Each of the six blind men who encounter an elephant for the first time made a reasonable determination about the elephant, comparing the creature to what they knew. Yet each of their assessments is incomplete, laughably so.
Yes, the elephant has the characteristics of a wall, a tree, a spear, a snake, a fan, and a whip. Yet the elephant is so much more.
Even merging these six characteristics into a composite understanding of an elephant still falls far short.
So it is with us and God. As spiritually blind people—at best with spiritually incomplete vision—we can seek to better understand God through word pictures, metaphors, and imagery of what we can comprehend, but we’ll still fail to fully grasp what is beyond our comprehension. Still, we’re wise to push forward in our quest.
Compare this to working on a jigsaw puzzle. We can hold one puzzle piece and maybe get a hint of what the full picture will look like. Yes, it is a piece of the whole, but it’s just a small part of the picture. What we see in that one puzzle piece is reliable, but it’s also incomplete.
Now, consider connecting two pieces in our puzzle. Together they represent more knowledge and provide more information than what either can provide alone. More of the picture comes to the forefront. More of it becomes clear, but it’s still just a small part of the picture.
Even when we complete our puzzle, we’re still looking at a picture, a representation of something far better and grander. At best it’s like looking at a reflection in a mirror, where we only know in part (1 Corinthians 13:12).
For now, accept that we’ll never fully understand who God is as long as we’re here on earth. Though we can understand a part of who he is, we’ll never fully comprehend him. Even so, we must embrace all the individual pieces to move toward the completion of the puzzle and gain a more comprehensive idea of who God is and how we relate to him.
In this book, we’ll explore many biblical characteristics of who God is. In doing so, we’ll move forward to better comprehend the incomprehensible. Though our conclusions will still fall short, they will draw us closer to the Almighty God as revealed to us in Scripture.
Some of these metaphors of God specifically address one part of his being: God the Father, God the Son, or God the Holy Spirit. Others are inclusive, applying to all parts of the Trinity. We’ll organize our discussion of these godly metaphors accordingly, all the while expecting to see overlapping characteristics between each part of the godhead. We should not let this trouble us and instead marvel at the wondrous complexity of who God is.
As we do so, some of these word pictures of who he is will resonate with us powerfully. Others will give us pause or even cause consternation. But don’t be distressed by that. Each image moves us closer to a holistic understanding of the brilliant mystery of the all-powerful God who created us and wants to be in a relationship with us.
May these scriptural images of God produce awe and admiration, moving us into a deeper appreciation of him.
