Outer and Inner Mysteries

Any thinking person will admit the mystery of the universe with its vast spaces and myriad constellations.  However, the mystery of man’s life is just as astonishing.  A concept that Christians need to consider is dualism, believing that we live in a dual reality.  The true dualist recognizes that the physical world is not self-generating; it was brought into existence by the supernatural reality, God.

Genesis 2:7 teaches us that God formed man from the dust of the ground, then breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being. God, of the supernatural realm, gave life to man, who was molded from clay, of the physical realm. Genesis 1: 27-29 also demonstrates the dual nature of existence:  27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food. The eternal Father brings into existence all living creatures; His crowning act is to create mankind, male and female, in His own image. Therefore, again, we see dualism in play; the physical world came into existence at the hand of God of the supernatural world.

On January 20, 1961, Americans heard these words from John F. Kennedy: “…ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.”  After the applause subsided, Kennedy than welcomed Robert Frost, a great American poet, to the podium. Although Frost had written a special poem, “Dedication” for the occasion, because of the sun’s glare from the snow-covered grounds, he was unable to read it.  Thinking quickly, he then recited an appropriate poem that he had written in 1942, “The Gift Outright.”

Frost, like Moses, emphatically revealed his belief in a dualistic universe.  He said, “I am a dualist”; to Frost, this meant that reality is made up of matter (the physical) and spirit (the supernatural). Both Moses and Frost rejected monism, which sees reality as being comprised of one realm, only.  The physical world was brought into existence by the supernatural realm of God.

In his poem “Desert Places,” Frost addresses the mystery of both the physical world of the heavens and the mystery of the breath of life, enjoyed by mankind at the pleasure of God.  In mankind, the “clay” and the “breath of life” are united.  To Frost, both realms are scary, for their origins are beyond human comprehension.  Estimates put the number of human cells anywhere from 1.0 x 1012 to 1.0 x 1020. Some experts conclude that there are 3.72 x 1013 cells in each of us. That is, 37.2 trillion. The best estimate now is that there are between 100 billion and 200 billion galaxies in the universe. What Power could generate such staggering complexities and numbers?  Only God!

The Apostle Paul also shows his belief in dualism in Romans, Chapter 1: 18-25:  18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. 19 For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. 20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world,[a] in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. 21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, 25 because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen. (ESV.)

Paul teaches that the mystery of the physical universe clearly shows the power of almighty God. Those who worship things of the physical realm are considered “foolish” even though they think themselves “wise.”

We search for heavenly wisdom and understanding as we exist in this universe of mystery and experience these living bodies of mystery.

Until next time, may God richly bless you and yours.

©Fillmer Hevener, 2016.