A Study on the Infinite
I thought I would test the waters this week with a deep thought study. So I decided to write about the nature of Infinity. Forever. Eternal Life. and God's nature, all wrapped up into one essay to read. First I need to break down some definitions for the study group. We will study the terms 'Finite', 'Infinite', and 'Potential Infinite' and see how they relate to our spiritual life this week. My next article will tie into this one, so get your learn on.
Finite:
Finite means limited in some way. I am finite, you are finite, the number of apples in the world is finite, a circle is finite, etc. Finititude means you could always have more of something. Finite things can be counted because being finite means a thing can be added to or subtracted from. So even if there are 9,215,142 apples in the world right now there could always be a 9,215,143rd apple. Also, if you have 2 apples you can remove one and have 1 apple. Or if you have 1 apple you could cut it into 2 halves. Further, all finite things have a beginning and an end (because they are limited).
Infinite:
Infinite means NON-finite. It is UN-limited. So whatever is true of the "finite" is not true of the infinite. You cannot count to infinity, no matter how high a number you reach you can always add another. No matter how large a number there is it is still a finite number. You cannot add finite things until you reach the non-finite (infinite). Infinity cannot be added to, nor subtracted from, because by nature it cannot be added to or subtracted from. Infinity cannot be divided into parts, because parts can be added and you cannot just add parts until you reach infinity. There cannot be 2 infinites because each would have to be limited in order to accommodate the other, which is a contradiction (you can't have a "limited unlimited"!). An infinite cannot have a beginning or an end, for then it would have boundaries which is also a contradiction. But wait, there's more...
Potential Infinite:
We have seen that Infinity is not the highest number there is, in fact it’s not even a number. This is confusing because often you will see something like 1, 2, 3, . . .(infinity) as if it were part of the series of numbers. It isn’t! This is what is known as a potential infinite. A potential infinite is a finite series that will never end, but is not (and never will be) actually infinite. For example, the number system is a potential infinite. If you began counting you would never reach the end but it is still not infinite because you would always be adding to a finite number and only arriving at another finite number. So a potential infinite will never be infinite because it will always be limited on one end by its starting point and on the other end by wherever it happens to be.
Choke that science bit down for a minute and then take some time and think about something good – something that brings you joy or happiness. Consider its limitations (time, duration, repetition, etc.). Now imagine goodness that has NO limit. It is not limited by time or by amount or by repetition... infinite good, infinite love, infinite joy. God’s personality is infinite. That means that all He is, He is without limit – and the bible says He is good, He is love, and joy. The Bible says that when we go to be with the Lord we shall see Him as He is.
Eternal life is not just never ending living – it is a quality, it is the kind of life we will share with God. Eternal life is knowing God. But how much of the infinite character of God can fit into the finite? How long would the infinite have to fill the finite until it is exhausted? How much would we have to grow to ever contain the infinite? We would have to grow forever and yet we would never reach the end! Imagine being filled forever with His limitless good, love, and joy. We will never ever be able to contain it all!
Now – imagine the opposite. Imagine spending forever staring into the face of infinite wrath – never reaching the fullness of it, never reaching the end - and knowing that you had the chance to avoid it chose not to. We are never seperated from the infinite of our being and God. But without the presence of the limitless good, love, and joy of our Father I believe that eternity by itself would be called Hell.
Chris
I thought I would test the waters this week with a deep thought study. So I decided to write about the nature of Infinity. Forever. Eternal Life. and God's nature, all wrapped up into one essay to read. First I need to break down some definitions for the study group. We will study the terms 'Finite', 'Infinite', and 'Potential Infinite' and see how they relate to our spiritual life this week. My next article will tie into this one, so get your learn on.
Finite:
Finite means limited in some way. I am finite, you are finite, the number of apples in the world is finite, a circle is finite, etc. Finititude means you could always have more of something. Finite things can be counted because being finite means a thing can be added to or subtracted from. So even if there are 9,215,142 apples in the world right now there could always be a 9,215,143rd apple. Also, if you have 2 apples you can remove one and have 1 apple. Or if you have 1 apple you could cut it into 2 halves. Further, all finite things have a beginning and an end (because they are limited).
Infinite:
Infinite means NON-finite. It is UN-limited. So whatever is true of the "finite" is not true of the infinite. You cannot count to infinity, no matter how high a number you reach you can always add another. No matter how large a number there is it is still a finite number. You cannot add finite things until you reach the non-finite (infinite). Infinity cannot be added to, nor subtracted from, because by nature it cannot be added to or subtracted from. Infinity cannot be divided into parts, because parts can be added and you cannot just add parts until you reach infinity. There cannot be 2 infinites because each would have to be limited in order to accommodate the other, which is a contradiction (you can't have a "limited unlimited"!). An infinite cannot have a beginning or an end, for then it would have boundaries which is also a contradiction. But wait, there's more...
Potential Infinite:
We have seen that Infinity is not the highest number there is, in fact it’s not even a number. This is confusing because often you will see something like 1, 2, 3, . . .(infinity) as if it were part of the series of numbers. It isn’t! This is what is known as a potential infinite. A potential infinite is a finite series that will never end, but is not (and never will be) actually infinite. For example, the number system is a potential infinite. If you began counting you would never reach the end but it is still not infinite because you would always be adding to a finite number and only arriving at another finite number. So a potential infinite will never be infinite because it will always be limited on one end by its starting point and on the other end by wherever it happens to be.
Choke that science bit down for a minute and then take some time and think about something good – something that brings you joy or happiness. Consider its limitations (time, duration, repetition, etc.). Now imagine goodness that has NO limit. It is not limited by time or by amount or by repetition... infinite good, infinite love, infinite joy. God’s personality is infinite. That means that all He is, He is without limit – and the bible says He is good, He is love, and joy. The Bible says that when we go to be with the Lord we shall see Him as He is.
Eternal life is not just never ending living – it is a quality, it is the kind of life we will share with God. Eternal life is knowing God. But how much of the infinite character of God can fit into the finite? How long would the infinite have to fill the finite until it is exhausted? How much would we have to grow to ever contain the infinite? We would have to grow forever and yet we would never reach the end! Imagine being filled forever with His limitless good, love, and joy. We will never ever be able to contain it all!
Now – imagine the opposite. Imagine spending forever staring into the face of infinite wrath – never reaching the fullness of it, never reaching the end - and knowing that you had the chance to avoid it chose not to. We are never seperated from the infinite of our being and God. But without the presence of the limitless good, love, and joy of our Father I believe that eternity by itself would be called Hell.
Chris
posted by Chris at
4:05 PM
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