We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine

“Character is aim embodied, the habitual pursuit of aim.”

For Peterson, aim is what “gives the world its point” (xxix): People give order to the chaos of experience by viewing it in relation to a concrete aim. The steady pursuit of this aim over a lifetime is what Peterson calls character. The book is largely an analysis of these two concepts—constitutive elements of narrative—as depicted in the stories of the Bible.

“At every moment of consciousness, we are fated to wrestle with God.”

This is a statement of the book’s main thesis, reflected in its title. Peterson is drawing from the story of Jacob’s nighttime wrestling bout with a stranger, believed to be an angel or God himself, as depicted in the biblical book of Genesis. Peterson presents this story as an allegory for each individual’s lifelong struggle to live a good life by “wrestling” with the deepest moral questions.

“God is, in short, a character whose personality reveals itself as the biblical story proceeds.”

Peterson emphasizes the personal quality of God as portrayed in the Bible; rather than an impersonal force, he is an active being that creates and does things. God also interacts with humanity, thus giving rise to stories and drama like those discussed in the book.

“Do we believe? When we falter in that commitment, catastrophe looms.”

Throughout the book, Peterson posits a view of faith as action oriented rather than purely intellectual—a commitment to take particular stands and do particular things. Failing to uphold that commitment will have inevitable dire consequences, as Peterson will argue with regard to various biblical characters, pointing out the moral lessons embedded in ancient narratives.

“We cannot help but see the world through a story.”

A decisive theme of the book is Storytelling as the Foundation of Individual and Collective Consciousness, as exemplified by the stories of the Bible. Peterson argues that such stories have the power to inform our worldview and influence our actions. Stories give order to the chaos of experience through the narrative elements of aim and character.

“The world cannot survive if it is ruled by sex or power.”

For Peterson, sex and power are two forces that cause chaos when they are not subordinated to higher ideals—namely, sacrifice and “upward striving” toward God. This is illustrated in a number of the biblical stories, such as that of the Tower of Babel, where a prideful pursuit of power leads to chaos and confusion.

“All the crucial decisions of life are made on principle, not in consequence of sufficient evidence.”

In life, it is often necessary to make a leap of faith rather than act on the basis of a scientific certainty. Peterson argues for this necessity by showing that people make such leaps regularly, such as in the commitment of marriage. The moral lessons embedded in ancient narratives provide guidance in situations where certainty is impossible.

“‘I am the mother who can encompass all.’ […]  ‘I can retool and rename order itself, indefinitely—all to impress Eve.’”

Here, Peterson states the respective temptations of Eve and Adam in the Garden of Eve. In Peterson’s analysis, Eve is tempted by the sin of false compassion, and Adam is tempted by the sin of prideful overreach. Reflecting the gender essentialism that characterizes much of Peterson’s work, these temptations become emblematic of the signature temptations affecting men and women in all times.

“It is all on you—with God as Guide.”

Peterson identifies this as the central moral “burden” articulated in the Bible: to accept moral responsibility with God’s help. It is a challenge that faces Adam and Eve as they are banished from Eden and must make it on their own, with God’s help symbolized by his provision of clothing.

“What, then do we do when we work? We sacrifice the impulsive pleasures of the moment to the broader necessity of extended and social life.”

This quotation reflects Peterson’s view of work as a fundamental human activity that is sacrificial and aspirational in nature. To work means to defer gratification and plan for the future, and it is thus inherently a sacrifice of momentary pleasure in the interests of that which is highest. Peterson sees this sense of work as enshrined in the story of Cain and Abel, where Abel embodies the spirit of proper work and sacrifice.

“The religious is what most profoundly seizes attention and compels action.”

This is a strong statement of Peterson’s definition of religion: something that describes reality and acts as a goal toward which to strive. Religion is inherently an encounter with something greater than us, which then possesses us and becomes our motivating ideal.

“If you pay enough attention to anything, everything will be revealed.”

Peterson is referring to Moses’ encounter with God in the burning bush, where his attending to the mystery of the bush causes him to hear the voice of God. Peterson extends this to argue that mysteries or tragedies can reveal hidden truth if we only look behind them and seek the presence of God beyond.

