The God Encounter

In his epic manuscript, ‘Where Do We Go From Here – Chaos or Community?’, Martin Luther King Jr. writes in the sixth chapter of the book, entitled ‘The World House’, and I quote: “Every man lives in two realms: the internal and the external. The internal is that realm of spiritual ends expressed in art, literature, morals, and religion. The external is that complex of devices, techniques, mechanisms, and instrumentalities by means of which we live.”

The “internal ” of which MLK discusses is the inner person. The Control Panel; The ‘Who, What, When, Where, Why or How’ foundation of every individual.

With that being said, every mechanism is engineered and constructed for a specific purpose, function and limited durability – as it is with human beings. We are not the conception, or the intermediate offshoot of an ongoing evolution. Organised religion is the result of vast collections of people realising this and responding in their own customised perceptions and rituals. But despite the colour and variability in all of these, the common reasoning – which is all things are created with purpose and a definitive function – affirms the undeniable, that there is an Absolute One Truth. And There is an Absolute God. The plurality or singularity of this God is a separate issue (one that I may discuss in the future, exclusively).

Most people agree that it’s wrong to steal, murder, rape, and disrespect and/or assault another human being. These morals are universal. Therefore, there must be a Universal Ultimate. With that being said, there are two possibilities that can result from this universal ultimate; it’s either all truths are true, or there are just multiple versions and perceptions of the One Particular Truth. And I articulate that the latter is the most likely. Please understand, this is not discriminatory or segregation; it is just plain reasonable logic.

Understanding this basic concept, though it may not be identified clearly, drives the human urge to acquire moral perfection. A personal endeavour to appease this Divine Authority, with the limited abilities and resources available in our means. There is either going to be a final outburst of discovering self-inability to attain righteousness, and finally resign the effort altogether; or, evolve into a person of self-righteousness and self justification.
All religions teach “do and don’t do” to gain a favourable impression and approval from God. But only the Bible proclaims that we can only attain reconciliation with God, not by any holy performance, lest any person should boast; but by the simple confession of personal moral imperfection, and a realisation of the personal capacity of limited abilities. Then following that, there is an urgent request for the removal of the guilt and shame; and the imparting of a spiritual anointing to supernaturally empower a resistance to evil, and its diverse appeal to our lusts; and resulting ultimately in gradual destruction. Fortifying the mind with evidences and life lessons from the Bible now becomes the foundation to “keeping the faith”. It is also important to understand, the God of the Bible invites individuals to a development of an intimate relationship. The Bible is the profile and history of the unchanging, ever-loving Creator God.

The Ten Commandments is then the marriage covenant between a person and God. It is the “please don’t, coz I won’t” summary of the mutual trust between God and an individual.

In conclusion, God is a personal and relatable Divinity. Not a deity that requires human obsession and radicalism, but an intimate God, “not willing that any should perish, but that all might come to repentance.”

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Also check out Tevita Mataika’s new books, Sex. Hell? Evolution and Religion and The Holy Ghost – an Introduction. Cheers! We need your support. Vinaka!