Can Finite Beings Understand Infinite Truth?

In this regular feature Dave and Tom respond to questions from listeners and readers of The Berean Call.Here is this week’s question:Dear Dave and TA, I have a very bright friend who is not a believer, but at times seems to be a seeker after truth, at least I think that’s the case with him, or he may just enjoy tying me in knots, which he does more often than not.Anyway, his last attempt reflecting his post modern affinities did leave me scrambling for a reasonable answer.He challenged me regarding my belief in the absolute truth of Scriptures by saying that I could never come to an understanding of absolute truth because I’m a finite being.Then he added that the Bible supports his view when it says that we “see through a glass darkly” and we can only “know in part.”What can I say in response to him?

Tom:

Dave, you know this is an obscure ploy used by those who are leaders in the emerging church to really seriously undermine the faith of young evangelicals, saying, Hey, we can’t really know, you’ve got to experience God.They move from God saying: “Come let us reason together,” laying out information that we can know and understand to: “No, we really need to experience God, we need to move over to that subjective realm of knowing God through our experiencing him.”

Dave:

Well, we’ve got a lot of problems with that approach.Matthew 13—we have the scene, the sower sows the seed.The first seed fell by the wayside, the birds there came and took it up and the disciples say, What does that mean?Jesus says, When anyone receives the Word and the Word is the seed, it’s the Word of God, and does not understand it, then cometh the wicked one and takes from the heart the seed that was sown.Now if we must understand in order to believe and we can’t understand, it’s like these guys say, then nobody can be saved.They are just going to dialogue about this forever.All right, let’s take another Scripture. Jeremiah:9:24But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.
See All...:“Let him that glorieth glory in this.”And Jesus said, This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God.But Jeremiah doesn’t say that they know God, it says, “Let him that glorieth glory in this that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the true God,” and so forth.Understanding—Tom, one of your favorite verses, I think you quote it often, Proverbs:4:7Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding.
See All...:“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom:and with all thy getting get understanding.”Now if you can’t understand because we’re finite, as this person who’s having this discussion with you because we’re finite, I mean, we have peanut brains, there’s no doubt about that, then there’s no hope.Now let me give you one other verse, Hebrews:11:3Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
See All...:“By faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.”Now, that’s an interesting verse.“So the things which are seen were not made of things that do appear…”I understand—I mean, this is really a—somebody says at the first statement of the atomic theory.No, it’s not a theory, this is what God said:Everything is made—it doesn’t say it’s made out of nothing, but He says everything is made out of something invisible.But it’s not something, because God brings it into existence.How do I understand this?Well, we’ve got peanut brains, no doubt about that. God gives us evidence, like prophecy, we’ve been talking about prophecy.You don’t have to be a genius to know that these are prophecies that were give hundreds of years, thousands some of them, beforehand and they have been fulfilled to the letter.Okay, we can follow that. But then so we follow the evidence.But God brings us to the point where there are things that we cannot understand.He can’t explain everything to me.So, am I going to know absolute truth?Not with my intellect, but the writer to Hebrew says by faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God.So you give me evidence—Tom, I will believe what he says because the language is pretty clear.

Tom:

You know, Dave, even though these emerging church leaders opt for, it’s kind of an intellectualism, it’s a relativism, they want to move into a realm that is so far into the Bible.You said it right, we are finite beings, not only that we are fallen beings, we don’t have the capacity of God, obviously.But God, in his design, wants to communicate to us so he’s going to design it in a way in which we can have understanding.More than that, beyond my fallen, finite, peanut brain, He has given me his Holy Spirit to understand, to help me to understand.Yeah, I don’t know everything, and I won’t know everything.When I see Him I’m going to see a lot more clearly than I do right now, but I have the Holy Spirit to teach me.God has given us the full package!

Dave:

Well, you don’t have to have doubts about what God says.You may not want to believe it and you may think that that’s too much, but the idea that I can’t know absolute truth is because I am a finite being is not rational.If I must know absolute truth as God knows it, then I can’t be saved, but we know enough.The gospel is very simple.

Tom:

That’s right.

Dave:

And how “…that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures, was buried and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.

Tom:

A child can understand it and receive the Messiah.

Dave:

Exactly.If not, then who could be saved?