The Knowledge of the Holy (2)

What is God Like?

Illustration: The Ocean in a Teacup

Imagine standing at the edge of the Atlantic Ocean with a little teacup in your hand. You bend down, scoop up water, and hold it out proudly. “This,” you say, “is the ocean.”

In one sense, you’re right—the same salt, the same water, the same essence is in that teacup. But no one would confuse that teacup of water with the fullness of the ocean itself. The teacup contains the ocean truly, but not fully.

That’s how it is with God’s self-revelation in Scripture. The infinite, eternal God is beyond our comprehension, but He has graciously “scooped” truths into language, images, and metaphors so that we can know Him truly, even if not exhaustively. When the Bible calls Him Father, Shepherd, King, Rock, or Fire—it’s God filling our teacup with truth. It’s enough for us to drink from, to be nourished by, even though we’ll never drain the depths of the ocean itself.