“[W]e inevitably exist, as human beings, in relationship.”

Because human beings are personal entities, they necessarily exist in relationship to others—or to concepts—rather than remaining closed in on themselves. This can be relationship with the future, with the moral order, with other human beings, and ultimately with God—the relationship that the book as a whole aims to describe.

“Aim up, and offer all that you have.”

This is an aphoristic summation of the ethic that Peterson proposes in the book as a whole, an ethic centered on aspiration and sacrifice. In particular, Peterson sees this message embodied in the story of Cain and Abel, in which Abel personifies the sacrificial and work-oriented lifestyle that gains God’s favor, in contrast to the underachieving and resentful Cain.

“It is therefore the deepest of moral requirements to hold life and God to be good—no matter what.”

For Peterson, questioning the goodness of the moral order is tantamount to pride and failure, even though it is often dressed up as heroic defiance. Peterson admits that such a positive outlook is a “terrible truth” and severely tested in life’s difficulties. However, he argues that even this burden is lightened by the knowledge that God is beside us, helping us in our suffering.

“To believe is much more truly and usefully to commit to; to sacrifice everything to; to be voluntarily possessed by.”

Peterson articulates a view of faith that is more existential than merely propositional, with an emphasis on living out one’s convictions. This is a view of faith as a relationship and commitment, as depicted in the story of Noah. Peterson argues that the opposite view of faith, as a mere description of things that might potentially exist, predominates in the modern mentality.

“[T]he truth is the ultimate adventure.”

In Peterson’s analysis, the call to the spirit of adventure is the characterization of God in the story of Abraham. God calls Abraham to leave his familiar surroundings and settle in a new land where his descendants will flourish. This implies that the spirit of truth impels us to go on a quest, evoking the “hero’s quest” story structure described by sociologist Joseph Campbell in The Hero With a Thousand Faces.

“The essence of man and God is the will to take on the heaviest possible burden of life.”

For Peterson, the religious quest involves taking on a burden for a higher cause, like Jesus’ carrying of the cross. Sacrifice and self-denial are a necessary part of participating in the “creative process—the Logos” that leads us on an adventure of upward improvement (247).

“[A] human being is a microcosm or model of the cosmic order.”

This is a major idea in the book, implying that we can look at the human psyche to gain information about religious or moral truth. Peterson uses his expertise as a psychologist to derive moral and religious truths from the biblical stories. This also implies that God or the divine is closer to us than we may recognize.

“[T]hose who align themselves with the implicit moral order will triumph.”

This is the ultimate message of the story of Moses and the Exodus and is also an underlying message of Peterson’s book as a whole. As illustrated in the rescue of the Israelites from slavery, God rewards the righteous with life and prosperity, and despite sufferings, they ultimately triumph.

“Perhaps it is better to learn to handle snakes than to rid the world of snakes.”

This quote ties in with Peterson’s view of the transformative dimension of life and the need for sacrifice to attain a higher goal. Evils are placed in our path as a means for growth and greater maturity, through moral adventure. Specifically, Peterson is referring to how God instructs Moses to deal with the attack of snakes during the Exodus in the desert.

“[W]e are trying to extract out a universal thread of moral gold by walking through these ancient stories, and the bitter parts of the biblical corpus must be swallowed along with the sweet.”

With a mixed metaphor, Peterson points to the difficulties and contentious points inherent in the biblical text. Here, he is referring to the violent wartime actions of the Israelites toward the Midianites. That God apparently approves these atrocities raises one of the most vexing theological problems in Jewish and Christian thought: the question of how a God who is both omnipotent (all-powerful) and omnibenevolent (all good) can allow violence and suffering.

“There is, in short, no real difference between the silence of the good and the victory of evil.”

In a major motif in the book, here related to Jonah’s initial refusal to preach salvation to the Ninevites, Peterson stresses that morality requires not only just action but also just reaction to the existence of evil, particularly political tyranny and oppression.