It has become commonplace to talk about idolatry in Christian churches. Things which we place on an equal plane with God—be it money, success, comfort, fame, sex, or anything—are our idols. Similarly, it has become commonplace to discuss the importance of our desires. When we desire other things more than God, we sin (which is idolatry, Colossians 3:5).
From these two premises, the church has rightly exhorted Christians to 1) seek to worship God alone (and have no competing gods), and 2) seek to desire God alone (and not have competing affections for anything else).
But recently I was thinking of perhaps a third biblical category we could add to help us fight sin and strive after Christ in the Christian life—namely, the difference between seeking quality and quantity versus seeking the Other.
Quality and Quantity
We can begin to explain this by asking a question: If you could change something about your life, what would it be? Another way of asking the question is: What would you change about your life to make yourself more content and happier?
If we ask ourselves such a question we’ll notice that, by default, our answers almost certainty include some sort of change in quality or quantity (and usually a mixture of both). This is the way we usually process in our minds and feel in our hearts. We live thinking about quality and quantity.
To understand what we mean by quality, think of the word “better”: “If I had better relationships, better health, a better job…” Or even (but still in the realm of quality): “If I had a better relationship with Jesus, better prayer times…”
And to understand quantity, consider the words “more” and “less”: “If I had more money, more time, more comfort, more talents…” Or: “If I had less stress, less of a crazy schedule, less health problems, less family issues…” Or again, even (but still in the realm of quantity): “If I read the Bible more, if I sinned less…”
Of course, as you probably have noticed, these categories of quality and quantity often overlap. When we are asking for more quality, we usually would like a change in quantity as well, and vice versa. Nevertheless, it’s in these two categories that we often dwell.
But in this talk of quality and quantity, I think there’s a third category we should consider. An idea which, if we thought about more, we wouldn’t be so stuck in the quality and quantity striving all the time.
A Third Category: The Other
What is this third category? The Other (or to use more biblical words: something holy, distinct, set apart).
Now before you think I’m just trying to be creative, here’s what I mean: Don’t we agree that one of our main issues as fallen human beings isn’t primarily quality or quantity, but instead, that we were made for something else? Something on another plane? Something distinct and set-apart? Something that isn’t merely about being better, or more or less, but different? Namely, God himself?
Being the case, then it’s not primarily a question of quantity or quality that we’re seeking after, rather we’re seeking this distinctness. We aren’t creatures striving mainly for better or more of things of this creation; we’re creatures primarily seeking the Other, God himself. And why? Not only because he gives us more or better joy (although that’s wonderfully true), but also because it’s him, the Other, we were made for—the quality and quantity only then follow.
Two Examples: Why We Sin & Our Relationship with God
To clarify, we can show how this works with two examples. First, in why we sin. And second, in our relationship with God.
1) Seeking This Other in Why We Sin
First, this category of the Other helps explain why we sin. This is what we were getting at in the first few paragraphs above. Why do we sin? We can answer a few ways: 1) because of idolatry; 2) because we desire other things more than God; but also 3) because we’re seeking some satisfaction that cannot be given in this world, some transcendence that cannot be merely found in more quality or quantity, but only in the Other—only in God.
In this way, sin is a seeking in the creation what can only be found in the Creator. And this explains why, when people give themselves up to sin and wordiness but then come to know Christ, the frequent testimony given when they come to Christ is that they found something unique, different, unlike anything else. Conversion, then, isn’t just realizing that he is better than sex or money or power, or merely that he’s more lovely than all else (although these are true), but conversion is realizing that he and his gospel are satisfyingly different. Knowing him is the something Other we’ve been always searching for.
And so it is in our daily struggle with sin, too. When we fight against sin, we shouldn’t only reason with ourselves that Christ offers us better and more happiness (although he does); we should also take hold of the fact that, in such temptations to sin, he is the Other we’re truly searching for. He’s the Transcendent we are made to behold and glorify, and all sinning is at root this longing for him, the Other, but in the wrong ways.
2) Seeking This Other in Our Relationship with God
Which leads us to consider how, second, this seeking for the Other applies in our relationship with God.
When we try to grow in our relationship with God, we undoubtedly are seeking for both quality and quantity. Christ is more satisfying (quantity) and better (quality)—and the more we embrace him like this, the greater our relationship will grow.
But the question we need to ask is: Why is he more satisfying and better? Why does he gives us that desired-for, superior quality and quantity? And the answer is: Because he’s different. He’s holy. He’s set apart. His Otherness is the foundation for the quality and quantity he gives.
What we’re seeking in our relationship with God, therefore, is still primarily the Other. We’re on the hunt for Holiness. For that Other. When we pray, read our Bibles, love the world in his name, we’re aiming to grow in knowing this holy God who offers to us not just a better love and more happiness, but his holy self (wherein the better love and more happiness is found).
Thinking This Way Daily
When we consider our Christian lives, then, we shouldn’t only think in terms of sin, idolatry, desire, and quantity and quality. We should add to these the category of seeking the Other—of holiness, distinctness, transcendence. For this is what we’re seeking daily, because our God made us like this. Our contentment does not come from having more or better of what the world offers. It comes from being connected to him whom we were made for—to the Uncreated Creator who is is distinct from his creation, who made us for himself, whom we are longing for every moment of every day.
God says of himself in Isaiah,
“’To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him?’ says the Holy One.” (Isaiah 40:25)
We worship and long for the incomparable Holy One who is unlike everything else. Yes, he is more satisfying and better than anything the world can offer. But in the end, it’s him—this Set-Apart One—we’re after. We fall short of him when we sin, and it’s him we seek after in our Christian living.
Let us, then, not only seek for quality and quantity, let us also daily chase this Other.
