“Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? 8 It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know?” (Job 11:7-8).
These striking words came from the lips of Zophar the Naamathite, one of the three friends who came to comfort Job in his affliction. Those worthy men, no doubt, meant well and their sympathy is deserving of all praise in a cold and unfeeling world. But they completely misunderstood the case before them and so proved “physicians of no value.” They only irritated the poor sufferer and added to his trouble. Nevertheless, it is undeniable that they said many wise and excellent things, and of these the passage we just read is one. We find four weighty questions in the passage. We live in a day when a wave of unbelief is passing over the world like a wave of fever. People continually raise objections to Scripture. To supply some simple antidotes to this sceptical spirit, to show the unreasonableness of it, to nerve and invigorate the Christians, to make him see the strength of his position, to help him to get rid of a doubting spirit, and to enable him to grasp his old creed more tightly than ever – these are the objects we have in view in this article.
First, a wise Christian ought always to admit that there are many things in the biblical religion which of necessity we cannot fully understand. The Book of Revelation, the Book of God, contains much which, like God Himself, we cannot “find out to perfection.” I do not talk about small matters but big and huge matters including the account of creation, the fall and entrance of sin into the world, the doctrine of the Trinity, the incarnation of Christ, the atonement for sin made by Christ’s death, the personality and work of the Holy Spirit, the inspiration of Scripture, the reality of miracles, the use and efficacy of prayer, the precise nature of the future state, the resurrection of the body after death…. Each and all of these subjects contains much that we cannot fully explain, because it is above the reach of our faculties.
The plain truth is that to refuse to believe Christian doctrines because they are above our reason, and we cannot fully understand them, is only one among many proofs of man’s natural pride and arrogance. We are all, at our best, poor, weak, defective creatures. Even the infidels and the atheists do not deny that man is imperfect. Our power of grasping any subject and seeing all round it is extremely small. Then, how can such a creature understand perfectly the Eternal and Almighty God? Is it not rather certain that there will be many things about God and revelation that he cannot, from his nature, comprehend? Thus, let us always admit that we “cannot find out the Almighty to perfection,” but let us never admit that we can find out nothing and are justified in neglecting Him.
Second, a wise Christian ought always to remember that there are countless things in the material world around us which we do not fully understand. There are deep things in the Book of Nature as well as in the Bible. Its pages contain hard knots and mysteries as well as the pages of the Book of God. In short, science contains its hard things as well as faith. I am sure that the wisest and most learned men of science would be the most ready to admit the truth of what I have just said. The more they have known the more they have confessed the limited extent of their knowledge. Towards the end of his life, Isaac Newton said, “I have been nothing more than a little child who has picked up a few shells and pebbles on the shore of the ocean of truth.” How little, to begin with, do we know about the heaven over our heads, or the earth under our feet?

The sun, the moon, the planets, the fixed stars, the comets, can all supply deep questions which the wisest astronomers cannot answer. How little can we account for the action of some deadly poisons? How little can men of science account for all the phenomena of light, heat, electricity, magnetism, and chemical actions? How many problems lie under the words, “matter, force, energy,” which no one has solved! How little do we know about earthquakes, volcanic eruptions hurricanes, and epidemics! They come suddenly and cause immense destruction of life and property. Why a sense of shame makes the little child’s face turn red, or a sense of fear makes the same face turn pale!
If I were to say to a man of science, “I do not believe any of your conclusions, because there are many hard things in the Book of Nature which you cannot explain,” I should be acting very foolishly. I have not the slightest sympathy with those weak-kneed Christians, who see to think that science and Christianity can never harmonize. The same thing has to be said to those men of science who turn away from Christianity and refuse to believe, because of the hard things which its creed requires them to believe.
Third, while it is true that we cannot find out the Almighty to perfection, it is not true to say that we can find out nothing at all in Christianity. Then, what do we know? (1) We find ourselves living in a world full of sorrow, pain, strife, and wickedness, which no advance of science, learning, or civilization, is able to prevent. Death comes to all men and women alike, of every name, and nation, and people, and tongue. Dust we are, and to dust we return. Nothing can grant them exemption. (2) We find that all over the world the vast majority of mankind have a settled, rooted, inward feeling, that this life is not all, that there is a future state, and an existence beyond the grave. (3) We find that the only thing which has ever enabled men and women to look forward to the future without fear, and has given them peace in life and hope in death, is that religion which Jesus Christ brought into the world nearly 2000 years ago and of which Christ is the sun, and centre, and root, and foundation. (4) Jesus Christ has truly baffled all sceptics – “Who is Jesus?” “Where did He come from?” The super-human purity of His life, the super-human wisdom of His teaching, the super-human mystery of His death, the inexplicable incident of His resurrection, the undeniable influence which His apostles obtained for His doctrines, without the aid of money or arms, all these are simple matters of history and demand the attention of every honest man who really wishes to inquire into the great subject of Christian faith.
The true causes of a vast amount of unbelief of the present day are found (1) in “the head” which causes them to refuse to accept anything which they cannot understand, or which seems above their reason, (2) in “the heart” that loves the sins and habits of life which the Bible condemns and are determined not to give them up. The measure of their creed is their affection. Whatever condemns their natural inclinations, they refuse to believe, and (3) in “the will” which follows their inclinations to make up their mind and to decide about anything in Christian faith. Let us know the things God has revealed to us and hold it fast. “If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God” (John 7:17).
Lovingly,
Pastor Emeritus Rev Okman Ki

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