Incomprehensible… not Unknowable

Incomprehensible is the word used to describe a thought, idea, or action that is not able to be understood.

I was reminded this past week of the unity or oneness of who God is while listening to a message on Baptism. According to the great commission in Matthew 28:18-20 When we baptize someone, we do so “in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” 

Opponents of the Christian faith will argue the doctrine of the Trinity, (the oneness of God, the deity of three, his three in oneness) is incomprehensible. Guess what? They are right! Our finite human minds are not able to understand the fullness of the nature of God.

The psalmist writes. “Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise; his greatness no one can fathom.” (145:3). Following Jobs’ account of how great God is as he commands the skies above him, he says “And these are but the outer fringe of his works; how faint the whisper we hear of him! Who then can understand the thunder of his power?” (Job 26). 

Speaking through the prophet Isaiah the Lord himself declared, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. (Isa 55:8-9)

The incomprehensible truth of who God is as Father, Son and Holy Spirit for some people is a proverbial “brick wall,” stopping them from pursuing a relationship with God as their heavenly Father. 

The “faint whisper” Job so eloquently describes are the words given to us in scripture today that have the power to draw us near to God; it supplies all we need to know about him. The revelation of who God is through the inspired words of the Bible provides for us great assurance of who he says he is. 

Does this understanding of who God is require faith? Absolutely! What is it that stands in the way of those who oppose the truth of the Gospel? Could it be a lack of faith? 

The writer of Hebrews tells us that “faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Faith is confidence, it is to trust in the word of God that draws us into a relationship with him. Faith is more than the mere knowledge of what is true; it is embracing what we do know and trusting in what has not yet been revealed as true and good as we seek to know an incomprehensible God. Faith is acting in obedience to the call of the Lord to be on mission for him and with him. 

In no way can I examine the intricacies of this foundational truths of the Trinity in 600 words or less here. Books upon books have been written to help us dive deeper into the understanding of the relationship between the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit and for that I am thankful. 

I have questions just as I am sure you do. What I do know is that our Father in heaven has given us an incredible gift through the death and resurrection of his Son (salvation – the forgiveness of our sins). Through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives we can continue to grow in relationship with a God who loves us unconditionally. There may be things about God that are incomprehensible but, he is not unknowable. I pray that your faith is placed in the arms of our loving father.