I. Introduction
The term “Christ-likeness” bespeaks of a measure. There might be a lot, or a little, or even full (?), or none, of this Christ-likeness in an individual. And the term bespeaks of an orientation, a direction, as well. That is, said measure is highly dependent on an individual’s alignment with Christ. We are going to think about the term Christ-likeness as a measure and an orientation in this study, and we are going to do so using an elegant vehicle known as a “vector.” There will be some mundane talk along the way, but we are going to keep things very simple, and we are not going to lose our theological focus as the study unfolds. Let us say right away that our focus in this study is on the beloved and blessed Holy Spirit at work in the believer. He is, above all, the Elegant One.
II. Who Orients Our Christ-likeness Vector?
A vector is an abstraction that relates both the magnitude and direction of some given entity. In the following statement: “My velocity is fifty miles per hour westward,” “fifty miles per hour westward” is a vector abstraction. Velocities are vector abstractions. The vector’s counterpart, a scalar, is an abstraction that relates only the magnitude of some entity. In the following statement: “My speed is fifty miles per hour,” “fifty miles per hour” is a scalar abstraction. Speeds are scalar abstractions. Clearly, some entities are not amenable to vector abstraction, like for example the instantaneous temperature at various places in a room—such an instantaneous-temperature matrix is a scalar abstraction only. Why? Because there is no directional information associated with temperature. Temperatures per se are scalar abstractions (how about a change in temperature at some arbitrary place, is that amenable to vector abstraction? Yes, change always infers direction, and the magnitude is what changes here). We think that our moment-by-moment Christ-likeness is crudely amenable to vector abstraction, in that one manifests a magnitude—sometimes more, sometimes less, of Christ-likeness—that is moreover intimately a consequence of directional bias, as in the example shown in the figure (Fig. 1, black, dashed). As you can see, the Christ-likeness vector’s magnitude (black, dashed) is a consequence of its direction; please note that when vectors follow the principal directions that themselves bound all the other vector orientation possibilities for a given scenario, only then might we realize full (or zero) magnitude; principal directions are interesting!, because much of human activity and the universe around us can be described relative to an appropriate set of principal directions. In our figure (Fig. 1), vertical and horizontal were chosen to be the appropriate set of principal directions. So what is the point of all this theologically? It concerns the activity of the Holy Spirit, the “Timeless Worker,” as we like to think of Him. It is He who guides our direction unto full Christ-likeness by way of His promptings. In everyday terms, “…He gets us onto the right principal direction…”. Please allow a little more mundane talk to enter right here. There is in mathematics a very beautiful function called the “delta function” (more accurately, it is not a function, but a “distribution,” which is just a much more generalized notion of the classical “function” in mathematics; functions are, at the heart of it, simply mappings: you give me an input, and some machine that operates on that input, then we should witness the machine producing one, special output based on that particular input. A function is basically that sort of a grind; no big deal). The delta function is a simple function, and computationally very practical. The delta function, or more properly, the Dirac delta function, produces an infinite (!) spike when given some zero-point input, like for example the Christ-likeness vector (green, dashed) we show in the figure extending to infinity at the input point 0 (Fig. 1). The delta function extends vertically to infinity like that at a zero-point input, and, imagine this, it (the spike) ever narrows as it extends to infinity vertically (the spike gets narrower, and narrower, and narrower…!, so as to maintain a constant area; this area is well known: consistently, precisely, 1!; it is with respect to attaining this area [technically that is given the fancy name “integration”] that the utility of the delta function as also its meaning comes to the fore, and all this can be proven mathematically, but is outside our interests in this theological context). Importantly, and this is the point we are building up to, there is no off-vertical directional bias inherent in the delta function whatsoever, it is perfectly vertical. No doubt Plato would have gotten himself further confused about Reality (Truth) had he been allowed by our great God Jehovah to envision this jewel of a function; we are assuming that in his day (late fifth-century BC) he did not envision such a thing; the delta function was introduced by Paul Dirac (1902-1984). Dirac was an English physicist, one who contributed greatly to what was in his day (we are thinking of the period 1925-1935 thereabouts) the fledgling field of quantum mechanics; quantum mechanics came into its own in the mid-1920s after some considerable rethinking of foundational work laid down by Max Planck and Albert Einstein among others (late 1800s-early 1900s). Dirac later tried to harmonize quantum mechanics and general relativity, something that at the time of this writing still does not quite jibe, to the frustration of many an atheist to be sure (not a few modern, atheist-physicists, would love nothing more than a grand unified theory of “everything,” thus displacing Jehovah God “…once and for all…” as they would put it). Of course Dirac was an atheist (and a mocker of God