In a lot of church circles, this has become quite the buzz-phrase. It’s really a shortened version of sermons preached by men who come down against all things theology, preaching messages of any sort of head knowledge of the things of God, taking 1 Corinthians 8:1 out of context. The “don’t put God in a box” line comes up whenever someone claims to know something definitive about God that the recipient doesn’t like. But does this emotion evoking phrase have any merit to it?
First of all, let me say that it is impossible to put God in a box. You can’t put God anywhere. Metaphorically speaking, though, people can make boxes that fit their preference and then stuff a god into it and call it the God of the Bible. This is done every day, and I’d even go as far as to say we all do it to different degrees. However, this is not the context the phrase is usually used in. Usually, this is said in defense of something that is not a Biblical practice. Let me show you how it works:
P1: “God told me that He is a she if you need Him to be because some people need a mother figure.”
P2: “God did not tell you that. That is unbiblical.”
P3: “DON’T PUT GOD IN A BOX!!! YOU WON’T KNOW WHAT IM GOING THROUGH!!! WHO ARE YOU TO JUDGE MY EXPERIENCE!?!”
It’s based on the assumption that nothing can be truly known about God and we cannot make absolute statements about Him because that would be limiting Him. No one actually believes this when brought to the touchstone. Let me demonstrate: Will God ever flood the earth again? Will He ever break His promises? Will He ever lie? Will He ever cast into hell someone who loves Him? Unless you’re really confused, you obviously would answer me “No. God would never do those things.” Well, why don’t you stop putting God in a box, you religious meanie? God isn’t what you want Him to be. God isn’t logical! Obviously what I am saying is absurd. You know these things are not so with certainty because God has told us He will not do these things in the scriptures, and we can count on His Word. Therefore, we can say with certainty that God will not do some things.
But what if I asked you: Will God ever quack like a duck, audibly? Will God pour out Holy gravy during our worship services? Will God ever tell someone to call Him -she? You would obviously say “No, that’s absurd” Well, why? The Bible never says God won’t quack, or pour gravy, or tell someone to call Him -she. Wouldn’t you then be putting God in a box? No. Just because the Bible does not specifically address something doesn’t mean we cannot know how God feels about that thing with certainty. You know God won’t quack like a duck because God has never done that nor would it have any purpose. God is not a God of absurdity, He is a God of order. When God speaks, it has meaning and life and wisdom. Using these basic observations, and others depending on the question at hand, you can properly discern what is of God and what is not.
So what if we’re in a church service and people start quacking like ducks, claiming it’s God’s doing? Use your discernment, as the Bible commands you to do. That is not of God, and if given the opportunity, tell those participating. They will likely get angry and tell you that you’re putting God in a box. They will likely think you are not really a Christian. Don’t sweat it. When Jesus did miracles and fed the multitudes, people flocked to Him, but when He opened His mouth to preach the truth, they hated Him and tried to kill Him. Many just want to see signs and wonders rather than the truth of the Gospel, as Jesus said in Matthew 16:4.
I’ve used extreme examples to make it easy to understand my point. Real life examples take more discernment than holy gravy or a quacking god (although, some have made entire ministries doing things just as, if not more ridiculous. See Kim Walker of Bethel or Todd Bentley). At the end of the day, a lot of people do not use discernment because it requires too much work. You have to test all things in light of scripture (1 Thessalonians 5:21), which requires studying the Word, which is boring and pharisee like, so let’s just download revelation into our brains instead (sarcasm).
At the end of the day, the ones who are really putting God in a box are the ones who won’t let God define Himself in scripture. Rather than looking to the scriptures and abandoning their own opinions and experiences when they don’t line up, they wan’t God to be what they want Him to be: the God who sends “glory clouds of gold dust” and other such non-sense. Christians, however, are called to use discernment (1 John 4:1, Philippians 1:9-10, Hebrews 5:14, etc.) Love God with all your heart, soul, strength and mind. God gave you a brain for a reason, and even more, His Spirit and His Word!