible comes in. The Scriptures tell us so much about Jesus that, rather than try to understand everything, I choose by faith to concentrate on praising what a wonderful God we serve and studying His precious Word, to not learn about solving mysteries, but about just how much love Jesus has for me!
In addition, thankfully He has shown me where I came from, where I am going when I die, and what my purpose in life is. He has also shown me His great power and wisdom through the amazing beauty and orderliness of the universe He created.
The mysteries of God allow me to stay humble and learn to appreciate just how wonderful the God of the Bible is
Sadly, there are many people who want to know everything about God and our universe and forget that not only is this impossible but what God really wants is to be loved and trusted, and not analyzed to death. So often we get disappointed with God since we can’t understand why he allows so much suffering in our world, why the guilty seem to get away with things, and why sometimes when we really need God to answer He remains silent.
First, His ways are higher than our ways and while God promises us peace and joy, He doesn’t promise us a suffer-free life. Second, our sense of fairness doesn’t mean that in the economy of God we are correct. God’s sense of fairness has an eternal element in it where our idea of fairness is often just in the here and now. And third, when God seems silent it doesn’t mean He is absent. Instead, silence allows us time to meditate on God’s Word and trust God that in the long run He will work our suffering for a future good; if we only give God the time He needs to work things out according to His divine plan.
My friends, while there will always remain mysteries for us to ponder, one thing that is not a mystery is that Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross to save us. And for that I am eternally grateful. And yes, even the idea that I will live for eternity is a mystery since my finite mind can’t fully comprehend such an amazing thought!
Awesome!! Amen🙏🙏🙏
God bless you Curt,
Great word and teaching, loved it.
love always
Pastor Al. Camacho.