Understanding God through the flesh is ok

There are three people in the bible who show that using human concepts to filter doctrine or provide a foundation of faith is perfectly acceptable.

The first is the Centurion. Here is a man whose faith was greater than any found in Israel, that is, greater than the many people Jesus had met who were well versed in holy scripture. But, what was the practical rationale for the Centurion’s faith? Not scripture, but his job. A comparison between Jesus’ authority as the son of God and the Centurion’s authority as a soldier in command was not treated as blasphemy, as if the Centurion was saying he was Christ-like, but an amazing understanding of Jesus’ authority and love.

 The second is the Caananite woman. She was able to overcome Jesus’ reasoning for refusing (or delaying, as some God is the same today as he was yesterday Christians might argue) to help her daughter by arguing that even the scraps of his power were sufficient to provide for her needs. Did she argue scripture? No, she reasoned using her understanding of the world of flesh and relating that to the divine.

The third is Jesus. Jesus continually used parable to compare human realities to Godly principles, often enough to expose how the so called learned establishment had lost sight of the practical application of those principles to real life. Faced with a synagogue ruler who hated sin, and saw healing on the day of rest as watering down the law of keeping the Sabbath, Jesus showed how such an unloving approach didn’t bear scrutiny in the practical reality of people’s lives. Yep, he defeated a hard interpretation of law with livestock.

As we are not God the touchstones for understanding Godly principle, as expressed in our walk on earth, has to be, by definition, earthly. By extension, examining the application of doctrine in the church or our personal lives should similarly be open to comparison of flesh and blood principles. If we approach with open minds and hearts, the fruits can not only be a deeper appreciation for God’s love, but a deeper appreciation of each other.