You're tuned into Everyday Theology in Plain English, making sense of God's truth for your everyday life. Here's your host, the man who forgot why he walked into the kitchen but wants to help you understand an infinite God, Charlie Miller.

Hey there. Welcome back to Everyday Theology in Plain English. I'm so glad that you're here. Last episode, we talked about the evidence for God's existence, how creation, design, morality, and our deepest longings all point to a God who is really there. But today we're going to talk about something that might seem like a contradiction. If God exists, can we actually know Him? I mean, think about it. We're talking about the God who created billions of galaxies, who exists outside of time and space, who is infinite in every way. And we're, well, we're not. We're finite. We're limited. We can barely understand how our smartphones work, let alone the mind of an infinite God. And maybe you felt this tension. Maybe you've wondered, how can I possibly know God when He's so far beyond me? When I pray, am I just talking into the void, hoping that someone's listening? When I read the Bible, am I really understanding who God is, or am I just scratching the surface of something I'll never truly grasp? Well, here's what I want you to know right up front today. Yes, God is infinite, and we are all finite. But, and this is the amazing part, this infinite God has chosen to reveal Himself to us in ways we can actually understand. Today we're going to discover what it means that God is both incomprehensible and knowable, why this tension is actually good news, and how you can grow in your personal knowledge of the God who wants to be known by you. So let's start with a word that might sound scary: incomprehensibility. When theologians say God is incomprehensible, they don't mean we can't know anything about him. They mean we can never fully or exhaustively know everything about him. Think of it this way: imagine you're standing at the edge of the ocean on a beach. You can put your feet in the water. You can even swim out a little bit. Hey, you might even put some scuba gear on and dive and explore the depths, but you could never know everything about the ocean. Every single fish, every current, every drop of water. The ocean is just too vast, too deep, too complex for any one person to fully comprehend. That's what it's like with God. We can know him truly without knowing him totally. We can have real, genuine knowledge of God without having exhaustive knowledge of God. This is what the Bible means when it says in Romans chapter 11, verse 33, oh, the depth of riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments and his paths beyond tracing out. Paul isn't saying we can't know anything about God, he's marveling at the fact that there's always more to discover. Now, here's what's absolutely crucial to understand. Even though God is beyond our complete comprehension, he has chosen to reveal himself to us. And when God reveals something about himself, we can trust that it's true, even if we can't fully wrap our human minds around it. Let me give you an example. Now, can we fully understand everything about God's love, its depth, its breath, its eternal nature? No. We'll be exploring that for eternity. But can we know truly that God loves us? Absolutely. His revelation tells us so, and we can stake our lives on it. So, how does God reveal himself to us? Well, theologians talk about two types of revelation. First, there's what they call general revelation. What God shows everyone through creation and conscience. So Psalm 19:1 says, the heavens declare the glory of God, the skies proclaim the works of his hands. But when you look at a sunset or a mountain range or a newborn baby, man, you're seeing something of God's power, his creativity, and his care. This is available to everyone, everywhere. And second, there's what's known as special revelation, what God has specifically communicated through his word and ultimately through Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1 begins by telling us in the past, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son. Here's what's amazing: Jesus is the ultimate revelation of God. Colossians 1:15 calls him the image of the invisible God. John 1.18 says, No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son has made him known. When you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus. He's God in a form we can see, hear, and understand. Jesus didn't just tell us about God, he showed us God. When you look at Jesus healing the sick or welcoming sinners or weeping at a graveside and even dying on a cross, you're seeing exactly what the infinite God is like. Now, here's an important distinction that theologians make. There's a real difference between knowing about God and knowing God personally. It's like I could tell you like facts about my wife all day long, right? I could tell you her birthday, I could tell you her favorite food, I could tell you where she grew up. I mean, all these kinds of things. But that's not the same as actually knowing her. Knowing her means having a relationship, spending time together, sharing experiences, growing in trust and intimacy over years of life together. The same is true with God. You can know all kinds of theological facts about God and still not know him personally. James chapter 2, verse 19 makes this point uncomfortably clear. It says, you believe that there is one God, good. Even the demons believe that and shudder. God doesn't just want you to know about him, he wants you to know him personally, intimately, experientially. And he's made that possible through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit who dwells within every believer. So let me summarize what we've learned today. God is incomprehensible. We'll never fully grasp everything about him, but God is also knowable. He's revealed himself through creation, through scripture, and supremely through Jesus Christ. And God invites us into a personal relationship, not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge that transforms our lives. If this is making sense to you so far, please drop a comment and let me know. And if you're confused about something, oh, ask. That's how we all learn together. And honestly, your questions can help me explain things better for everyone else. So you might be thinking, okay, Charlie, I get that God can be known, but how do I actually grow in my knowledge of Him? What does this look like in my everyday life? Right? That