The Supernatural Universe

Chapter Five of True Spirituality, by Francis A. Schaeffer brings out an important point about a Christian's faith: we must recognize, not just in a far-off, by and by sort of way, that the world we live intersects and is infused with a supernatural world. The moment we, as Christians, forget this, we loose the full meaning of Scripture and a life in Christ.

A few excepts are in order:

The Bible insists that we live in reality in a supernatural universe. But if we remove the objective reality of the supernatural universe in any area, this great reality of Christ the bridegroom bringing forth fruit through us immediately falls to the floor, and all that Christianity is at such a point is a psychological and sociological aid, a mere tool. . . . The true Bible-believing Christian is the one who lives in practice in this supernatural world. I am not saying that no one can be saved and go to heaven unless he lives in practice in this supernatural world. Happily, this is not so, or none of us would go to heaven, because none of us lives this way consistently. What I am saying is that the true Bible-believing Christian is one who does so. I am not a Bible-believing Christian in the fullest sense simply by believing the right doctrines, but as I live in practice in this supernatural world. (p. 56)

In the end, being Christian is not about what place we worship, our music styles or even the tithes with give to God. Nor does it rest on the ability to recite the Apostles' Creed or quote from memory a laundry list of Biblical "promises". It is about the fact that we accept the reality of a personal God who cares for us enough to enter this naturalistic world. It is a difficult battle to stay on task, as it were, or to remember that the supernatural is something close by. We've all felt the scorn of skeptics and faithless Christians who find the supernatural implausible at best.

When one refers to the supernatural, immediately the naturalistic man is determined to get rid of it. He is determined to argue that is it not there. That is why liberal theology--which is naturalistic--tries to make a theology that will stand when there is nothing left but anthropology. This is really where the battle of truth is being fought throughout the world. But if we see this, then we have thrust upon us the necessity, the high calling and the duty, to live in the light of the existence of the two parts of the universe, the seen and the unseen parts, in the realization that the heavenlies are not far off. They are about us here. (p. 60)

For me, this is the most difficult part of being a Christian and convincing others that Christianity has merit.

Should I choose, I can see the world as being "in my head" in a classic Anti-realistic sort of way. Unfortunately, that is how many folks look at the supernatural elements of Christianity: God, redemption and supernatural strength are realities created by our need for comfort or explanation of ("as of yet") unexplainable phenomena. There is very little, logically speaking, I can do to convince anyone that what the Bible says about this supernatural world is true; certain truths have to be accepted, witnessed and/or experienced before one can truly see this world for what it is. This, then, is a hallmark of a true Christian: one who operated in the power and reality of the supernatural world.