As someone who has studied computers and how they work I find
many parallels to how God works in this world. This is only
natural as computers have allowed us to create virtual worlds
ourselves, albeit imperfectly, and with lots of errors, which the
world spends an inordinate amount of time and money fixing and
preventing, and making new ones. But I digress.
One of the things that computers have shown us a better picture
of is a concept I call Apparent Reality.
What does that mean?
By Apparent Reality I mean something that for all practical
purposes is and can be discussed and referred to as one thing, but
which behind the scenes is in reality something different.
This differs from the more common term of Virtual Reality, which
usually refers to an environment which is known to be artificial,
but which we can interact with in a limited way. I'm speaking
instead of something that, when discussing and interacting with it,
it is valid to treat it as one thing, when if one really understood
what is going on behind the scenes it would be more technically
correct to say it is something else.
Some Examples
Ok, before your eyes glaze over, let's look as some examples
which I think might clear up this thought.
Random Numbers
Everyone is familiar with random numbers in some form, a common
example being contests or the lottery. Although some contests
still physically pick a winner manually(from the hat as it were),
many employ computers to randomly select winners or, in the case of
the lottery, winning numbers. What if I told you, that in
reality, computers, when functioning properly, are unable to
generate a truly random number. Would that shake your faith
in the lottery and other contests? Perhaps, but let's explore
this.
In technical terms, every process or function a computer does is
deterministic. By this I mean, that if everything is exactly
the same on two successive implementations of a program, the result
will be exactly the same. In fact, unexpected apparent
randomness in a process would be a bug (and it still wouldn't be
actually random, just unexplained, but we won't go into that).
In actuality computers employ Pseudo-Random Number Generators
(PNRGs) to simulate randomness. Without going too much into
details, PNRGs are sufficiently complex calculations from which,
without knowing the original seed value and the number of times it
has been run, one cannot determine the next value generated.
So, with computer generated random numbers, we are able to use
them, interact with them and talk about them as if they were random
and no one will think of us as ignorant bumpkins. However
they are technically not random and someone who is not very deft at
social interaction can argue that point successfully at their next
party.
The Sun
Let's now look at an example of Apparent Reality that may be
more approachable as it has nothing to do with computers. I'm
speaking about the sun.
It has been explained to us scientifically and mathematically
that the earth revolves around the sun. Anyone in the modern
world who has had any scientific education has likely heard of this
fact, and there are even children's books on the solar system which
impart this information to toddlers as well (I know, I have
some).
So, with all of this factual knowledge, how do we, as rational
humans, describe the times of day in which the earth's rotation
either brings the sun into view or hides it again? Naturally,
we call it the "sunrise" and "sunset".
Have you ever thought about that? Radio personalities,
newspapers, scientists and everyday people refer to something in a
way that they know doesn't actually reflect reality. Not only
do they do this, but they see no problem with it. It is a
practical way to describe an Apparent Reality without being
ignorant of the actual reality. For all intents and purposes
with which we interact with the sun here on earth, it rises and it
sets at certain times of the day.
Theological Ramifications
So, what is the point of all this? Well I think the
scriptures often talk about reality in terms of both Apparent
Reality and Actual Reality and these two different views of the
world can cause some of the biggest schisms in the christian
world. I, of course, can't discuss them all in this forum
without running the risk of losing the few people who made it all
the way through my previous examples, so I'll focus on one example
to make the larger point.
Sharing the gospel
Based on Matthew 28:19-20 and other verses the
Scriptures appear to say that we are called to tell others about
the good news of what Christ has done for us. In fact, Romans 10:14-15 even indicates that our
telling others about Christ is necessary for others to come to know
him. However some argue, that based on the scripture's teaching
regarding God's sovereignty, whether I go and tell others about
Jesus will in no way affect the number of people who are saved
since those who will believe in him were chosen "before the
foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4).
So, how do we reconcile these apparent differences? In my
mind the concept of Apparent Reality goes a long way in helping us
understand this. In a practical sense, for all intents and
purposes, our actions are the means by which people hear or do not
hear the gospel. Therefore it is true to say we must preach
the gospel for it to be heard. However, if we peek behind the
curtain so to speak, there is a greater reality, the workings of
which we do not fully understand in which those who will chose to
follow Christ have already been chosen.
Just as we can confidently refer to a number generated by the
computer being random and the sun as rising without being thought
of as a fool and as ignorant, we can also refer to our
participation in spreading the gospel as being necessary without
being thought of as theologically inept.
Exhortation
So let us embrace the fullness of the Scriptures and go forward
in our Christian walk without allowing a theological point to keep
us from a practical working out of our faith. Do not let your
faith in God's providence keep you from planting that seed or
seeking that job or helping that person in need or praying for the
recovery of those who are sick. If your theology keeps you
from helping others or providing for your family, then you really
should ask yourself whether you are taking the whole counsel of the
Scriptures into account. God may very well provide for you or
others in a way you don't expect, but you cannot use one part to
justify neglect on another part. If your respect for the
Sabbath keeps you from feeding the hungry, consider strongly whose
company you keep.