Ephesians 3.4-21
a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5In former generations this mystery* was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that is, the Gentiles have become fellow-heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
7 Of this gospel I have become a servant according to the gift of God’s grace that was given to me by the working of his power. 8Although I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given to me to bring to the Gentiles the news of the boundless riches of Christ, 9and to make everyone see* what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in* God who created all things; 10so that through the church the wisdom of God in its rich variety might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was in accordance with the eternal purpose that he has carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12in whom we have access to God in boldness and confidence through faith in him.*
When my daughter was about 18 months old she was toddling across the living room floor heading precariously close to the coal stove we had burning. I shouted so loud at her to stop she fell on her bottom and cried. She was very careful about going near the coal stove again. Of course she didn't understand why at the time other than this was ingrained memory that going close was associated with a bad experience. As she grew older she was able to understand the real reason and obviously, still stayed away with respect and care, not simply fear.
This reading speaks of things " not made known to mankind". This is so true of Holy scripture. In many instances, they convey a truth with understanding to come later. Genesis conveys a truth that God created the world, created man in his likeness and that was that. As we grew in knowledge and wisdom, we discerned from the evidence around us, evidence created by God, that evolution was a more in depth explanation of those Genesis truths.
Jesus came to fulfill the truths of the "Old Testament", He is the fulfillment of the law, He is the light. The Spirit is still revealing truths and we still are growing (hopefully) in knowledge and wisdom. To me the knowledge does not supplant holy scripture, it makes it richer. The more we know it seems the more we do not know. The mystery of God is still there. The more complex we realize the world is, the more awesome God is revealed to be.
There is a tendency in humanity however to resist change even though the world around us gives constant evidence that absolutely everything is changing and growing. Some are intensely afraid of change and they embrace the literal translations of the Bible as an insurance policy to comfort that fear.
I embrace a philosophy expounded in a book I read not too long ago called God vs. Gay.
That is, when faced with a decision about interpretation of scripture or what is correct, or between two possibilities of action or beliefs, the nod goes to the one that is consistent with love. I'm not sure that completely conveys what the author really tries to say, but it's close.
In recent times it has come to the attention of society that a previously known group of people, known as homosexuals, believed to be amoral and often marginalized and vilified are presenting themselves as decent human beings created by God and worthy of having their long term relationships sanctioned by the state if not by God as well. This truth has been hidden. Gays are created equal. Gays are decent people, or at least as decent as everyone else. Gays are capable of and yearn for love and relationships as much as everyone else. How do we handle this new revelation? Look at this knowledge through truths set forth in scripture but also and perhaps more importantly through the lens of love that Jesus himself would show. The nod goes to love, not restricting God's love.
We grown in knowledge and love every day. Burst forth in God's light and love! Grow seedlings, little creations.
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