is such a great question. So let me give you three practical ways to grow in your personal knowledge of God. First, pursue God through his word with the expectation of meeting him there. So let's picture someone. Let's call him David, right? So David represents a lot of different people that I've talked to over the years. Let's say David reads his Bible, but honestly, it often feels like a duty, right? Like something he checks off his quiet time box and moves on with his day. The Bible feels more like a textbook than a love letter. But then David makes a shift. Instead of approaching scripture as information to consume, he starts approaching it as a place to encounter God. Before reading, he prays something like, God, I want to know you better. Show me who you are through these words. And something changes. He starts seeing God's character on every page, his patience, his justice, his tenderness, his power. Maybe that's where you are right now. Maybe Bible reading has become routine and you've lost the sense that you're actually meeting with the living God. I I get it. I've been there too. There have been seasons where my Bible felt as dry as the pages that it was printed on. Here's what I want you to know. That dryness doesn't mean something is wrong with you. And it doesn't mean something like God has gone silent. Sometimes we just need to shift our approach to come to scripture not just for information, but for transformation. Not just to learn about God, but to meet with God. See, the Bible isn't just a book about God, it's a place where God meets us. Every time you open scripture, you have an invitation to encounter the living God who wants to be known by you. Second, pay attention to how God reveals himself in everyday life. Remember, general revelation is real. God is constantly displaying his character through creation, through circumstances, through the people that are around you every day. The question is whether you're paying attention. Let me paint you a picture. Imagine a woman, we'll call her Maria, right? So she's going through a difficult season. Work is stressful, relationships are complicated, and she feels completely disconnected from God. But then she starts intentionally looking for God's fingerprints in her daily life. She notices the kindness of a coworker who brings her coffee without being asked. And she thinks about God's kindness towards her. She sees the sunrise on her morning commute, and she's reminded of God's faithfulness that's new every morning. She receives unexpected help with a problem she's been wrestling with, and she recognizes God's provision. Maria hasn't changed her circumstances, but she's changed her awareness. She started seeing what was there all along. A God who reveals himself in a thousand small ways every single day. Third, know God through relationship with his people. Here's something we just don't talk about enough. One of the primary ways God reveals himself is through the community of believers. When you see patience in a fellow Christian who's walking through suffering, you're seeing something of God's character. When you experience forgiveness from someone you've wronged, you're experiencing a reflection of God's grace. And when you're loved by imperfect people who choose to stick with you anyway, you're getting a glimpse of God's relentless love that pursues each and every one of us. Man, that is absolutely remarkable. God actually reveals himself through the love we show each other. And this means that growing in your knowledge of God isn't just a solo project. It happens in community. It happens when you're honest with other believers about your struggles. It happens when you serve alongside others. It happens when you let people into your life and you enter into their lives. As we wrap up today's episode, here's what I want you to remember: God is bigger than we can fully comprehend, but he's not too big to be known. He's infinite, but he's also personal. And he wants to be known by you more than you want to know him. We can know God truly through his revelation and creation, through scripture, and supremely in Jesus Christ. And we can know God personally through relationship. Not just head knowledge, but heart knowledge that transforms how we live. So here's your assignment for this week. Try all three approaches that we discussed for growing in your knowledge of God. First, before you read your Bible each day, pray specifically, something like, God, I want to know you better. Show me who you are. Second, look for one way God reveals Himself through creation or circumstances each day. Write it down. Make a note of it. And third, have one conversation with a fellow believer about what you're learning about God. Pay attention to how these practices begin to deepen your awareness of who God is. Now, here's our community question. What's one way you've experienced knowing God personally? Not just knowing about Him. Maybe it was through scripture coming alive in your life, or seeing Him somehow in creation, or experiencing His presence through another believer. Or maybe you're still struggling to move from head knowledge to heart knowledge. And if so, what's the biggest barrier that you're facing? Your story could encourage someone else who's on the same journey. Don't forget, we have a companion guide for this season that goes deeper into each topic with journaling prompts and discussion questions that help you really engage with what we're learning. I encourage you to check out the link in the show notes. If you pick up a copy, I really appreciate it. I'm not selling a lot of books, I sell a few. I'm not getting rich at it. It helps me to be encouraged to keep writing because it makes me know that people want them. So I appreciate it. Next episode, we're going to start exploring what makes God completely different from us, his incommunicable attributes. And don't let that word scare you. I promise we'll make it plain next episode. What I'm going to share might bring you a tremendous amount of comfort because the ways God is different from us are exactly what make him trustworthy. You'll never look back at God's uniqueness the same way again. Until then, remember the infinite God of the universe wants to be known by you. He's not hiding, he's revealing. And every step you take toward knowing him, he's already taken a thousand steps towards you. Thank you for joining me on Everyday Theology Plain. And I'm so grateful you are part of this community. I can't wait to continue this journey.