Spiritual Math

I really like it when math and spiritual thoughts come together. I'm sure there are people out there with more elaborate examples than mine, but here are a few that have been sticking in my mind lately. They came up because one of them applied to a lesson I taught in church today, although I didn't end up using the example.


In the book Man, Woman, and Diety, Sherrie Johnson uses a triangle to show the ideal relationship between a couple and God. As you can see, it works quite nicely because the closer the couple gets to God, the closer they come to each other as well. I like that one.

From another book, Believing Christ by Stephen Robinson, I learned an equation which is a pretty good representation of the atonement and grace. He says, "Simply consider the mathematics of it: If Christ is infinite and unlimited, but I am finite and limited, and we become one, what do Christ and I together add up to? What is the sum of an infinite, positive quantity and a limited, negative quantity (∞ + -x)? Why, infinity, of course! Infinity plus any amount, positive or negative, equals infinity." This, too, is a satisfying example because it portrays the scope of the atonement of Christ: that it can really swallow up our sins and shortcomings. Some days (or during some periods of my life) my number might be 5 or 500, but sometimes it's -20. The number is not the point. The point is that we need to believe Christ when he says he is the way, and our faith in him (followed by repentance) is the addition sign in the equation.

The third example I have is a bit less refined, since I made it up myself. I'm no physicist, but it seems to me that you can apply the laws of physics to the idea of spiritual conversion. Conversion means to change, and I might define it as a change in direction from following our own will to following the will of God.

If I am to be converted, what needs to happen? First, I have a certain spiritual mass and I already have a speed and direction in this life. To change my direction, I need a force. In conversion, the Holy Ghost or Spirit of God acts as the best force. I say best because other forces can cause a person to get baptized, but only a change brought about by the powerful force of the Spirit can make that change permanent. Some people have a really great, huge spiritual experience which gives them enough force to change their direction toward the will of God all at once. (Imagine the sharp curve on a graph.) Some people have lots of small experiences with the Spirit which slowly change their direction over time. (Gentler curve.)

If my spiritual mass is great, then it takes more force to change my direction because of inertia. If my spiritual mass is small, it's easy to change. To me, mass is akin to the softness or hardness of my heart, my ability to feel the Spirit, and my level of selfishness. When my heart is soft, conversion is easy. This could go on and on, and I'm sure there are people who understand these priciples better than I. But, as Bill Nye would say, "Thank you for considering the following".