Introduction: From Digital Color Technology to Divine Truth
In my mid-20s, I had the unique opportunity to train technicians from global companies in digital color imaging technology. Over three-day seminars, I worked with these professionals to enhance their understanding of the intricacies of color reproduction, helping them optimize their machines for better performance. These companies, while knowledgeable about color technology, sought to improve their technicians’ expertise to ensure they could deliver superior image quality to their customers. This, in turn, helped them increase sales and retain a loyal customer base.
This experience provided me with valuable insights into how understanding and working within defined boundaries—what we call a color gamut—can significantly impact the accuracy and quality of a final product. As I delved deeper into these principles, I began to see parallels between the technical world of digital color imaging and the profound truths found in Scripture. Just as ensuring accurate color reproduction requires staying within the gamut, interpreting Scripture requires staying within the theological boundaries defined by God’s character—boundaries that find their ultimate expression in the person of Jesus Christ.
The Science of Color Gamuts
In digital imaging, a color gamut defines the range of colors that can be accurately represented by a device, such as a monitor or printer. These boundaries are essential for ensuring that the colors displayed or printed are true to the original image. Colors outside this gamut cannot be reproduced accurately, leading to distortions or omissions in the final output.
Photoshop, a widely used tool in digital imaging, offers a "Gamut Warning" feature. This feature highlights colors in an image that fall outside the printer’s gamut, displaying them with a gray overlay. This visual alert helps users identify areas that need adjustment to ensure the final print accurately reflects the intended image.
The Divine Gamut: A Theological Framework Culminating in Christ
In theology, we face a similar challenge when interpreting Scripture. Just as digital imaging has a defined color gamut, theology operates within a "Divine Gamut"—the boundaries set by God’s revealed nature. These boundaries are not arbitrary; they are the harmonious spectrum of divine attributes, perfectly embodied in the Word made flesh, Jesus Christ. He is the culmination of all that God is—the radiance of the Father's glory, the exact representation of His being, the light that shines in the darkness, encompassing the fullness of the Godhead.
The theological axioms we hold are like prisms, refracting the pure white light of God’s nature into distinct yet inseparable truths:
God is Love: This is the warmth of the light, the spectrum of compassion and mercy that flows from the heart of God. In Christ, love took on flesh, extending grace to the fallen world (John 3:16).
God is Just: The light of justice pierces through the darkness, illuminating the path of righteousness. Christ, the Just One, fulfilled the law and bore the penalty for sin, establishing justice on the earth (Romans 3:25-26).
God is Sovereign: Sovereignty is the brilliance of the light, the unyielding truth that God reigns supreme over all creation. Christ declared, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me" (Matthew 28:18).
God is Immutable: The unchanging nature of the light, steadfast and eternal, reflects God’s immutability. In Christ, we see the same yesterday, today, and forever—a constant source of hope and truth (Hebrews 13:8).
God is Light: In Him, there is no darkness at all. Christ, the light of the world, reveals the truth of God and exposes the shadows of sin, leading us to life (John 8:12).
These axioms converge in Christ, who is the living Word, the light that holds all the colors of God’s character in perfect unity. He is the divine spectrum, encompassing the fullness of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Logic and Reason: Mapping the Theological Gamut
Just as color science uses mathematical models to define and navigate the color gamut, logic and reason serve as the tools to navigate the Divine Gamut in theology, with Christ at its center. By applying deductive reasoning, we can test our interpretations of Scripture against these key axioms, ensuring consistency and faithfulness to the truth that is embodied in Christ.
For example, when interpreting passages that describe God’s wrath, we must do so in light of the truth that "God is Love." This does not negate the reality of God’s wrath, but it places it within the broader context of Christ’s love and justice. We deduce that His wrath is a just response to sin, aimed at purification and redemption rather than destruction, as evidenced by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross.
Similarly, when faced with passages that seem to suggest a change in God’s character, the axiom of God’s immutability guides us. We reason that since God’s nature does not change, any interpretation suggesting otherwise must be re-evaluated to align with the consistent truth of the divine nature.
Identifying Out-of-Gamut Interpretations: A Theodicy Example
To bring this analogy full circle, consider how Photoshop’s "Gamut Warning" tool alerts us to colors that cannot be accurately printed. This is akin to how systematic theology alerts us to interpretations or traditions that fall outside the Divine Gamut—outside the consistent truth of God’s character. When we encounter "hard sayings" or doctrines that seem inconsistent with God’s love, justice, or mercy, these are like out-of-gamut colors that need adjustment.
For instance, certain historical interpretations have depicted God as harsh or capricious, presenting a picture of Him that seems at odds with the harmonious nature of God. By applying our theological "Gamut Warning," we can identify these distortions and adjust our understanding to ensure it remains within the boundaries of God’s character. Just as a printer cannot accurately reproduce colors outside its gamut, we cannot faithfully represent God’s nature with interpretations that fall outside the Divine Gamut.
Key to Theodicy: Interpreting Scripture Within God's Gamut
The concept of the Divine Gamut is especially crucial when addressing theodicy—the defense of God’s goodness in the face of evil and suffering. The key to a coherent theodicy lies in interpreting Scripture in a way that remains consistent with the nature of God, as fully revealed in Christ. When we encounter challenging doctrines or the realities of suffering, we must ensure that our understanding of God’s actions and intentions falls within the theological boundaries defined by His love, justice, sovereignty, and immutability—all of which are embodied in the Word made flesh.
By identifying and correcting out-of-gamut interpretations, we can develop a theodicy that is both intellectually satisfying and faithful to the true nature of God. This process, much like adjusting colors in Photoshop, ensures that our theological "print" accurately reflects the divine original.
Conclusion: Navigating the Divine Gamut
My experience in teaching digital color imaging technology provided me with a unique perspective on the importance of staying within defined boundaries to ensure accuracy and fidelity. In theology, this principle is even more critical, especially when centered on the revelation of God in Christ. By grounding our interpretations in the key anchor axioms of God’s nature and applying logic and reason, we can navigate the complexities of Scripture with the precision needed to maintain a consistent and faithful understanding of God’s Word.
The Divine Gamut serves as a guide, helping us to discern truth, avoid distortions, and develop a coherent theodicy that reflects the fullness of God’s character as revealed in Jesus—the Word made flesh, the light in which all the divine attributes converge, the perfect reflection of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Just as a well-calibrated color gamut allows for accurate image reproduction, systematic theology, anchored in the unchanging nature of God, enables us to interpret Scripture faithfully, ensuring that our understanding of God remains true to His nature.