This article was written a few days ago, and I discovered it had been reblogged already somewhere else. It deals with an issue that is appropriate to the types of discussions we have here. I hope you’ll click through and read it at the author’s website and then look around at other articles. The author is Rebecca LuElla Miller; the blog is A Christian Worldview of Fiction, and you can click here to read at source.
Addressing Christian Agnosticism
Your first impression might be that I’ve made a mistake in my title because there’s a contradiction in terms. How can Christians be agnostic?
I wish the problem were nothing more than a slip of the tongue, but sadly I think agnosticism is creeping into the Church. More and more frequently I hear people who claim to love Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord, who believe the Bible to be God’s Word, turn around and say incongruous things that come from postmodern thought.
I’ve already addressed, in several posts (here, here, and here), one of the issues that lead to agnostic thought—that God is mystery (as opposed to transcendent).
Another issue is the idea that we humans, being so fallible and so restricted by our limited experience can’t begin to get God right. We can know some things, such as Christ dying on the cross for our sins, but we’re bound to get a lot wrong.
As proof for this position, those holding it often point to denominationalism and the split between Catholics, Orthodox, and Protestants.
I tend to think this view stems from good motives. One charge against Christians has been a prideful, know-it-all attitude. This we-don’t-know-everything position seems initially to be a more humble approach. The problem is, a well-intended position can still be completely wrong.
Mind you, I’m not saying we should revert to a prideful stance. The fact is, however, taking a we-don’t-know/we-can’t-know” position still puts Man in the forefront. It may sound humble, but it’s still all about us.
The truth is far different.
Since the Fall, knowing God has never been about what Man can or cannot know.
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you so that He does not hear (Is. 59:1-2).
In other words, unless God intervened and removed our sin, we would have no way of knowing Him beyond what we could see in creation. Since He did intervene, however, we’ve had a game-change.
Even in the Old Testament, before Christ, God said to His chosen people
“But let him who boasts, boast of this, that understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord (Jer. 9:24 – emphasis added).
When Jesus came, He made it abundantly clear that He was here to make known the Father.
“If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:7-9).
Paul confirmed this numerous times, none more clearly than the simple statement in Colossians 1:15
“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.” [Emphasis mine.]
If we know Christ, then, we know God.
What’s more, we not only know Christ if we are His, but Scripture says we have His mind.
For who has known or understood the mind (the counsels and purposes) of the Lord so as to guide and instruct Him and give Him knowledge? But we have the mind of Christ (the Messiah) and do hold the thoughts (feelings and purposes) of His heart. (I Cor. 2:16, Amplified Bible, emphasis mine)
Have I yet mentioned the Holy Spirit? He who lives in every believer:
But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13)
Part of the Holy Spirit’s work was also to inspire Scripture. Consequently we know that its revelation is true. Hence, everything it says about God is true.
The problems that those advocating for agnosticism point to are a reflection of us not believing the revelation that is before us. Some dismiss portions of the Bible, while others say they believe it but twist it to their own purposes (Harold Camping comes to mind as an example). Others take a particular passage and interpret the rest of Scripture in light of that truth, rather than taking all of Scripture and interpreting particular passages in light of the totality. Still others chose one over another of truths that seem contradictory.
What we need is the faith of Abraham who believed God even when His command seemed to contradict His promise.
Seriously, agnosticism falls away if we take God at His word. What don’t we know about Him that we need to know?
And yet God, like any other person (but more so) has a depth we will never plumb fully.
So what am I saying? Can we or can’t we know God? We can, absolutely. James says, when we draw near, He in turn draws near to us. But in knowing Him, we discover there is more to know.
If we sit on the sidelines, however, saying how impossible it is to know God, if we succumb to the agnosticism of the age, we will end up like the Pharisees — staring Jesus in the face and not recognizing Him.
Christianity 201 