"My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways," says the Lord. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts." - Isaiah 55:8-9 (NKJV)Borrowing the old preacher's metaphor of humans as two dimensional circles and God being a three dimensional sphere, I am inspired to build upon that imagery more thoroughly, for I believe that it is useful for understanding, if only slightly better, man's relationship to and infinite God.
We exist in a three dimensional world, four if you count time, as some do. If there is a supreme God, then He created this three dimensional world and time itself, therefore being superior to any created dimension. We cannot adequately describe anything that exists in dimensions beyond ours (though many have fun trying, and I enjoy the genre of movies and stories that spring forth from such creative thought); therefore, we may seek to build our understanding in reverse, placing our world anecdotally as the highest dimension and exploring the relationship to a created world with fewer dimensions. We can then take our understanding of that scenario and place ourselves in the perspective of the world of fewer dimensions, God in the "world" of greater dimensions, and understand more fully our relationship to God.
Imagine a sphere existing in open space. There is a sphere and nothing else but black space. This sphere sheds what looks to be an outer covering and spreads it flat in the open space below. Peculiarly, this sphere enters into this flattened out used-to-be-covering, such that it perfectly cross-sects the sphere. MMMP! A burst of light and the paper is gloriously stained. The sphere moves sideways in the flat space, leaving behind the imprint of a perfect circle. But that is not the end of this peculiar scene. The sphere and this created circle have a strange interaction, with the ability to occupy the same space such that the sphere and the created circle cannot be distinguished from one another. Even still, even greater peculiarity awaits.
Next, the sphere extracts a small portion of the created circle, such that it fades ever so slightly. With this small extracted ink-like material, the sphere moves sideways in flat space and MMMP! Another circle is created. Now there are two circles and the flat space cross-sected sphere existing together, each abiding in the same flat space, with the ability of full overlap such that they are indistinguishable from one another.
If that wasn't intriguing enough, what happens next is quite disturbing. Another entity, three dimensional and of abnormal shape...in fact, perfectly irregular if there ever was such a thing, with no two sides the same length, no two angles the same, and honestly ugly compared with the perfect circles...this entity descends to newly created flat space, entering such that it cross-sects just as the space did with the sphere. This entity lacks the Mmmp! power to create its image in flat space...but this perfectly irregular entity has other, sinister power.
The perfectly irregular entity begins to encroach upon the two perfect circles. The entity convinces the circles that if they allow it to be a part of their circles that they will know what it is like to be three dimensional! They can become just like their creator, the sphere, he says. Further, he says that the sphere does not want them to share that privilege, but that he can grant it, if they will embrace him. Tricked, both spheres embrace the perfectly irregular entity. Mmmp! What's that?! Horrifically, the once perfect circles look at themselves and see large, jagged imperfections! They are still circular in nature, but their borders are characterized by irregularities. "What a terrible thing has happened!" they cry, as the perfectly irregular entity cackles and flees the scene.
The sphere comes near. The once perfect, now irregular circles seek to hide themselves, but they cannot. As the sphere comes near, it becomes painfully obvious that with their jagged irregularities, they can no longer occupy the same space as the sphere. The sphere desires to share the perfect unity again, as do the circles, but without being made perfect again, they simply cannot. In fact, the sphere now withdraws itself such that it is no longer perfectly cross-sected by the flat space, but instead maintains a tangential relationship with constant contact to flat space, but much less intimate space sharing. The sphere, though unable to unite with the irregular circles as they once did, remains near, guiding them as closely as their irregularities allow. However, the irregular circles inexplicably begin to slowly fade. This is quite disturbing and they grieve as they realize that only by their prior unity in flat space with the sphere were they able to remain fully vibrant in color. But they are helpless against the fading that slowly persists.
The imperfect circles begin to multiply and multiply, until much of the once seemingly infinite flat space becomes occupied with imperfect circle after imperfect circle. They find, heartbreakingly, that the circles they produce together carry imperfections, and no perfect circle is ever seen again. Still, the sphere remains near to the imperfect circles that will remain near to him. He never leaves, yet no circle, nor the sphere itself experiences the blissful unity they shared in the beginning.
Even worse, since receiving irregularity, the spheres seem to continually fade until one day they completely disappear, never to return again! Furthermore, that dreadful, perfectly irregular entity continues to wreak havoc, amplifying the irregularities of the once circular that remain the farthest from the sphere. Interestingly, the perfectly irregular entity dares not come near the sphere. Worst of all, the perfectly irregular entity wields what every circle fears most: The Eraser. Suddenly, and without warning, circles are erased, never to be heard from again! It seems that whether by slowly fading away or suddenly, all circles are erased in time, and the cumulative irregularity of the flat space circles continues to grow. In fact, some circles become so jagged, so marred, that they are hardly recognizable as circles at all, much more closely resembling the perfectly irregular entity that seems to be at the root of everything imperfect in flat space.
With such irregularity and separation from all that was once perfect, many circles lose hope. But others remember the promise given by the sphere throughout their generations: the promise of one that has the power to restore the circles to the sphere. But when? How? And so they waited...
...To be continued...
Find the Conclusion here: Relating to a Dimensionless God: The Conclusion
*Disclaimer: I acknowledge that this metaphor is not theologically perfect, omitting some of God’s character, and imperfectly representing other parts of his character. It is meant to articulate a greater perspective and help to understand God, Creation, Man, Sin…but it is not meant to explain each of them fully.
