Why would God hide that “key” where it cannot be found, and even when you pray for guidance, he does not give a “hint”? Placing that “key” under the street light would enable everyone to make a real decision, whether one wishes to open the door or not.
You are assuming that the “key” is some object outside of you and the “place” to be opened is also some physical space where admission is strictly “come as you are.” What if it isn’t like that at all?
The contradiction is obvious: Supposedly God “wishes” everyone to come to him, so they can be saved. But in this case it makes no sense to hide that “key”. One can only make an informed decision when one has the pieces of the puzzle. This is not supposed to be a “hide-and-seek” game.
What if YOU are both the place and the key? And that specifically, Christ is the “key” in the sense of the master key which permits you to become your true self – the Imago Dei in whose image you were made? So you must be re-keyed in the image of the Master key in order to access that secret place – your true self in whom you encounter the Truth of all reality as it is. Christ became the human “key” in order to enable human beings to encounter God.
Surely, he will not permit just any party-crashers in, ergo the “key” is finding AND becoming your true self in Him, one worthy of being in God’s presence and only by reforming (or re-keying) your existing self in the proper configuration – truly and not falsely nor in some counterfeit way – can you enter the place within yourself where you can become your true self in order to be saved. You must become your true self in order to enter and you only enter to the extent that you become your true self.
*…from the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent bear it away. (Matt 11:12) *
The “violent” not longer “bear it away” because a secure door is in place and those who permit God to turn themselves into a proper key to the Kingdom will enter through the secured door.
If you are both the key and the secret place, then both are “hidden” right under your nose where only you, by becoming your true self, can both find and become them.
The kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed; nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There it is!’ For, in fact, the kingdom of God is within you.” (Luke 17:20-21)
All this is ingenious really. Jesus says, “You must become perfect as your Heavenly Father is perfect” in order to enter the Kingdom. Jesus provides the template by becoming fully human in you – this was the point of the Incarnation, in fact – his grace provides the power to enable your becoming fully you, the Holy Spirit and the Church provide the guidance and you provide the persistence (the faithfulness - or faith) to do so.
All within your reach. All under your nose. It is no “hide and seek” game unless you choose to make it one by deceiving yourself. Seek and you will find, continue seeking and you will continue finding – in fact, we are required to because the “re-keying” of self is a long process (much like
turning a rabbit into a man) because we tend to resist and defer, but He is faithful, loving and merciful.
Of course I am aware that “blind faith” is supposed to be superior to reason (“Reason must be trampled underfoot” and “reason must be made the handmaiden of faith”) but that kind of “reasoning” is not acceptable. If it was God who gave us reason, it is unreasonable and irrational to demand that we abandon reason. Yes, I am also aware of the words: “blessed are the ones who have not seen and yet believe”, but this is just another cop-out.
Again, it isn’t very clear that you understand that faith means “faithfulness” or “stay-with-it-ness.” To act according to “reason” means “having warranted reasons for.” Faithfulness absolutely requires “having reasons for,” otherwise a person does not continue. Now, the question to be asked is what reasons do you have for doing most of what you do?
You might argue that you have no reasons for continuing to have “faith,” but I would bet my bottom dollar that you can provide plenty of “reasons” for doing the things you do every day, and MOST of those “reasons” would be indistinguishable from rationalizations AND most of the things that you justify or “purchase” with those rationalizations are counterfeit items not worth the price, yet you likely purchase those items at a deep discounted, Boxing Day sale price with a high degree of frequency.
What did you say about having a bridge for sale? I bet you picked up that bridge real cheap and it wasn’t worth even that price, which is why you are trying to sell it again, yes? :takeoff:
Let’s see… the supernatural concept of “behind” actively cooperates with the supernatural concept of “honor” and together they beget the supernatural concept of “beauty”… which in turn creates the supernatural concept of “next to”… hmmm. Who would’ve thunk it?
