Self-existence of God
God has no origin, He is an eternal Being.
“I AM THAT I AM” Exodus 3:14
God is the ever living One the fountain of all life. Stephen Charnock, in his work, “The Existence and Attributes of God” says the following:
“ God hath life in himself. (John 5:26)
He hath life by his essence.
He hath unlimited life.
He hath life in himself; all creatures have their life in him and from him.
He that hath life in himself doth necessarily exist, and could never be made to exist;
What doth necessarily exist, therefore, exists from eternity; what hath been of itself could never be produced in time, because it hath being from its essence, without influence of any efficient cause.
All life is seated in God, God is life; it is in him originally, radically, therefore eternally.
He that hath life in himself, and is from himself, cannot but be. He always was because he received his being from no other, and none can take away that being which was not given by another.
Since he hath life in himself, and that there was no cause for his existence, he can have no cause of his limitation, and can no more be determined to a time, than he can to a place.
What hath life in itself, hath life without bounds, and can never desert it, nor be deprived of it; so that he lives necessarily, and it is absolutely impossible that he should not live; whereas all other things “live, and move, and have their being in him” (Acts 27:28); and as they live by his will, so they can return to nothing at his word.”
Not only is God self-existent, but He is self-sufficient.
Self- Sufficiency of God
A. W. Tozer, writes in the "Knowledge of the Holy" the following concerning God's self-sufficiency and our responsibility as His creatures to understand who He has revealed Himself to be in Scripture:
"God is what He is in himself.
Whatever God is, and all that God is, He is in Himself. All life is in and from God. No creature has life in itself, all life is a gift from God.
God is the One who contains all, who gives all that is given, but who Himself can receive nothing that He has not first given.
God has a voluntary relation to everything He has made, but He has no necessary relation to anything outside of Himself. His interest in His creatures arises from His sovereign good pleasure, not from any need those creatures can supply nor from any completeness they can bring to Him who is complete in Himself.
To God alone nothing is necessary.
Were all human beings suddenly to become blind, still the sun would shine by day and the stars by night, for these owe nothing to the millions who benefit from their light. So, were every man on earth to become atheist, it could not affect God in anyway. He is what He is in Himself without regard to any other. To believe in Him adds nothing to His perfection; to doubt Him takes nothing away.
Almighty God, just because he is Almighty, needs no support. God is not greater for our being, nor would He be less if we did not exist. That we do exist is altogether of God’s free determination, not by our desert nor by divine necessity.
To be right we must think worthily of God. It is morally imperative that we purge from our minds all ignoble concepts of the Deity and let Him be the God in our minds that He is in His universe. The Christian religion has to do with God and man, but its focal point is God, not man. Man’s only claim to importance is that he was created in the divine image; in himself he is nothing.
That God exists for Himself and man for the glory of God is the emphatic teaching of the Bible."
If as brother Tozer says, "God exists for Himself and man for the glory of God is the emphatic teaching of the Bible." then why is this truth so little proclaimed from our pulpits today?
The gospel we hear today, in many ways, has ceased to be God-centered and has become man-centered.
Oh, that all the churchs who name Christ as Lord would recall the chief end of man, which is to glorify God (as God truly is) and enjoy Him forever.
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Friday, July 11, 2008
Immutability Of God
When we say that God is immutable we mean that He never differs from himself.
God does not change. From all eternity past, present, and future, God is what He has always been. His character hasn't and will never change.
All that God has revealed about Himself in the Scriptures will never be modified; nothing contained in the writings of the Old and New Testaments will be rescinded.
J. I. Packer, in his book "Knowing God" listed numerous examples of how God does not change.
Let us prayerfully consider each of the following:
1. God’s life does not change. He is from all eternity.
“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.” Jeremiah 10:10
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:23
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2
“They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” Psalm 102:26-27
“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.” Isaiah 48:12
God did not need to be made, for He was always there. He exits forever, and he is always the same.
2. God’s character does not change.
Nothing can alter the character of God. He never becomes less truthful, or merciful, or just, or good than he used to be. The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” Exodus 3:14-15
“I AM WHO I AM” - a phrase of which “Yahweh” (Jehovah “the LORD”) is in effect a shortened form. The Name is not as description of God, but simply a declaration of his self-existence and his eternal changelessness; a reminder to mankind that he has life in himself, and that what he is now, he is eternally.
“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:5-7
This proclamation supplements that of Exodus 3 by telling us what in fact Yahweh is; and that of Exodus 3 supplements this by telling us that God is forever what at that moment, three thousand years ago, he told Moses that he was. God’s moral character is changeless.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
3. God’s truth does not change.
“The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:6-8
“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.” Psalm 119:89, 151, 152
When we read our Bibles, therefore, we need to remember that God still stands behind all the promises, and demands, and statements of purpose, and words of warning, that are there addressed to the New Testament believers. These are not relics of a bygone age, but an eternally valid revelation of the mind of God toward his people in all generations.
“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;” John 10:35
Nothing can annul God’s eternal truth.
4. God’s ways do not change.
He continues to act toward sinful men and women in the way that he does in the Bible story. He still blesses those on whom he sets his love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be his alone. He still hates the sins of his people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and grief’s to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience. He still seeks the fellowship of his people, and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to himself. He still teaches believers to value his promised gifts by making them wait for those gifts, and compelling them to pray persistently for them, before he bestows them. So we read of God’s dealing with his people in the Scripture record, and so he deals with them still. His aims and principles of action remain consistent; he does not at any time act out of character.
5. God’s purposes do not change.
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19
Repenting means revising one’s judgment and changing one’s plan of action. God never does this; he never needs to, for his plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extend to all things past, present, future, so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unexpected developments to take him by surprise.
“The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11
What God does in time, he planned from eternity. And all that he planned in eternity he carries out in time. And all that he has in his Word committed himself to do will infallibly be done.
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18
No part of his eternal plan changes.
6. God’s Son does not change.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
His touch has still its ancient power. It still remains true -
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
He never changes, the fact is the strong consolation of all god’s people.
In this world where men forget us, change their attitude toward us as their private interests dictate, and revise their opinion of us for the slightest cause, is it not a source of wondrous strength to know that the God with whom we have to do changes not? That His attitude toward us now is the same it was in eternity past and will be in eternity to come?
What peace it brings to the Christian’s heart to realize that our Heavenly Father never differs from Himself. In coming to Him at any time we need not wonder whether we shall find Him in a receptive mood. He is always receptive to misery and need, as well as to love and faith. He does not keep office hours nor set aside periods when He will see no one. Neither does He change His mind about anything, Today, this moment, He feels towards His creatures, toward the sick, the fallen, the sinful, exactly as He did when He sent His only-begotten Son into the world to die for mankind.
God never changes moods or cools off in His affections or loses enthusiasm. His attitude toward sin is now the same as it was when He drove our sinful man from the eastward garden, and His attitude toward the sinner the same as when He stretched forth His hands and cried, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part. “I am the Lord, I change not.”
Nothing can alter the character of God. He never becomes less truthful, or merciful, or just, or good than he used to be. The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.
Knowing God by JI Packer p77-80
God does not change. From all eternity past, present, and future, God is what He has always been. His character hasn't and will never change.
All that God has revealed about Himself in the Scriptures will never be modified; nothing contained in the writings of the Old and New Testaments will be rescinded.
J. I. Packer, in his book "Knowing God" listed numerous examples of how God does not change.
Let us prayerfully consider each of the following:
1. God’s life does not change. He is from all eternity.
“But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.” Jeremiah 10:10
“And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.” Romans 1:23
“Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.” 1 Timothy 6:16
“Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.” Psalm 90:2
“They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.” Psalm 102:26-27
“Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.” Isaiah 48:12
God did not need to be made, for He was always there. He exits forever, and he is always the same.
2. God’s character does not change.
Nothing can alter the character of God. He never becomes less truthful, or merciful, or just, or good than he used to be. The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.
“And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, the LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.” Exodus 3:14-15
“I AM WHO I AM” - a phrase of which “Yahweh” (Jehovah “the LORD”) is in effect a shortened form. The Name is not as description of God, but simply a declaration of his self-existence and his eternal changelessness; a reminder to mankind that he has life in himself, and that what he is now, he is eternally.
“And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth,
Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth generation.” Exodus 34:5-7
This proclamation supplements that of Exodus 3 by telling us what in fact Yahweh is; and that of Exodus 3 supplements this by telling us that God is forever what at that moment, three thousand years ago, he told Moses that he was. God’s moral character is changeless.
“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.” James 1:17
3. God’s truth does not change.
“The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:6-8
“For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven. Thou art near, O LORD; and all thy commandments are truth. Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever.” Psalm 119:89, 151, 152
When we read our Bibles, therefore, we need to remember that God still stands behind all the promises, and demands, and statements of purpose, and words of warning, that are there addressed to the New Testament believers. These are not relics of a bygone age, but an eternally valid revelation of the mind of God toward his people in all generations.
“If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;” John 10:35
Nothing can annul God’s eternal truth.
4. God’s ways do not change.
He continues to act toward sinful men and women in the way that he does in the Bible story. He still blesses those on whom he sets his love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be his alone. He still hates the sins of his people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and grief’s to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience. He still seeks the fellowship of his people, and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to himself. He still teaches believers to value his promised gifts by making them wait for those gifts, and compelling them to pray persistently for them, before he bestows them. So we read of God’s dealing with his people in the Scripture record, and so he deals with them still. His aims and principles of action remain consistent; he does not at any time act out of character.
5. God’s purposes do not change.
“And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should repent.” 1 Samuel 15:29
“God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?” Numbers 23:19
Repenting means revising one’s judgment and changing one’s plan of action. God never does this; he never needs to, for his plans are made on the basis of a complete knowledge and control which extend to all things past, present, future, so that there can be no sudden emergencies or unexpected developments to take him by surprise.
“The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.” Psalm 33:11
What God does in time, he planned from eternity. And all that he planned in eternity he carries out in time. And all that he has in his Word committed himself to do will infallibly be done.
“Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us:” Hebrews 6:17-18
No part of his eternal plan changes.
6. God’s Son does not change.
“Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.” Hebrews 13:8
His touch has still its ancient power. It still remains true -
“Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:25
He never changes, the fact is the strong consolation of all god’s people.
In this world where men forget us, change their attitude toward us as their private interests dictate, and revise their opinion of us for the slightest cause, is it not a source of wondrous strength to know that the God with whom we have to do changes not? That His attitude toward us now is the same it was in eternity past and will be in eternity to come?
What peace it brings to the Christian’s heart to realize that our Heavenly Father never differs from Himself. In coming to Him at any time we need not wonder whether we shall find Him in a receptive mood. He is always receptive to misery and need, as well as to love and faith. He does not keep office hours nor set aside periods when He will see no one. Neither does He change His mind about anything, Today, this moment, He feels towards His creatures, toward the sick, the fallen, the sinful, exactly as He did when He sent His only-begotten Son into the world to die for mankind.
God never changes moods or cools off in His affections or loses enthusiasm. His attitude toward sin is now the same as it was when He drove our sinful man from the eastward garden, and His attitude toward the sinner the same as when He stretched forth His hands and cried, “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)
God will not compromise and He need not be coaxed. He cannot be persuaded to alter His Word nor talked into answering selfish prayer. In all our efforts to find God, to please Him, to commune with Him, we should remember that all change must be on our part. “I am the Lord, I change not.”
Nothing can alter the character of God. He never becomes less truthful, or merciful, or just, or good than he used to be. The character of God is today, and always will be, exactly what it was in Bible times.
Knowing God by JI Packer p77-80
Sunday, June 8, 2008
Attributes of God
Attributes are the revealed character of God, whatever God has in anyway revealed as being true of Himself. God wants to be known by His creatures, you and me, and has gone to great lengths to reveal Himself to us in creation, Scripture, and most of all in His Son, Jesus Christ.
In an introduction to his book, Attributes of God, A.W. Pink writes the following:
“The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. In this booklet an effort has been made to set forth some of the principal perfections of the Divine character. If the reader is to truly profit from his perusal of the pages that follow, he needs to definitely and earnestly beseech God to bless them to him, to apply His Truth to the conscience and heart, so that his life will be transformed thereby.
Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments. "Then shall we know, if we follow on (in the path of obedience) to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3). "If any man will do His will, he shall know" (John 7:17). "The people that do know their God shall be strong" (Dan. 11:32).”
So what has God revealed about Himself to us in Scripture?
First, God is Spirit, invisible, without body or bodily parts, not like man or any other creature. The word “Spirit” removes God’s nature from all association with material and corporal organization.
A.W. Pink writes;
"In the beginning, God" (Gen. 1:1). There was a time, if "time" is could be called, when God, in the unity of His nature (though subsisting equally in three Divine Persons), dwelt all alone. "In the beginning, God." There was no heaven, where His glory is now particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention. There were no angels to hymn His praises; no universe to be upheld by the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for a day, a year, or an age, but "from everlasting."
During a past eternity, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied; in need of nothing. He changes not (Mal. 3:6), therefore His essential glory can be neither augmented nor diminished.”
Second, God exists in Himself and of Himself. His being He owes to no one. His substance is indivisible. He has no parts but is single in His unitary being.
AW Tozer writes in Knowledge of the Holy;
“The doctrine of divine unity means not only that there is but one God, it means also that God is simple, uncomplex, one with himself. The harmony of His being is the result not of a perfect balance of parts but of the absence of parts. Between His attributes no contradiction can exist. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one.
All of God does all that God does; He does not divide Himself to perform a work, but works in total unity of being.
The divine attributes are what we know to be true of God. He does not possess them as qualities; they are how God is as He reveals Himself to His creatures. Love, for instance, is not something God has which may grow or diminish or cease to be. His love is the way God is, and when He loves He is simply being Himself. Likewise with the other attributes.”
An attribute, then, is a part of God. It is how God is. In as much as finite human beings can comprehend and reason, we may say it is what God is.
In an introduction to his book, Attributes of God, A.W. Pink writes the following:
“The foundation of all true knowledge of God must be a clear mental apprehension of His perfections as revealed in Holy Scripture. An unknown God can neither be trusted, served, nor worshipped. In this booklet an effort has been made to set forth some of the principal perfections of the Divine character. If the reader is to truly profit from his perusal of the pages that follow, he needs to definitely and earnestly beseech God to bless them to him, to apply His Truth to the conscience and heart, so that his life will be transformed thereby.
Something more than a theoretical knowledge of God is needed by us. God is only truly known in the soul as we yield ourselves to Him, submit to His authority, and regulate all the details of our lives by His holy precepts and commandments. "Then shall we know, if we follow on (in the path of obedience) to know the Lord" (Hosea 6:3). "If any man will do His will, he shall know" (John 7:17). "The people that do know their God shall be strong" (Dan. 11:32).”
So what has God revealed about Himself to us in Scripture?
First, God is Spirit, invisible, without body or bodily parts, not like man or any other creature. The word “Spirit” removes God’s nature from all association with material and corporal organization.
A.W. Pink writes;
"In the beginning, God" (Gen. 1:1). There was a time, if "time" is could be called, when God, in the unity of His nature (though subsisting equally in three Divine Persons), dwelt all alone. "In the beginning, God." There was no heaven, where His glory is now particularly manifested. There was no earth to engage His attention. There were no angels to hymn His praises; no universe to be upheld by the word of His power. There was nothing, no one, but God; and that, not for a day, a year, or an age, but "from everlasting."
During a past eternity, God was alone: self-contained, self-sufficient, self-satisfied; in need of nothing. He changes not (Mal. 3:6), therefore His essential glory can be neither augmented nor diminished.”
Second, God exists in Himself and of Himself. His being He owes to no one. His substance is indivisible. He has no parts but is single in His unitary being.
AW Tozer writes in Knowledge of the Holy;
“The doctrine of divine unity means not only that there is but one God, it means also that God is simple, uncomplex, one with himself. The harmony of His being is the result not of a perfect balance of parts but of the absence of parts. Between His attributes no contradiction can exist. He need not suspend one to exercise another, for in Him all His attributes are one.
All of God does all that God does; He does not divide Himself to perform a work, but works in total unity of being.
The divine attributes are what we know to be true of God. He does not possess them as qualities; they are how God is as He reveals Himself to His creatures. Love, for instance, is not something God has which may grow or diminish or cease to be. His love is the way God is, and when He loves He is simply being Himself. Likewise with the other attributes.”
An attribute, then, is a part of God. It is how God is. In as much as finite human beings can comprehend and reason, we may say it is what God is.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
What is it to know God?
What were we created for?
To know God.
What should our purpose be in life?
To know God.
What does this knowledge of God mean to my life?
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3
God has purposed from eternity that we, His creatures, should find our deepest joy, happiness, and rest in the knowledge of who He is. This knowledge, understanding, of the Almighty God who created all things, knowing and being known by Him, should be the only thing we glory in.
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
Again, I would like to quote J.I. Packer from the book Knowing God:
"What are we talking about when we use the phrase, Knowing God?
Knowing God involves:
1. Listening to God’s Word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself;
2. Noting God’s nature and character, as his word and works reveal it;
3. Accepting his invitations and doing what he commands;
4. Fourth, recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown in thus approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship.
The Bible tells us that we know God in the manner of a son knowing his father, a wife knowing her husband, a subject knowing his king, and a sheep knowing his shepherd. All four point to a relation in which the knower “looks up” to the one known, and the latter takes responsibility for the welfare of the former. This is part of the biblical concept of knowing God, that those who know him - that is, those by whom he allows himself to be known - are loved and cared for by him.
Knowing God is a matter of personal dealing.
Knowing God is more than knowing about him; it is a matter of dealing with him as he opens up to you, and being dealt with by him as he takes knowledge of you. Knowing about him is necessary precondition of trusting him,
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall t hey believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14
But the width of our knowledge about him is no gauge of the depth of our knowledge of him. You can have all the right notions in your head without ever trusting in your heart the realities to which they refer; and a simple Bible reader and sermon hearer who is full of the Holy Spirit will develop a deeper acquaintance with his God and Savior than a more learned scholar who is content with being theologically correct. The reason is that the former will deal with God regarding the practical application of truth to his life, whereas the latter will not.
Knowing God is a matter of personal involvement - mind, will and feeling.
To get to know another person, you have to commit yourself to his company and interests, and be ready to identify yourself with his concerns. Without this, your relationship with him can only be superficial and flavorless.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Psalm 34:8
We do not know another person’s real quality till we have “tasted” the experience of friendship. Friends are, so to speak, communicating flavors to each other all the time, by sharing their attitudes both toward each other and toward every thing else that is of common concern. As they thus open their hearts to each other by what they say and do, each “tastes” the quality of the other, for sorrow or for joy.
The emotional side of knowing God is often played down these days for fear of encouraging maudlin self-absorption. It is true that there is nothing more irreligious than self-absorbed religion, and that it is constantly needful to stress that God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with “religious experiences”, as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4
“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” 1 John 2:9
“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
1 John 2:11
“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” 1 John 3:6
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
1 John 4:20
But for all this, we must not lose sight of the fact that knowing God is an emotional relationship, as well as an intellectual and volitional one, and could not indeed be a deep relationship between persons were it not so.
Knowing God is a matter of grace.
It is a relationship in which the initiative throughout is with God - as it must be, since God is so completely above us and we have so completely forfeited all claim on his favor by our sins. We do not make friends with God; God makes friends with us, bringing us to know him by making his love known to us.
“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9
Their knowing God was the consequence of God’s taking knowledge of them. They know him by faith because he first singled them out by grace.
The word know, when used of God in this way, is a sovereign-grace word, pointing to God’s initiative in loving, choosing, redeeming, calling and preserving.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” Exodus 33:17
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28
Here God’s knowledge of those who are his is associated with his whole purpose of saving mercy. It is a knowledge that implies personal affection, redeeming action, covenant faithfulness and providential watchfulness toward those whom God knows.
What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact that underlies it- the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palm of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.
There is certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see, and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see myself. There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose.
He sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see, and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see myself. There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose.
Quotes taken from J.I. Packer, Knowing God pages 37 & 38
(I highly recommend J.I. Packer's book Knowing God - it is a great place for you to continue this study)
To know God.
What should our purpose be in life?
To know God.
What does this knowledge of God mean to my life?
“And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3
God has purposed from eternity that we, His creatures, should find our deepest joy, happiness, and rest in the knowledge of who He is. This knowledge, understanding, of the Almighty God who created all things, knowing and being known by Him, should be the only thing we glory in.
“Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.” Jeremiah 9:23-24
Again, I would like to quote J.I. Packer from the book Knowing God:
"What are we talking about when we use the phrase, Knowing God?
Knowing God involves:
1. Listening to God’s Word and receiving it as the Holy Spirit interprets it, in application to oneself;
2. Noting God’s nature and character, as his word and works reveal it;
3. Accepting his invitations and doing what he commands;
4. Fourth, recognizing and rejoicing in the love that he has shown in thus approaching you and drawing you into this divine fellowship.
The Bible tells us that we know God in the manner of a son knowing his father, a wife knowing her husband, a subject knowing his king, and a sheep knowing his shepherd. All four point to a relation in which the knower “looks up” to the one known, and the latter takes responsibility for the welfare of the former. This is part of the biblical concept of knowing God, that those who know him - that is, those by whom he allows himself to be known - are loved and cared for by him.
Knowing God is a matter of personal dealing.
Knowing God is more than knowing about him; it is a matter of dealing with him as he opens up to you, and being dealt with by him as he takes knowledge of you. Knowing about him is necessary precondition of trusting him,
“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall t hey believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14
But the width of our knowledge about him is no gauge of the depth of our knowledge of him. You can have all the right notions in your head without ever trusting in your heart the realities to which they refer; and a simple Bible reader and sermon hearer who is full of the Holy Spirit will develop a deeper acquaintance with his God and Savior than a more learned scholar who is content with being theologically correct. The reason is that the former will deal with God regarding the practical application of truth to his life, whereas the latter will not.
Knowing God is a matter of personal involvement - mind, will and feeling.
To get to know another person, you have to commit yourself to his company and interests, and be ready to identify yourself with his concerns. Without this, your relationship with him can only be superficial and flavorless.
“O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.”
Psalm 34:8
We do not know another person’s real quality till we have “tasted” the experience of friendship. Friends are, so to speak, communicating flavors to each other all the time, by sharing their attitudes both toward each other and toward every thing else that is of common concern. As they thus open their hearts to each other by what they say and do, each “tastes” the quality of the other, for sorrow or for joy.
The emotional side of knowing God is often played down these days for fear of encouraging maudlin self-absorption. It is true that there is nothing more irreligious than self-absorbed religion, and that it is constantly needful to stress that God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with “religious experiences”, as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.
“He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” 1 John 2:4
“He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now.” 1 John 2:9
“But he that hateth his brother is in darkness, and walketh in darkness, and knoweth not whither he goeth, because that darkness hath blinded his eyes.”
1 John 2:11
“Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.” 1 John 3:6
“If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
1 John 4:20
But for all this, we must not lose sight of the fact that knowing God is an emotional relationship, as well as an intellectual and volitional one, and could not indeed be a deep relationship between persons were it not so.
Knowing God is a matter of grace.
It is a relationship in which the initiative throughout is with God - as it must be, since God is so completely above us and we have so completely forfeited all claim on his favor by our sins. We do not make friends with God; God makes friends with us, bringing us to know him by making his love known to us.
“But now, after that ye have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto ye desire again to be in bondage?” Galatians 4:9
Their knowing God was the consequence of God’s taking knowledge of them. They know him by faith because he first singled them out by grace.
The word know, when used of God in this way, is a sovereign-grace word, pointing to God’s initiative in loving, choosing, redeeming, calling and preserving.
“And the LORD said unto Moses, I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in my sight, and I know thee by name.” Exodus 33:17
“Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.” John 10:14-15
“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:
And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” John 10:27-28
Here God’s knowledge of those who are his is associated with his whole purpose of saving mercy. It is a knowledge that implies personal affection, redeeming action, covenant faithfulness and providential watchfulness toward those whom God knows.
What matters supremely, therefore, is not, in the last analysis, the fact that I know God, but the larger fact that underlies it- the fact that he knows me. I am graven on the palm of his hands. I am never out of his mind. All my knowledge of him depends on his sustained initiative in knowing me. I know him because he first knew me, and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, one who loves me; and there is no moment when his eye is off me, or his attention distracted from me, and no moment, therefore, when his care falters.
There is certainly, great cause for humility in the thought that he sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see, and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see myself. There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose.
He sees all the twisted things about me that my fellow humans do not see, and that he sees more corruption in me than that which I see myself. There is, however, equally great incentive to worship and love God in the thought that, for some unfathomable reason, he wants me as his friend, and desires to be my friend, and has given his Son to die for me in order to realize this purpose.
Quotes taken from J.I. Packer, Knowing God pages 37 & 38
(I highly recommend J.I. Packer's book Knowing God - it is a great place for you to continue this study)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Knowing God
To know God.
Why is this important to my life?
And if it is important, how do I go about learning who God is?
And once we begin to learn who God is, what do we intend to do with this knowledge?
To help answer these questions I have posted the following quotes from J.I.Packer's book "Knowing God."
"Knowing God is crucially important for the living of our lives. We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your mind."
"Before we can jump to studying God Himself, we need to determine the principles by which we make this effort.
There are five basic truths, five foundational principles of the knowledge about God which Christians have, which will determine our course throughout. They are as follows:
1. God has spoken to man, and the Bible is his Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.
2. God is Lord and King over his world; he rules all things for his own glory, displaying his perfections in all that he does, in order that men and angels worship and adore him.
3. God is Savior, active in sovereign love through the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as his children and to bless them accordingly.
4. God is triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it and the Spirit applying it.
5. Godliness means responding to God’s revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word.
This and nothing else is true religion."
"We also need to determine what we intend to do with this knowledge about God, once we have it. For this we would be wise to follow King David.
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,
and that seek him with the whole heart.
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!”
(Psalm 119:1-2, 5)
His supreme desire was to know and enjoy God himself, and he valued knowledge about God simply as a means to this end. He wanted to understand God’s truth in order that his heart might respond to it and his life be conformed to it. The psalmist was interested in truth and orthodoxy, in biblical teaching and theology, not as ends in themselves, but as means to further ends of life and godliness, His ultimate concern was with the knowledge and service of the great God whose truth he sought to understand."
"Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God himself better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God’s attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As he is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led by God. How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its effect is ever to humble us, so as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory and see our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us- as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ."
"A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about God.
1. One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him.
2. One can know a great deal about godliness without much knowledge of God."
"Do we desire such knowledge of God?
First, we must recognize how much we lack knowledge of God. We must learn to measure ourselves, not by our knowledge about God, not by our gifts and responsibilities in the church, but by how we pray and what goes on in our hearts. Many of us, I suspect, have no idea how impoverished we are at this level. Let us ask the Lord to show us.
Second, we must seek the Savior. When he was on earth, he invited ordinary people to company with him; thus they came to know him, and in knowing him to know the Father. The lord Jesus Christ is now absent from us in body, but spiritually, it makes no difference; still we may find and know God through seeking and finding Jesus’ company. It is those who have sought the Lord Jesus till they have found him - for the promise is that when we seek him with all our hearts, we shall surely find him - who can stand before the world to testify that they have known him."
(Knowing God by J.I. Packer pages 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 32)
Why is this important to my life?
And if it is important, how do I go about learning who God is?
And once we begin to learn who God is, what do we intend to do with this knowledge?
To help answer these questions I have posted the following quotes from J.I.Packer's book "Knowing God."
"Knowing God is crucially important for the living of our lives. We are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. The world becomes a strange, mad, painful place, and life in it a disappointing and unpleasant business, for those who do not know about God. Disregard the study of God, and you blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. This way you can waste your life and lose your mind."
"Before we can jump to studying God Himself, we need to determine the principles by which we make this effort.
There are five basic truths, five foundational principles of the knowledge about God which Christians have, which will determine our course throughout. They are as follows:
1. God has spoken to man, and the Bible is his Word, given to us to make us wise unto salvation.
2. God is Lord and King over his world; he rules all things for his own glory, displaying his perfections in all that he does, in order that men and angels worship and adore him.
3. God is Savior, active in sovereign love through the Lord Jesus Christ to rescue believers from the guilt and power of sin, to adopt them as his children and to bless them accordingly.
4. God is triune; there are within the Godhead three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit; and the work of salvation is one in which all three act together, the Father purposing redemption, the Son securing it and the Spirit applying it.
5. Godliness means responding to God’s revelation in trust and obedience, faith and worship, prayer and praise, submission and service. Life must be seen and lived in the light of God’s Word.
This and nothing else is true religion."
"We also need to determine what we intend to do with this knowledge about God, once we have it. For this we would be wise to follow King David.
“Blessed are the undefiled in the way,
who walk in the law of the LORD.
Blessed are they that keep his testimonies,
and that seek him with the whole heart.
O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!”
(Psalm 119:1-2, 5)
His supreme desire was to know and enjoy God himself, and he valued knowledge about God simply as a means to this end. He wanted to understand God’s truth in order that his heart might respond to it and his life be conformed to it. The psalmist was interested in truth and orthodoxy, in biblical teaching and theology, not as ends in themselves, but as means to further ends of life and godliness, His ultimate concern was with the knowledge and service of the great God whose truth he sought to understand."
"Our aim in studying the Godhead must be to know God himself better. Our concern must be to enlarge our acquaintance, not simply with the doctrine of God’s attributes, but with the living God whose attributes they are. As he is the subject of our study, and our helper in it, so he must himself be the end of it. We must seek, in studying God, to be led by God. How can we turn our knowledge about God into knowledge of God? The rule for doing this is simple but demanding. It is that we turn each truth that we learn about God into matter for meditation before God, leading to prayer and praise to God. Meditation is the activity of calling to mind, and thinking over, and dwelling on, and applying to oneself, the various things that one knows about the works and ways and purposes and promises of God. It is an activity of holy thought, consciously performed in the presence of God, under the eye of God, by the help of God, as a means of communion with God. Its effect is ever to humble us, so as we contemplate God’s greatness and glory and see our own littleness and sinfulness, and to encourage and reassure us- as we contemplate the unsearchable riches of divine mercy displayed in the Lord Jesus Christ."
"A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about God.
1. One can know a great deal about God without much knowledge of him.
2. One can know a great deal about godliness without much knowledge of God."
"Do we desire such knowledge of God?
First, we must recognize how much we lack knowledge of God. We must learn to measure ourselves, not by our knowledge about God, not by our gifts and responsibilities in the church, but by how we pray and what goes on in our hearts. Many of us, I suspect, have no idea how impoverished we are at this level. Let us ask the Lord to show us.
Second, we must seek the Savior. When he was on earth, he invited ordinary people to company with him; thus they came to know him, and in knowing him to know the Father. The lord Jesus Christ is now absent from us in body, but spiritually, it makes no difference; still we may find and know God through seeking and finding Jesus’ company. It is those who have sought the Lord Jesus till they have found him - for the promise is that when we seek him with all our hearts, we shall surely find him - who can stand before the world to testify that they have known him."
(Knowing God by J.I. Packer pages 19, 20, 22, 23, 26, 32)
Saturday, March 15, 2008
Beholding The Glory of God - What is God?
What is God? Even asking this question seems wrong in some way.
He is so far above, beyond, so totally Other - how can we, mere creatures hope to comprehend such a God? My finite mind cannot grasp an infinite God. It is true that God is a mystery - and that He will always be clouded in mystery to His creatures. If He had not chosen to reveal Himself to us, there is no way we could know anything about Him rightly. But, thank God, He did choose to reveal many aspects about Himself to us.
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding. That we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1John 5:20)
Where to begin?
I am thankful that I am not the first person to attempt to answer these questions, and by God’s grace, I will not be the last. In the first centuries after Christ’s resurrection our church fathers, to fight various heresies that had crept into the church, felt it necessary to put on paper what the Church held as Truth. I insert these creeds here to help us have a foundation with which to begin our study.
The Apostle's Creed is a statement of the basics of the faith. The Apostles' Creed was not written by the Biblical Disciples. The name is deemed this as a sum and substance of the early Apostolic teaching which the disciples would have held to. Earliest version found is A.D. 215. The current version is circa 542 A.D.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
(catholic defined as the universal church - does not refer to Roman Catholicism)
The Nicene Creed was an orthodox creed on the Trinity and the Son. Circa 381 A.D.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
The Westminster Confession, Chapter 2, states the following:
“ I. There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty.
II. God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; he is the alone foundation of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature; so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience he is pleased to require of them.
III. In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”
This is quite a statement. Even though we can read the words, there is no way upon reading this once through that we could comprehend all the truth contained about God in these three paragraphs. The church leaders of that time were very concerned that generations following would have a clear grasp of the Gospel, for only by it can men know God and have eternal life. So these dear brothers determined to teach all the Truth contained in the Westminster Confession (many more paragraphs on the whole of our Christian faith) to their children and grandchildren. Granted, it was a daunting task. So they created the Larger Catechism for all their children and newly converted Christians and even the unsaved living in a believers home or employed in a believer’s business to be instructed about God during devotions. (Can you imagine mandatory prayer, Scripture reading, and devotions in every believer’s home and business? Awesome!)
This is what the Larger Catechism says to our question:
Q. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
When the questions were asked in the Catechism, the student was to recite the answer word for word. A mighty impressive accomplishment seeing that the Larger Catechism has 196 questions! At some point, for reasons unknown to me (didn’t take the time to research it) there came in to being the Shorter Catechism, which says to our question:
Q. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Perhaps seeing how our Christian brethren throughout history have answered this question will help us to get an overview of how Awesome our God really is, and let us know what a privilege it is that we can even contemplate not only knowing about such a Good God, but having a relationship with Him, even more, being adopted into His family.
When we understand this, how can we not be changed?
During the next week read over the Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, Westminster Confession and the Larger and Shorter Catechism. Spend some time pondering in your own mind what they say. Are these just a list of beliefs, cold hard facts about a being you know about, but irrelevant to your daily life; or, are they words describing the being you know of, the One to whom your heart longs to be with - does your spirit within sing out praises to this great Father of ours?
And although it is difficult to grasp these truths and causes our minds to stretch to contain them, does it not at the same time, fill us with such joy and gratitude that our innermost being is stretched too, hardly able to contain the wonder of it all.
To know God, is to love God.
He is so far above, beyond, so totally Other - how can we, mere creatures hope to comprehend such a God? My finite mind cannot grasp an infinite God. It is true that God is a mystery - and that He will always be clouded in mystery to His creatures. If He had not chosen to reveal Himself to us, there is no way we could know anything about Him rightly. But, thank God, He did choose to reveal many aspects about Himself to us.
“And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding. That we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.” (1John 5:20)
Where to begin?
I am thankful that I am not the first person to attempt to answer these questions, and by God’s grace, I will not be the last. In the first centuries after Christ’s resurrection our church fathers, to fight various heresies that had crept into the church, felt it necessary to put on paper what the Church held as Truth. I insert these creeds here to help us have a foundation with which to begin our study.
The Apostle's Creed is a statement of the basics of the faith. The Apostles' Creed was not written by the Biblical Disciples. The name is deemed this as a sum and substance of the early Apostolic teaching which the disciples would have held to. Earliest version found is A.D. 215. The current version is circa 542 A.D.
The Apostles' Creed
I believe in God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, His only Son, our Lord: Who was conceived of the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into hell. The third day He arose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father Almighty, whence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.
(catholic defined as the universal church - does not refer to Roman Catholicism)
The Nicene Creed was an orthodox creed on the Trinity and the Son. Circa 381 A.D.
The Nicene Creed
I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible; And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all worlds, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father; by whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man; and was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered and was buried; and the third day he rose again according to the Scriptures, and ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right hand of the Father; and he shall come again, with glory, to judge both the quick and the dead; whose kingdom shall have no end. And I believe in the Holy Ghost, the Lord, and Giver of Life, who proceedeth from the Father and the Son; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spake by the Prophets. And I believe one holy Catholic and Apostolic Church; I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins; and I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the world to come.
The Westminster Confession, Chapter 2, states the following:
“ I. There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immutable, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, almighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory, most loving, gracious, merciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin; and who will by no means clear the guilty.
II. God hath all life, glory, goodness, blessedness, in and of himself; and is alone in and unto himself all-sufficient, not standing in need of any creatures which he hath made, nor deriving any glory from them, but only manifesting his own glory in, by, unto, and upon them; he is the alone foundation of all being, of whom, through whom, and to whom, are all things; and hath most sovereign dominion over them, to do by them, for them, or upon them, whatsoever himself pleaseth. In his sight all things are open and manifest; his knowledge is infinite, infallible, and independent upon the creature; so as nothing is to him contingent or uncertain. He is most holy in all his counsels, in all his works, and in all his commands. To him is due from angels and men, and every other creature, whatsoever worship, service, or obedience he is pleased to require of them.
III. In the unity of the Godhead there are three Persons of one substance, power, and eternity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost. The Father is of none, neither begotten nor proceeding; the Son is eternally begotten of the Father; the Holy Ghost eternally proceeding from the Father and the Son.”
This is quite a statement. Even though we can read the words, there is no way upon reading this once through that we could comprehend all the truth contained about God in these three paragraphs. The church leaders of that time were very concerned that generations following would have a clear grasp of the Gospel, for only by it can men know God and have eternal life. So these dear brothers determined to teach all the Truth contained in the Westminster Confession (many more paragraphs on the whole of our Christian faith) to their children and grandchildren. Granted, it was a daunting task. So they created the Larger Catechism for all their children and newly converted Christians and even the unsaved living in a believers home or employed in a believer’s business to be instructed about God during devotions. (Can you imagine mandatory prayer, Scripture reading, and devotions in every believer’s home and business? Awesome!)
This is what the Larger Catechism says to our question:
Q. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, in and of himself infinite in being, glory, blessedness, and perfection; all-sufficient, eternal, unchangeable, incomprehensible, everywhere present, almighty, knowing all things, most wise, most holy, most just, most merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.
When the questions were asked in the Catechism, the student was to recite the answer word for word. A mighty impressive accomplishment seeing that the Larger Catechism has 196 questions! At some point, for reasons unknown to me (didn’t take the time to research it) there came in to being the Shorter Catechism, which says to our question:
Q. What is God?
A. God is a Spirit, infinite, eternal, and unchangeable, in his being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth.
Perhaps seeing how our Christian brethren throughout history have answered this question will help us to get an overview of how Awesome our God really is, and let us know what a privilege it is that we can even contemplate not only knowing about such a Good God, but having a relationship with Him, even more, being adopted into His family.
When we understand this, how can we not be changed?
During the next week read over the Apostle’s Creed, Nicene Creed, Westminster Confession and the Larger and Shorter Catechism. Spend some time pondering in your own mind what they say. Are these just a list of beliefs, cold hard facts about a being you know about, but irrelevant to your daily life; or, are they words describing the being you know of, the One to whom your heart longs to be with - does your spirit within sing out praises to this great Father of ours?
And although it is difficult to grasp these truths and causes our minds to stretch to contain them, does it not at the same time, fill us with such joy and gratitude that our innermost being is stretched too, hardly able to contain the wonder of it all.
To know God, is to love God.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Beholding the Glory of God
What is the purpose of this post?
To know God.
Why undertake this study now? Motivation?
About a year ago I read John Owen’s “The Glory of Christ,” and have been unable to let go of something he wrote.
He quoted 2 Corinthians 3:18 -
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Then he said,
“As believers, beholding the glory of Christ in the glass of the gospel, we are changed into the same image and likeness by the Spirit of the Lord. So those beholding the beauty of the world and things that are in it through the cursed glass of self-love are in their minds changed into its image. But we have not so learned Christ.”
Since Christians are to be “Christ-like”
Since to become like Christ, bearing His fruit, is what all who believe do “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11)
Since God demands “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (Peter 1:16)
Since the way to show our love for Him and to truly know Him is being obedient as Jesus was - “ If ye love me, keep my commandments” “ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” “ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:15,21,23)
Since we, who are called God’s children, “and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. (Romans 9:26); and are new creatures, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthinas 5:17); are to live exactly as the Scriptures tell us, that it is “not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20);
that the world is to see Jesus living through us,
Since Christ gave himself for the Church “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27);
and since this, as a whole, is not what the world sees;
Since we have in our weakness, apathy and sin-soaked lives betrayed our Savior by representing Him falsely to a fallen world, a world full of people that He came to save “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
That can only know Him through us being what He has called us to be.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; an it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Since it is easier to focus on the failings of the “Church”, instead of my own personal betrayal in not living out 1 Thessalonians 2:12
“ That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
And since the only answer for all that is “un-Christ-like” in my life is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18,
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
I now find myself asking:
How do we, with open face, behold Christ?
Open face: No longer hiding behind a mask, no more excuses for sin or weakness. Acknowledging ourselves to be, in truth, exactly as our Heavenly Father, who sees all and knows us better that we do ourselves, says we are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelations 3:17)
To Behold:
To behold means to look, but much more than just to look.
It means to observe carefully, to drink in with our eyes until we perceive the real nature of what we behold.
So, what I must now do, is to first, pray and ask the Holy Spirit - who is the dispenser of all truth - to lead me into this act of “beholding”.
To search the Scriptures to see what God has revealed to us about Himself. To not only study what each verse says to my understanding (mind), but to drink of it until it soaks into my heart (will), thereby changing me to become in this world what His Word says I am in Truth.
“ Herein is our love made perfect, that we have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1John 4:17)
To know God.
Why undertake this study now? Motivation?
About a year ago I read John Owen’s “The Glory of Christ,” and have been unable to let go of something he wrote.
He quoted 2 Corinthians 3:18 -
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
Then he said,
“As believers, beholding the glory of Christ in the glass of the gospel, we are changed into the same image and likeness by the Spirit of the Lord. So those beholding the beauty of the world and things that are in it through the cursed glass of self-love are in their minds changed into its image. But we have not so learned Christ.”
Since Christians are to be “Christ-like”
Since to become like Christ, bearing His fruit, is what all who believe do “Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God” (Philippians 1:11)
Since God demands “Be ye holy, for I am holy” (Peter 1:16)
Since the way to show our love for Him and to truly know Him is being obedient as Jesus was - “ If ye love me, keep my commandments” “ He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.” “ Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:15,21,23)
Since we, who are called God’s children, “and it shall come to pass, that in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people; there shall they be called the children of the living God. (Romans 9:26); and are new creatures, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. (2 Corinthinas 5:17); are to live exactly as the Scriptures tell us, that it is “not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20);
that the world is to see Jesus living through us,
Since Christ gave himself for the Church “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:27);
and since this, as a whole, is not what the world sees;
Since we have in our weakness, apathy and sin-soaked lives betrayed our Savior by representing Him falsely to a fallen world, a world full of people that He came to save “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” (Luke 19:10)
That can only know Him through us being what He has called us to be.
“Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; an it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16).
Since it is easier to focus on the failings of the “Church”, instead of my own personal betrayal in not living out 1 Thessalonians 2:12
“ That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.”
And since the only answer for all that is “un-Christ-like” in my life is found in 2 Corinthians 3:18,
“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.”
I now find myself asking:
How do we, with open face, behold Christ?
Open face: No longer hiding behind a mask, no more excuses for sin or weakness. Acknowledging ourselves to be, in truth, exactly as our Heavenly Father, who sees all and knows us better that we do ourselves, says we are “wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:” (Revelations 3:17)
To Behold:
To behold means to look, but much more than just to look.
It means to observe carefully, to drink in with our eyes until we perceive the real nature of what we behold.
So, what I must now do, is to first, pray and ask the Holy Spirit - who is the dispenser of all truth - to lead me into this act of “beholding”.
To search the Scriptures to see what God has revealed to us about Himself. To not only study what each verse says to my understanding (mind), but to drink of it until it soaks into my heart (will), thereby changing me to become in this world what His Word says I am in Truth.
“ Herein is our love made perfect, that we have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.” (1John 4:17)
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