January 5 - The Great Puzzle

         Romans 16:25-26 - "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings, by the command of the eternal God,......"

        The Bible is like a great, complicated jigsaw puzzle. It is obviously a huge book, written by many authors over a period of history approximately 1500 years in length, from c. 1400 BC to AD 90. Its "revelation", i.e., how God reveals himself to different persons and to what extent, is quite varied. That is why it is like a jigsaw puzzle. Some sections may be easy to figure out; some may take a long time.

        God himself kept some things hidden, through the years, from mankind, as the passage in Romans above (and others) states. However, Hebrews 1:1-3 clears up that mystery a good bit: "In the past, God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word....." Jesus claimed to be the ultimate revelation of God's nature and existence. That doesn't necessarily make everything clear to us humans, but it gives us enough to understand and enough in which to place our faith.

        After all, faith is putting our trust in something that is not quite a reality yet in its fullest measure. There will come a time when our "faith shall be made sight", as the old hymn has stated. I Corinthians 13:12 states, "Now we see only a poor reflection, as in a [ancient looking-glass] mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now, I understand partially; then I will know fully, as I am [already] fully known [by God].