In a discussion with a few friends this past weekend, we were talking about how our theological attempts necessarily limits God. Whenever we try to define God through our limited language, this is an attempt to contain the Uncontainable. We talked about the purpose of apophatic (or negative) theology in trying to avoid this, where we attempt to define God by saying what He is not. But even that puts limitations on God, just in a more roundabout way.
We ended that discussion on a note of helplessness--what can we even do? How can we even know this God who cannot be contained in our knowledge?
I believe that the purpose of theology is to know God. Not to contain Him, but to explore who He is. And, praise the Lord, we have a God who desires to be known! Everything God has done in Scripture and today for His people is to reconcile the separation between God and man, and to reveal Himself to us. God reveals Himself to us not in clear, definable terms, but relationally and mysteriously. Not that He desires to remain cryptic and unknown, but to show us that He is a mystery, far beyond what we know and experience. He desires to show us Himself in how He relates to us and what He's done for us.
He reveals Himself most of all through the Incarnation in becoming one of us. For in Jesus, "God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him" (Colossians 1:19). In Jesus we find God's greatest act of revelation. In Jesus, God makes Himself known to us. In Jesus, the truth of who God is is shown by the love and justice of the Gospel.
Though our language will always necessarily limit our experience, whether of God or anything else, we are stuck with it, and must be content to know that which has been given us to know. We have a God that wants to be known. Do all you can to know Him as He is.
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