That We May Know Him

For centuries, many in the church have come to know God, that is, His will, nature, character, purpose and plan in a very non-biblical fashion. Many believers today also misunderstand or have a limited knowledge of God in this way, therefore, they miss out on the wonderful promises and manifestation of His Kingdom, Power and Glory that come through Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews records, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person (nature)..." (Hebrews 1:1-3) 

In and throughout the Old Testament, God used various methods in communicating his will, nature, character, purpose and plan to humanity. At times it was by direct communication and at times by dreams and visions. He did this mostly through the prophets. Although the prophets, were in a sense, great in God, the day came when God sent His only begotten Son into the world where He spoke to us in a way that brought the greatest revelation of His will, nature, character, purpose and plan. The writer goes on to say, that God's Son was the "brightness of His glory and the express image of His person." In other words, when Jesus was revealed in the flesh He was the "exact representation" of Father God. 

The Greek word translated "exact representation" finds its origin in the making of coins by striking them, thus creating an impression upon them. This word can be translated as coined impression or exact reproduction. The Greek word translated "nature" can be translated as real substance or essence. In other words, what these opening verses in Hebrews are telling us, is, that Jesus Christ is the exact representation, the coined impression, the exact reproduction of the nature, character, real substance, and essence of the Father. No one had ever revealed the Father so perfectly in every way until Jesus. This is one of the most important things that believers must fully understand if we want to know the perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan of God. 

The Gospel of John expresses this fundamental, but most important truth concerning Jesus more often than any other book. The truth presented by the writer of Hebrews and, as we will see revealed by the Apostle John in his Gospel, can be easily taken for granted because at first glance it seems so apparent. Because it is so apparent, so obvious, it can be easily underestimated in significance. However, overlooking and underestimating the significance of this truth continues to be the main reason why so many believers have such a non-biblical perspective of God, in regard to His will, nature, character, purpose and plan, that is, who He truly and really is. We begin with the conversation that Jesus has with the eleven apostles (Judas Iscariot having left them to go and betray Jesus). Although the eleven are present, Jesus' conversation is directed towards Thomas and Philip. 

"Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." (John 14:6-7) Jesus tells them that He is "the way, the truth and the life." Jesus is the only access to the Father and He is the source of Truth and life. There is hardly a believer anywhere that would object to these rather obvious truths. He goes on, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him." Notice that Jesus says, "if you had known Me, you would have known My Father also." In other words, to know Christ is to know the Father. The word "known" in this passage, by definition, carries the same meaning as, "Now Adam "knew" Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain..." (Genesis 4:1) It is to have an intimate relationship, and intimate connection with Jesus as a man with his wife.

Studying the life of Jesus will reveal the perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan of the Father. If believers fail to believe that Jesus knows and reveals the Father in this way in all matters, their knowledge of God will be filled with misconceptions of who He truly is. Mysteries that were once hidden in the Old Testament, are now revealed in Jesus, through His words and actions. The conversation continues, "Philip said to Jesus, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works." (John 14:8-10)  

This conversation reveals some important truths. Jesus tells Philip that when He is seen, the Father is also seen. Every word and every action of Jesus reveals the will of the Father. Jesus also reveals the special nature of the relationship between Himself and the Father. The fact is, Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in Jesus. The Father in Jesus gives Him the words to speak. The implication is that the teaching and commands of Jesus reveals the Father's perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan in all matters. Jesus gives credit to the Father for His works. The miracles and healing in the life of Jesus were expressions of the divine purpose of the Father. Finally, in this conversation, Jesus reveals what this special relationship between Him and His Father will mean to His disciples in the future, if believers want to do the same kind of works. Jesus continues... 

 "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." (John 14:11-14) Faith in Jesus includes believing that He was and is in the Father. This phrase is of great importance. In context of these verses, Jesus has been teaching the importance of believing that He has been revealing the Father. In fact, Jesus commands His followers to believe that very thing. If believers fail to believe that Jesus reveals the perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan of the Father, they will find that faith will be difficult for many of the things that Jesus did for humanity through His death, resurrection and glorification. They will also fail to understand and walk out in this life, the fact that Jesus calls upon all believers to replicate His ministry and do even greater things. 

This great promise, "the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do" is conditioned on the earlier statement that believers must believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father in Him. That Jesus is an exact reproduction of the Father revealing the Father's perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan in all matters. Believers must believe that the will, nature, character, purpose and plan of the Father was finding absolute perfect expression in the actions, attitudes, teaching and commands of Jesus. Now that Jesus has gone to be with the Father, the will, nature, character, purpose and plan of the Father can now be expressed through believers empowered by the Holy Spirit. 

We can now draw this important conclusion from what has been revealed in the above. Believing that God the Father was in Jesus expressing His perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan through everything that Jesus said and did, has opened the door for believers to do similar and even greater works than Jesus. While many believes would be quick to agree with these things, if they fail to grasp the significance of this highly important matter discussed here, they will fail to experience the miraculous works that Jesus promised those who believe, would do. Simply put, this is not a matter of the intellect, but of revelation. Without seeking God for a revelation of these things, we will see Christianity as no more than any other powerless world religion. We will continue to develop doctrinal disclaimers that disagree with the perfect will, nature, character, purpose and plan of God and possibly never come to see God as who He really is.

So, let us be as Abraham, "Who did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:20-21) Amen?

God and His Word are One

Throughout history, especially today, many believers question and or struggle with why bad things seem to happen. Is it God's will for His children, that is, believers, to suffer under the wait of sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances and or even the premature loss of a loved one? To answer this question, we first need to see what the Bible says about the will, nature, character, purpose and plan of God. Naturally, this is an extensive topic, so we will only look briefly at some of these five attributes of God. First, we must see that God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan all hang on His most potent characteristic, God is Love. (1 John 4:8)

Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, and is revealed to us in all that Jesus said and did as shown in the four gospels. It is in the four gospels, through the life of Jesus, where we find the specifics concerning God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan. This does not exclude the rest of the scriptures, but for now, we will only focus on the ministry of Jesus on earth as the Son of man. Hebrews reveals, "He (Jesus) is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature." (Hebrews 1:3 AMP)

Jesus tells His disciples, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also..." (John 14:7) "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) "Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." (John 5:19-21; also see, John 4:34, 5:30, 5:36-37, 6:38, 9:4, 10:37-38) So, when we look at the life of Jesus, we see the Father's will, nature, character, purpose and plan perfectly revealed. 

Another thing that we must keep in mind is, “For I am the Lord, I do not change." (Malachi 3:6) This means exactly what it says, God is unchanging! He is not a different God in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament. We see this also in Hebrews, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Remember, Jesus is God and man, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." (1 John 5:7) "He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God." (Revelation 19:13)  

So, if God is unchangeable, which He is, and Jesus is the same past, present and future, which He is, and if Jesus was God the Word incarnate, which He was, then we have to agree that God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan have also not changed. Look at the following scriptures to substantiate these facts. "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." (Psalm 89:34) "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:98) "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Mark 13:31)     

Now that we see that God and His Word are one and that neither He nor His Word ever change, but are the same yesterday, today and forever, then we can also conclude that His will, nature, character, purpose and plan has not changed, but simply have been revealed with greater revelation. Another fact that we can look at, is that God is not only love, that He and His Word are the same and never change, but also that He is and does good. "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." (Psalm 86:5) "For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:5) "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:8-9) "You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes." (Psalm 119:68) "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." (Psalm 145:9)  

Now, let us look at one more wonderful attribute of our God. God is life! "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4) "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11) "For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." (Psalm m36:9) "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) 

The above does not show us every scripture that reveals who God truly is, but simply enough to remove the doubt and unbelief concerning His never changing will, nature, character, purpose and plan. So, scripture reveals the following truths concerning God. Jesus came to earth as God the Word in flesh; God is love; God is unchanging; He and His Word are one, and therefore His Word is also unchanging; God is good and only does good; God is life, not death. With these things in mind, it should be completely known, that God takes no pleasure in, nor is it His will, nature, character, purpose and plan for His children, that is, believers, to suffer under the wait of sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances and or even the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing. If sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing is God's will for His children, then we have to conclude that love, good and life as revealed in the scripture must be redefined to mean, hate, evil and death.    

Honestly, the love, goodness and life that comes forth from God's true will, nature, character, purpose and plan, have absolutely nothing to do with sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing. Please take note to what Jesus said concerning life and death, "The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) It is not God who puts sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing on believers, but our ancient enemy, Satan. God, permits these things to happen to His children, simply because His children have bought into the lie that these dreadful things are God's will for them because He has some mysterious, divine, benevolent purpose and or hidden blessing in such things. 

The Old testament teaches that sickness is a part of the curse of the Law of Moses. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The curse was the result of disobedience and wickedness. It was never for the righteous! Believers are totally forgiven and made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24) Believers are also free from the curse of the law through Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:13) We also note, that sickness is not listed among the blessings of God anywhere in Scripture. Intellectual reasoning, justified by experiences of failing to heal or be healed is used to teach sickness, disease, injuries and the like, are blessings. Jesus' teaching and commands to His disciples do not reveal sickness of any sort as a divine purpose or blessing from God. (Matthew 10:1-8; Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-9)

The gospels reveals Jesus healing all who came to Him without a second's hesitation, a prayer or any consideration of a possible divine purpose for sickness, disease, injury or any such thing.  (Matthew 4:23-24; 12:15; Luke 6:19) Again, Jesus and His disciples in the New Testament treat sickness, disease and injury as an enemy and never as a friend. They never act as if sickness, disease or injury might have a good or godly purpose. Instead of God causing sickness, disease or injury, the New Testament reveals several times that demons are the real hidden cause. (Mark 9:25; Luke 13:10-16) Note, that casting out demons produced over one-quarter of the healings in the ministry of Jesus. Sadly, many believers today, have concluded that there is a divine purpose or blessing in sickness, disease and or injuries. Due to this belief, they have mistaken the work of demons as the work or will of God for them.

Also, scripture does not teach anywhere that God wants to use sickness, disease, injury or any such suffering to transform a person's character, produce repentance or that it is a mysterious, divine, benevolent purpose and or hidden blessing. Scripture does reveal that God is able to produce good things from the bad things that may happen in a person's life. However, this is a long way from saying that God wants His children to be sick, diseased, injured or suffer at all, to help them. God, as any good Father, wants the best for His children even when they are in situations that are not His will for them. 

Finally, let us consider these scriptures, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11) "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." (Psalm 103:1-5) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

If you are struggling with doubt, fear or unbelief, the following scripture is also for you, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." (Psalm 37:3-7) In other words, look to our heavenly Father, in Jesus' Name, not the circumstances that are contrary to His Word. Exercise your faith and do not lose heart, because, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all...