An illustration
There is an old legend about Saint Augustine that was well known in the Middle Ages. As the story goes, Augustine was walking along the shore, pondering the mystery of the Trinity. As he walked, he came upon a boy running back and forth between the sea and a small hole in the sand while holding a shell in his hands. Curious, Augustine asked the boy what he was doing.
“Don’t you see, sir? I am emptying the sea into this little pool I have dug.”
Augustine replied,
“Son, you can’t do that! I will sooner empty the sea into this pool than you will manage to get the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity into your head!”
The point of the illustration is simple. All of our study and meditation on God is like trying to empty the sea into a little pool with nothing but a seashell. He is infinite. We are finite.
A theological consideration
The infinity of God means He is immeasurable. In every attribute, God is infinite, without measure or limit. It means there can be no number, weight, or value placed upon God or any of His characteristics.
His love is infinite. His wrath for sin is infinite. His grace is infinite. His power is infinite. We could go on forever like this. What is even more amazing is that all of those things are infinite attributes of God at the same time and in perfect unity.
In all of our characteristics, there are limits. Some love little. Others love much. But all have limits to their love. God has no limit. Some are greatly angered by sin and wickedness. Others shrug it off. But all of us are guilty of picking and choosing what kinds of wickedness stir us up. God is infinitely angry toward all sin and wickedness.
As we consider the infinity of God, we will realize an important truth. God is infinite in all His ways. Wherever we imitate Him we are limited in our capacity. Therefore, God is the eternal source and supplier of these things, and we are the beneficiaries.
Additionally, as the infinite source in all His attributes, God is the ultimate standard for these things. For example, God is just. So, if we want to know what justice is, we must not look to human courts or social opinion. We must first look to God. He is the infinite measure of justice.
God is holy (or pure). So, if we want to know the standard for righteous living and proper morality, our model must not be the culture or public opinion. We must look to God.
A practical consideration
Continuing on the idea of looking to God as the source, we must make it practical. Many of us complain because the greater culture has abandoned biblically informed standards for life and governance. We know that God is the infinite source for all of these things. But what about our personal lives?
As you assess your own life, how much of what you say and do is based upon the standards of the infinite God? Do you pattern your love after His? Do you see other people as He does? Do you live by a moral code that is patterned after His Word or after tradition and feeling? So often we cast judgment upon everyone else without turning that critical eye upon ourselves as well.
God is infinite. Therefore, He is our source for all of life and living.
We can never exhaust the resources of His infinite nature, nor can we understand all there is concerning Him. But we can and should be like the little boy on the shore, emptying the sea into our little pools. We ought to be filling up our lives with as much of God as possible; to the point that we resemble Him more than ourselves.
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