Skip to main content

Infinite Abyss


There is a popular phrase among Christians that says each person has a “God-shaped void” in their lives. This is speaking of the natural man, of course. The Bible teaches that we are born with a sin nature and are separated from God as a result. 

 

The phrase is traced back to Blaise Pascal, a French inventor and philosopher of the 1600s. But rather than a God-shaped void (or vacuum as some say), Pascal actually wrote of an infinite abyss. In his posthumous work defending his faith he wrote these words:

 

“What else does this craving, and this helplessness, proclaim but that there was once in man a true happiness, of which all that now remains is the empty print and trace? This he tries in vain to fill with everything around him, seeking in things that are not there the help he cannot find in those that are, though none can help, since this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite and immutable object; in other words by God himself.”

 

According to Pascal, we each are born with this infinite abyss in our soul, and there is only one thing—or Person—that can fill it. It would take an infinite object to fill an infinite abyss, and only the God of Heaven can effectively do that. But people try to fill the void with other things: relationships, success, fame, entertainment, power, etc. They may find fleeting moments of happiness in these pursuits, but the abyss in their heart is infinite, not fleeting. 

 

Is there biblical support for Pascal’s claim? I believe so. When Paul was in Athens he perceived that the people were very religious, as they had monuments for every conceivable god; they even had one for an “unknown God.” Then, in Acts 17:27, he told the men of the city that God wanted them to “seek God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us.”

 

The reason people are trying to find that missing thing in their lives is they are really trying to feel their way toward God. There is something missing and they just can’t quite put their finger on it. The sooner they realize they are longing for a relationship with their Creator, the sooner they can fill the infinite abyss with an infinite object. 

 

Maybe that is where you are. If you are tired of constantly searching for that next temporary moment of happiness, open your heart to Jesus Christ and find infinite satisfaction. 

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

To Save a Life

(Like my blog about the peace symbol, this blog was written as a default response to all the parents, students, and other people who are asking my opinion of To Save a Life.) By now you have probably heard of the movie To Save a Life, which opened nation-wide in theaters on January 22nd. The movie deals with so many issues that teens face today, like suicide, cutting, drinking, drugs, premarital sex, teen pregnancy, and abortion. At first glance this movie looks like an awesome resource that we should recommend for our teens, parents, youth pastors, and youth workers. But a closer look at the movie reveals a few disturbing things. For starters, according to pluggedin.com, there are 2 uses of the “A” word, 5 uses of hell (used as a curse word), and once the “D” word is used. There are other crude terms used to describe a girl, and crude terms for referring to sexual activity. There is also a bedroom scene that shows a girl removing a boy’s shirt, then afterwards the girl putting he...
38 comments
Read more

All Things To All Men

One of our favorite verses to use in our evangelism methods is where Paul said that he “becomes all things to all men” so that he might “by all means save some (I Corinthians 9:22).” This is certainly a good idea if we keep it in its proper context and application. For example, I remember a time in high school where I knew a kid that loved skateboarding. Being the chicken that I am, I was never a skateboarder. All he would talk about was skating, and I knew none of his lingo. But to help develop a relationship with him (he was new to our church and didn’t know many people), I brushed up on my skating lingo so I could ask if he had done any sick ollies lately (impressed?). This would be like Paul saying “to the skateboarder, I became a skateboarder.” This is effective and necessary. But then there are the people that use this verse to justify doing sinful things in the name of evangelism. The first one that comes to mind is about drinking. Some people will go into the bars to evan...
23 comments
Read more

What is a Curse Word?

I know. Stupid question, right? But lately I have heard Christians begin to debate what actually makes a word a curse word. Since the Bible never says, “Thou shalt not say the ‘s’ word,” how do we know that a word is bad? Because of this I have heard Christians justify cursing. The Bible gives a broad command for Christians to adhere to: let no corrupt word come out of your mouth (Ephesians 4:29). The word corrupt means rotten; therefore, we should never say a rotten word, whether it is on the list of curse words or not. First, we have to realize that there are curse words. On the night of Jesus’ arrest Peter was found guilty of using one himself. Matthew 26:74 tells us that when Peter denied knowing Jesus that he began “to curse and to swear.” This verse shows that there are curse words, and that they are wrong to use. I’m sure whatever words Peter said were not the same curse words that we have in our culture today. Here is the point: a curse word (or rotten word) is any wo...
18 comments
Read more