Who loves putting a puzzle together? Life is like a box of puzzle pieces that each tries to sort and arrange for himself. Everyone is given a different box in this puzzle entitled “Life.” Some of the pieces are the same in each box, some are different. No picture comes with this box, though many claim they have figured out or know what it is going to be.

When the theology of two godly people is different it begins a controversy. Both can’t be right. Even though both use particular puzzle pieces straight from scripture to back up their picture claims, they use different scriptures for some reason and rule out others for another reason (“because the audience is Old Testament Jews, not New Testament church,” or whatever). Some descend into the finer points of translation of Hebrew or Greek, splitting hairs to make their theological point.

God doesn’t give everyone the same understanding. That’s why one’s concept of the same scripture is different from another’s. The scripture comes from Him and the understanding comes from Him. Each person is responsible for what God has given him, and cannot judge his brother for not seeing things his way, for understanding does not come from intelligence or learning, but from God (Luke 24:45). The uniqueness of each individual is God’s design, not their own choosing.  “For who makes you differ from another? And what do you have that you did not receive?” (I Corinthians 4:7)

What is the puzzle you are grappling with? There is no end of issues to take sides on. Ask any librarian who must help people on both sides of an issue find material to prove their point.  From free will and election to universalism and limited atonement each pulls out his Bible to prove his point. They have many of the same puzzle pieces, but put them in different places, and in the gaps where no piece is they have drawn their own lines.

Why would God write such a book that kept people grappling over it for thousands of years? If they’d agreed, they’d probably have stopped searching. How could we appreciate our infinite, omniscient, almighty God if He didn’t continue to challenge us to keep reaching beyond our comfort zone of understanding? Wake up.

And watch. Someone you once thought was on the different side of an issue you may meet on a different mountain in this same range. The issue was bigger than both thought it was.

Obviously God allows misunderstanding. The disciples thought they chose Christ: “We have found the Messiah.” (John 1:41) Later Christ tells them “Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you…” (John 15:16)

Meanwhile we’ll each keep working with the pieces God has given us. We can hoard our findings or share them. As we hoard, we continue in the darkness of our own misunderstanding. But as we share, it opens us up to the spotlights of critics. What better way to stretch our minds and see more clearly.

The picture is bigger than anyone thought it was.

from Consider the Raven c2019, p.44-45