Our understanding of God is almost always too small.
Nearly a third of all people on earth profess to believe in the God revealed in the Bible. But who is this God? What is he like? And what has he actually said to us?
We should not approach him with the belief that all will be explained, for God is mysterious. As a being, he cannot be explained. And yet, as a relational God who cares for and treasures his creation, he can be known.
In Timeless, explore how a few of God’s majestic attributes—his eternal nature, divine power, and supreme will—should change our perception of him in this life and in the life to come. And be reminded that his is the message that can still speak into the hearts and minds of all people, in all times. For we are not accidents born of random chance, but were imagined in the mind of an eternal God long before the foundation of the world.
THE TIMELESS GOD1. YHWH, He Who Is Dig into God's self-existent nature and start to understand what it means that he exists independently of time.
2. El Olam, God Everlasting Explore how God, though timeless, uses time to effect change in the world and in our lives as individuals.
3. El Shaddai, God Almighty Contemplate God's immense power, and move past the false depictions of him we make up for ourselves.
4. Immanuel, God With Us Be reminded that God has not left us to our own devices, but desires to communicate with and have a relationship with us.
5. Logos, The Divine Word Discover the ways God has spoken to us in the past and still speaks to us today.
HIS TIMELESS MESSAGE6. You Were Made for a Purpose Meditate on the reality that if God is timeless, and chose to create us, each of us have a divine purpose for which we were designed.
7. You Will Face Trials Reckon with the corruption of our world brought about by sin, the enemies we face in this life, and how God has not left us defenseless.
8. You Were Bought at a Price Explore the implications of God's timelessness on our redemption, and why we should never take Jesus's sacrifice for us for granted.
9. You Are Sealed By the Spirit Learn about the Holy Spirit's presence in our lives, and how he influences our connection with God and with other believers.
10. You Have Received Eternal Life Find hope in the promise of resurrection and the life to come, but also realize eternal life is just as much for today as for the future.
This book took me on a bit of a journey. I picked it up because I love the author and have read his previous work (all fiction). He's a talented writer and storyteller, and I was curious about his first foray into non-fiction.
It's been quite a while since I've read a book on Christian spirituality (although I've read a good deal of this sort of thing in the past), and as a confirmed Episcopalian with some... unconventional leanings, I wasn't sure what to expect from this one. Due to personal experience, I tend to approach books in this vein with a critical eye, but the introduction impressed upon me a sense of the author's earnestness and purity, and I was determined to read the rest with an open mind and heart.
Timeless somehow manages to plunge into familiar Christian territory with a surprisingly fresh perspective on the God of the Universe. The idea of a divine being who transcends linear time appeals to my scientific and mystic sensibilities, and Lyon strikes an intriguing balance between scholarship, exegesis, and a reverent emphasis on mystery and the supernatural.
After a solid start, the second half of the book veers into some topics that made me squirm with discomfort, but that's not a bad thing. I grappled with the words in a way that I haven't engaged with faith concepts in years, and although I'm not sure if I can get on board with everything he says (he quotes the Apostle Paul an awful lot, and I'm not that guy's biggest fan), I finished with several valuable take-aways.
Primarily, reading Timeless has been a catalyst, launching me into an exploration of my own beliefs and compelling me to seek to know God more, in ways that resonate with me.