To some, it may seem an implausible notion that God’s thoughts are somehow altogether unknowably different than their own. That even in a thousand lifetimes of thinking, apart from His Self-revelation, not even one of His thoughts would ever, or even could ever, come within an entire universe of their own thoughts.
But for those of you who might doubt that it could possibly be so, try considering it as a simple matter of logic.
If God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts – and He does say that – and you on the other hand say, “Oh yes they are!” – what did you just prove beyond a doubt?
That’s right: you just proved that His thoughts are not your thoughts.
Because if God says one thing, and you say the opposite, it’s called a disagreement. And since disagreements are always about not thinking the same thoughts, the fact that you have one with God over this is proof that His thoughts are indeed not your thoughts. And that seems logical enough.
But if, on the other hand, when God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, you reply instead, “That’s exactly what I’ve always thought, and I agree with God” – now what did you just prove beyond a doubt?
That’s right: you just proved again, even more plainly, that His thoughts are not your thoughts.
Only this time, surprisingly, it’s your agreement with God that proves your disagreement with God. Because in order to agree with God, your thoughts would have to be the same as His thoughts. And while He’s insisting “they’re not” – at the very same time – you’re insisting “they are.” And that’s just the same disagreement as above, disguised now as an agreement. So again, His thoughts are still not your thoughts. And that’s also logical enough.
But if, on the other hand, when God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, you say, “After hearing what God says, of course, I agree with Him now. And because I agree with Him now, now His thoughts are my thoughts” – now what did you just prove beyond a doubt?
That’s right: you actually just offered the strongest proof yet that His thoughts are not your thoughts.
First, because receiving a thought from someone else is not the same as conceiving that thought yourself. And if you had to change your mind after hearing His thoughts in order to agree with Him, then obviously, your thoughts and His thoughts were not the same before you changed your mind.
And second, simply agreeing with what someone says, after they say it to you, doesn’t mean that you think like them either.
Even if you do agree with Einstein’s theory of relativity after you hear it, that still doesn’t mean you think like Einstein. Because you didn’t think it up. Einstein did. You don’t get credit for that theory. Einstein does.
That’s why we call it “Einstein’s theory” and not “Bob’s theory.”
And that’s why, even after you do agree with it, we never change and start calling it, “Einstein’s and Bob’s theory.” Even if you really want us to. Don’t get confused. It’s still, always and only, just “Einstein’s theory,” and you’re still, always and only, just borrowing Einstein’s theory from Einstein.
Same thing with God.
Even if you do agree with God’s thoughts after you hear them, that still doesn’t mean you think like God. Because you didn’t think them up. God did. You don’t get credit for those thoughts. God does.
That’s why we call them “God’s thoughts” and not “Bob’s thoughts.”
And that’s why, even after you do agree with them, we never change and start calling them “God’s and Bob’s thoughts.” Even if you really want us to. Don’t get confused. They’re still, always and only, just “God’s thoughts,” and you’re still, always and only, just borrowing God’s thoughts from God.
And just in case you forgot, God’s thoughts are even more different from your own than Einstein’s are. Different by an entire universe. And even more surprisingly, God’s thoughts are different from Einstein’s thoughts by exactly the same amount. And if you think you’d look foolish if you tried to claim the thoughts you borrowed from Einstein as your very own, what do you think you look like when you try to claim the thoughts you borrowed from God?
And if you really stop and think about it, even obeying God’s thoughts doesn’t mean that you think like God. Your dog obeys your thoughts, for goodness’ sake, and he doesn’t think like you. And if he does, that probably says more about you than it does about your dog.
And if you keep those things firmly in mind, you’ll never forget, like some people apparently do, that you’re not really an Einstein. And if you keep those things firmly in mind, you’ll also never forget, like some people apparently do, that you’re not really God.
And that’s a very good thing to remember. Because when you do forget, that really irritates Einstein. And you don’t have to be an Einstein to figure out that it also really irritates God. And that’s altogether logical as well.
