Original Sin (by Ed Smith.)

In theology, we naturally run into things beyond the scope of our finite minds. The stubborn insistence by some that such things be understood results in many of the most harmful, appalling and erroneous doctrines. Such stubborn insistence is original sin: pride and arrogance--a wish to be an equal to God. And, of course, that is the true sin; not all mistakes are innocent and confined to the intellect.

For example, the complaint I've most frequently heard against the doctrine of the Trinity is that it is hard to understand; that it doesn't make sense. It would be arrogant of me to think that I can accurately and directly visualize the very nature of God. However, I can imagine the Trinity quite nicely through analogy. Most of us can visualize ourselves as trinities or at least a duality of spirit and body. Even my body can be viewed as a person by itself, though not a very animate one. Together I am still one and I have been made in the image of God. If we must have an image of everything which occurs to us, then image by analogy must be used in this case, since it is the only way to reconcile the clear teaching of the deity of Christ with the clear teaching of monotheism in the Bible.

Another fine set of examples has to do with reconciling the absolute foreknowledge of the Creator with some kind of autonomy and individuality of the creature.

As arrogant as I may be in many ways, I am content to leave this as an unresolved paradox having to do with a matter beyond the scope of my finite mind.

Even God can't create a being with fully formed wisdom, and even God can't create a new being who has always existed, so why should we think we can understand how to make creatures such as ourselves?

We can't even veiw eternity from within time (and if we try, we end up making ludicrous mistakes.)

Creatures should know their limitations, and I conjecture that Satan couldn't accept his.


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