besides; atheism and mocking God go hand-in-hand do they not?), certainly so when he was young, precisely when God (Omniscience) was blessing him most; our God gave this man many decades of insight into His handiwork by which to come to his senses and come to God through Jesus Christ, but Dirac only seemed to harden in his proud, self-confident atheism (Dirac’s comments about God evidence near total ignorance of the purposes of God in His Son Jesus Christ; such ignorance is hands down always the case when the spiritual, when God, is relegated down to the level of, at best, a curiosity, and what are we to expect of such a one then, besides atheism?, seeing that all of Scripture turns on Jesus Christ). Here is a classic example of someone who apparently did not hear God, who preferred rather the wooing of the science-god it would seem (note by the way that Plato had a much greater influence on the course of religion than did Dirac…). Getting back to Dirac’s delta function, it sounds and looks and even jibes great on paper, and in computational applications has been utilized with great practicality as concerns making computations simpler and more doable, and in simulating impulses and point-loads in engineering and whatnot, and in lending considerable fabric to the concept of a so-called “point particle” in physics, but, no one has ever “built” a real delta function, of course!, besides what one can display on a computer screen, and that of necessity is highly truncated, but good enough to do mundane things with. It is here where the mundane must bow to, take a back seat to, the spiritual; where the imperfect must bow to, take a back seat to, the perfect, for our Timeless Worker “builds” real Christ-like people who have in fact the eternality, and Truth (Reality, which, by definition, is boundless), and perfection, of God thus manifest in their spirit (perfectly vertical, if but latent). How so, practically speaking? God “got at” directional bias (this is hands down always Sin) at Calvary. Yes, Calvary—precisely the “verticality launching pad” to which the Holy Spirit guides (you know them by their Spirit-fruit: they really walk that talk [Gal 5:22-23]). The Cross of Calvary, with one beam vertical, and one beam horizontal, made out of two principal directions…one—the right one (if it was a single, vertical beam upon which our great savior God was brutalized for our directional bias, the conclusion remains the same). Well, delta functions are nice things, and though rightly they may be imagined to extend to the heavens here and there per their input, they are not Jacob’s Ladder, itself (He, Jesus, that is) operative not just here and there, but everywhere! So, as we wind this down now, let us not leave the impression that we are infatuated with delta functions; they but served a purpose for us here. One ascends to heaven, really, principally, only on the back of something real, something principal; a real, resurrected, righteous, and O yes, principal, Savior. With Him, we are indeed infatuated! Dearest reader, how is your Christ-likeness vector oriented these days? Is it perfectly aimed toward heaven (Fig. 1)? Have you ever heard and followed the beloved and blessed Spirit’s verticality promptings? He works hard you know, precisely for you (because, as He says, He so greatly loves you dear friend, John 3:16, “A Letter of Invitation“). And we love you too in our own human-expressive way dearest reader, and are praying for your Salvation.
III. Concluding Comments
We leaned on some secular technical abstractions to get this study started. We don’t think it is appropriate or necessary to repeat all that here. Instead, let us summarize the theological motivation and thrust of the study. The Word of God turns on, is coherently connected through and made intelligible by, Jesus Christ, who is identically the Word of God (“John Chapter One Commentary”). There is such a beauty and elegance in that correlation, in that “Theo-Logos,” is there not? God’s purposes for His special creation—humankind—are thus by default entirely centered in Jesus, because the Word of God is singularly intended for, or, given to, humankind. Of prime importance among God’s purposes for humankind was the redemption of humankind. Jesus did that, at Calvary (“A Letter of Invitation, “Holy Week,” for some background). Moreover, God purposed to reveal Himself to humankind in Jesus, and Jesus did that too, He Jesus is the revelation of God (“John Chapter Seventeen Commentary”). We know all we need to know of God in and through Jesus Christ. And God purposed to fellowship with a redeemed, God-cognizant humankind that had His, God’s, nature, which is the nature of perfection; perfect holiness. In the words of this study, it is a nature that is perfectly vertical, precisely the nature of Jesus Christ. It is in this purpose of God that the study found its motivation and thrust (“Be Holy”). “Be Holy” is tantamount to saying “Be Christ-like.” And that, attaining Christ-likeness, is a divine work, the activity of the beloved and blessed and dear Holy Spirit. As said in the main text, it is He who guides our direction unto full Christ-likeness by way of His promptings; we said it is He who gets us (submissive ones) onto the right principal direction. It is He, our Timeless Worker, who “builds” real Christ-like people who have in fact the eternality, and Truth, and perfection of God thus manifest in their spirit (perfectly vertical, if but latent). You know them, categorically, really, by their Spirit-fruit (Gal 5:22-23)!
Praised be your Name great savior God, real, resurrected, righteous, principal; radically, perfectly, vertical; thus you, even you, are the shortest distance in the least time between the heart and heaven. Thus you, even you, are the Light of the World (John 8:12). Amen.