But if on the other hand, when God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, you say, “Well it’s quite obvious to me, as a studious student of the Bible, that anyone who would say that I don’t think like God really doesn’t know his scriptures quite as well as he thinks he does. If he did, he’d know that the apostle Paul says, We have the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16). So you see, we actually do think like God after all. Isaiah might not have had the mind of Christ, but I certainly do” – now what did you just prove beyond a doubt?
That’s right: you just gave the strongest proof yet that, at least in Isaiah’s mind, you actually might be the biggest moron on the entire planet.
Because if you really do have the mind of Christ like you say you do, then tell us quickly – what is Christ thinking right now? At this very moment? Tell us everything He’s thinking. Right now. At this very moment. Not just one thought. Tell us all His thoughts. In order. From beginning to end. And not just on this subject, but on all subjects. And not just for the present time, but for all time. Tell us all the past, all the present, and all the future. Especially all the future. I can’t wait to hear that. I’ve got so many questions.
And while you’re at it, since you say you have the very mind of Christ Himself, just go ahead and tell us absolutely everything about absolutely everything. And don’t leave out next week’s winning lotto numbers. Since Christ knows everything, and you have His mind, then obviously, you know everything too. Right?
And since you have the all-knowing mind of Christ, tell me quickly: where did I lose my favorite pair of red socks? You remember. When I was nine. Christ knows, and obviously now that you have His mind, you do too. I thought I was going to have to wait and ask Him personally, but now I can ask you instead. This is great!
But wait. Before you get started telling us the entire mind of Christ that you insist you have – do us all a big favor. Please make sure when you’re finished that we, and especially Isaiah, don’t wind up thinking that He is as much of an idiot as we’re almost certain to think that you are. OK? Christ and all the rest of us will appreciate that so much. And that’s absolutely, categorically, 100% logical.
But, on the other hand, when God says, My thoughts are not your thoughts, you might just break down and say, “To heck with all this logic. This just doesn’t feel right. And what does Isaiah know anyway? Who made him the big Know-It-All-Of-Everything about what God thinks and what I think?
“After all, there are plenty of other preachers out there, more successful than Isaiah ever dreamed of being, who totally disagree with him.
“They say that I do think like God. And they say that God does think like me.
“In fact, week after wonderful week, they give me their own personal assurances that God’s thoughts and my thoughts are virtually indistinguishable from each other.
“They tell me that my biggest big dreams are actually God’s biggest big dreams inside of me. And that His biggest and best thoughts about me are actually tucked right inside my biggest and best thoughts about myself, so that He can give me my biggest and best life now. And I like that way of thinking way better than Isaiah’s way of thinking.
“And besides that, millions of people listen to these guys every week. And you don’t get to be that successful by being wrong, do you? According to them, maybe Isaiah should have just dreamed a little bigger!
“Why shouldn’t I believe them instead of that stodgy old, small-minded Isaiah, who keeps insisting that God and I never think alike?”
Well... if you had mentioned to Isaiah in passing that some incredibly credible sources had assured you that, contrary to his own mistaken notion, you and God actually do think alike – here’s how he might have suggested you test that idea – because after all, if you really do “think” just like God, then obviously, you’ll also “act” just like God. Right?
So here’s what you need to do:
On some clear dark night – when you’re deep in the throes of one of those Ain’t-it-great-that-God-and-me-always-think-just-alike ecstasies – look straight up into the heavens, point your finger right at the most distant group of stars you can see, and say out loud:
“Oh, by the way God... I was just about to create that cute little cluster right up there myself... but I can see now that You already beat me to it... I’ll get the next one.”
If you can say that to God – and make Him believe it – then all those other preachers must be right!
Congratulations!
You really do think “just like God”!
Otherwise... you don’t.
And by the way: logic may not be an absolute requirement to really understand this stuff... but sanity is.