Subjectivity vs. Objectivity - Part 5

A personal perspective

It has been almost thirty years since I first encountered the truth about the Messiah. On that day in September 1976 my world was turned upside down. Up until then I didn't give much thought to the existence of God. I was raised Jewish in a non-religious home just like many in my community. I knew next to nothing about the Bible. Actually I knew next to nothing about life at all as I bungled about in my adolescent foolishness and selfishness.

But when another Jewish young person showed me the prophecies about Yeshua (Jesus) in the Jewish Bible (Old Testament), I knew that I was encountering something that, if true, would have great implications for my life. I knew enough about these things to know that if I would accept them, it would cause great friction between me and my family and friends. At the same time I also knew that if they were true, any difficulties would be worth the risk.

I took a small, but significant step that afternoon. As soon as I prayed acknowledging Yeshua as the Messiah I knew something of utmost importance had happened to me. I won't take the time here to describe the wonderful difference Yeshua has made in my life, or of the road I have had to walk. A road – though difficult – has been worth ever step.

What I would like to try to describe is one aspect of the transformation I experienced. It is this aspect that relates to my discussion of objectivity and subjectivity.

For me to receive the Messiah into my life, I had to admit that I was wrong and that the Bible was right. This was perhaps the most significant thing that happened to me that day. The biblical term that describes this is "repentance" – which is "shuv" in Hebrew. Shuv means "to turn". It describes our going in one direction, but then upon realizing it is the wrong direction, we turn around and go in the right direction. It is not just a feeling of regret over past mistakes. It is not just feeling sorry for wrongs done. It is a perspective and lifestyle change.

At that time my life was about me – my desires and my pleasures. I was very selfish. Believing in God brought me into a place of submission to an authority other than myself. This meant a complete lifestyle change. No more would I just do things because I felt like it. I was committed to do things because they were of God and they were right.

This next thing might be difficult for some people to understand, but even though I wasn't religious, I had inherited a Jewish life perspective and lifestyle, of which that though I was not living according to it, in the roots of my being it was a part of me. Even though I hadn't given much thought to God, once I did, it was natural to think of God and how to relate to him from a Jewish frame of reference.

This is not to say that because my perspective was a Jewish one, it was wrong. In fact there are countless things that stem from my background that have helped me in my understanding of God and the Bible. But they are not helpful because they are Jewish, but rather because they are things that God has made part of us. How we know which things those are is part of the process that I will try to explain in a moment.

In my case, since faith in Yeshua so naturally clashes with the culture of my upbringing, the differences between biblical truth and the perspective of my people group tends to be clearer than for those who have been brought up with a semblance of biblical values, especially if those values included some sort of faith in Jesus.

Due to my cultural upbringing and the acceptance of my own waywardness, I am to some extent used to the fact that the truth of God in the Scriptures is so very different from my own perspective. I know that in order submit to its truth, I must be willing to release my own presuppositions and perspectives.

I am also aware that this is an ongoing process. Even though I have spent years since that September day thirty years ago studying the Scriptures and grappling with the Truth, I know that I must continue to submit my views to that Truth. In order for me to be transformed into what God desires for me, I must cooperate with this lifelong process. While I must hold on tightly to what God teaches me, I must also allow him to continue to correct me, since I myself am not able to fully comprehend his Truth in its fullness.

Therefore as I seek to personalize (make subjective) God's (objective) reality, I continue to submit what I have learned to him. For what I am learning to be real, I must again personalize it, but always with on ongoing attitude of submission to the Author of Truth.

To be continued…