The Borders of Human Thought

HORATIO
O day and night, but this is wondrous strange!  


HAMLET
And therefore as a stranger give it welcome.
There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio,
Than are dreamt of in your philosophy. (Hamlet, Act I, Scene v)

"We believe in God, Creator of Heaven and Earth,
Of all that is seen and unseen." (The Nicene Creed)

The mind of man cannot plumb the depths of reality. It is a matter of faith, not reason, which brings us to understanding about the world we live in and the God who made us to live in this world:

"Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

"For by it the elders
obtained a good report.

"Through faith we
understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which
are seen were not made of things which do appear." (Hebrews 11: 1-3) 

We were not present when the worlds were created. But we must acknowledge, despite the humbling which are understanding must bow to, that we did not make ourselves, either:

"Know ye that the LORD
he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we
ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture." (Psalm 100: 3)

Hamlet's quip is telling, in part because man's philosophy, or love of knowledge, does not permit a man to dream, which is the realm of imagination, yet still innate, inherent, and erring elements of man's soul. Yet even when philosophy breaks its own rules, or even repudiates the rules of language, custom, and tradition, God and His revelation is still beyond him:

"For my thoughts
are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the
LORD.

"For as the
heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." (Isaiah 55: 8-9)

Paul relates how not only are God's thoughts above ours, but the dreams and good things that He wants to give us are beyond our reckoning:

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all
that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

"Unto him be
glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end.
Amen. "
(Ephesians 3: 20-21)

We cannot depend on Creation to explain the Creator. We are clay in God the Potter's hands:

"But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou
our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand." (Isaiah 64: 8)

"And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he
made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

"Then the word of the
LORD came to me, saying,

"O house of Israel,
cannot I do with you as this potter? saith the LORD. Behold, as the clay
is in the potter's hand, so are ye in mine hand, O house of
Israel." (Jeremiah 18: 4-6)

Later, Paul folds out the riches of this verse:

"Thou wilt say then unto me, Why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted
his will?

"Nay but, O man, who
art thou that repliest against God? Shall the thing formed say to him that
formed it, Why hast thou made me thus?

"Hath not the potter
power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and
another unto dishonour?

"What if God,
willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much
longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction:" (Romans 9: 19-22)

We are in no place to dictate to God or describe who He is or what He should do. For that, we have the example of His Son:

"Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not
known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou
then, Shew us the Father?" (John 14: 9)

Man cannot think his way to heaven, cannot ponder the infinite. The flesh of man cannot take in Spirit, which is eternal:

"For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and
these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye
would." (Galatians 5: 17)

We can only relate to God through Spirit:

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in
spirit and in truth." (John 4: 24)

We relate to God and Spirit through His Word: