ANTHROPOMORPHISM

Words are fascinating. They can capture so much meaning sometimes, and other times convey nothing at all. In the case above, there is meaning, and it is to give personification to non-material ideas. For example, in ancient Greece, wisdom was often depicted as a woman. This is the case in the Old Testament Proverbs as well when wisdom is said to be “crying out” in the streets for those who would listen. We know wisdom is not literally a woman, and doesn’t literally cry in the streets, but we understand the meaning behind these anthropomorphic phrases.

This past Sunday, Pastor Lawrence touched on one part of the armor of God, which is truth.  What is the truth about the world we live in? Which morals are true? These are things that we can argue endlessly about, often using Scripture to do so, but how often do we remember the truth about truth?

In John 14:6, Jesus says, “I am the way, THE TRUTH, and the life.” And this is where everything converges. In Christianity, our truth, a non-material idea, is a PERSON. It is Jesus. When we think about this, Jesus’ response to Pilate takes on a different hue. In John 18, Jesus tells Pilate that those who belong to the truth listen to His voice. So those who belong to HIM listen to His voice.

What does all of this mean for us, really?? It means there is great humility required when we are reading and deciphering Scripture, serving in the church, and in our relationships with others. There must be a listening aspect to all of our interactions, and the direction of the listening must be on HIM, our truth.