Einstein's Theory of Spiritual Relativity

I saw today that a letter written by Albert Einstein shortly before his death is being auctioned off. In this letter, the genius of quantum physics and originator of the theory of relativity expresses some of his views on religion and spiritual things. Here's a quote:

"The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish....For me, the Jewish religion like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."

Sounds pretty familiar, doesn't it? Einstein certainly was a brilliant man, with a mind that could grasp and process knowledge and logic and equations far beyond the capacity of most human beings. He was absolutely certain about the laws and facts and operations of the physical universe that he observed and studied and hypothesized on how it behaves. In fact, he stated earlier in his life the following:

"I do not believe in the God of theology who rewards good and punishes evil. My God created laws that take care of that. His universe is not ruled by wishful thinking, but by immutable laws."

Here we see Einstein's perspective more clearly. Not so much totally rejecting the reality of God, but certainly rejecting the moral reality of God. His observations of the creation led him to an understanding of the fact of unchanging and absolute physical laws that govern the universe's behavior. But seeing also the moral realm as simply an expression of that physical universe, and not as anything spiritual in and of itself. As he stated above, the spiritual or religious realm is just a set of superstitions invented by mankind out of weakness.

I dare say that the good Dr. Einstein knows without doubt the real truth today, given that he has passed from the purely physical realm into that which is ultimately real, the eternal spiritual realm. He has met the God of immutable laws face to face. And he has realized that this God not only instituted unchanging physical laws, but also absolute moral laws. And Einstein has also come face to face with the fact of his lack of attaining to those immutable moral laws and standards. He has come to know the truth of 1 Corinthians 1:18 which states, "For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing..." The words of Einstein's letter are an incredible proof of what we see in 1 Corinthians 1:21 - "For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe."

Einstein may have brilliantly discovered and described the relative relationships between energy and matter. But he certainly failed to apprehend the relative relationship between the One True God and His moral reality, and the moral aspects of us as His created beings.

Psalm 2: Fearful Joy / Joyful Fear

Reading thru Psalm 2 today, one statement seemed to jump out at me. Verse 11, a part of the warning to the kings and leaders of the world to not oppose the God of Israel, which states:

Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. (Psalm 2:11 ESV)

On the surface, my first reaction to these commands was that they are paradoxes or oxymorons. Serve with fear? Rejoice with trembling? How does that work? So I went to look at the Hebrew behind these terms to get some better perspective. And I also went to the NASB to see how it rendered the words. Instead of serve, the NAS has worship. OK, works for me. To serve is a form of worship, and the Hebrew עבד (abad) has a root meaning of working or serving, or even being enslaved. So the ESV's serve is probably a better translation. The NAS also does not use fear, but rather reverence. Here again I think the ESV is much closer to the mark. The Hebrew being יראה (yirah), which is most frequently translated fear in the NAS, and almost always used to refer to the fear of the Lord.

OK, so I'm still back to the basic questions. How does one worship or serve or minister to God with fear, and rejoice in that fear as a cause for trembling? If these are given as warning imperatives, set in contrast to opposing God and His Anointed in the context of Psalm 2, then how does this work itself out? Let's look at each individually.

First, serve or worship the Lord with fear. Should there not be an aspect of fear in worshipping our God? Jesus said that the Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). If we are worshipping and serving Him in truth, that means that we will have true understanding of Him, His character, His person and His nature. And a true understanding of the person of God will always result in a healthy fear of Him. If it doesn't, then we really don't know Him as He is or as He has revealed Himself. So worshipping and serving the Lord in truth means that we will approach Him with a sense of fear. Not paralyzing fear, but a healthy fear of His immense power, holiness and majesty. A true fear of God will result in a true worship and a true service to Him.

Second, rejoice with trembling. Again, this seems to be an outcome of the first command. If I have a true knowledge of the one true God, I will respond with fear and trembling. And I will also respond with joy, knowing that the same Sovereign Ruler of the universe is the God who is gracious and merciful toward His people. He is a fearsome God, but He is also a good and just and merciful God. And this true knowledge will lead to a trembling joy. An exhilaration like no other in the universe or human experience.

So do these express your approach to God and your experience of Him? In your service to and worship of the Lord, is there a fear of Him? And in your experience of service and worship, is there a joyful trembling? Perhaps if these are not present in your walk with Christ, it is because you are not worshipping and serving Him "in spirit and in truth." We can only do so as we deepen our knowledge and understanding of the Holy One. Both intellectually, theologically and experientially. Let's be sure to heed the warning of the psalmist here. Know your God truly. Worship and serve Him fearfully. And rejoice in Him with trembling. To His glory.