What You Know of God is His Gift to You
God does everything for His glory. Everything is from Him (Rom 11:36), and for that reason, everything serves His purpose. His purpose is eternal, and everything is sourced in the good pleasure of our Triune God, who dwell together in perfect unity, as a loving community.
Our God is good; therefore, all the works attributed to the three Persons of the Godhead are good. Omnipotent power assures the divine will to be accomplished. It is God’s will to be glorified, by that which has been created. With omniscience, all things happen at their appointed time.
As an omnipresent Spirit, God is always there. He is the author of His own story, and He is the main protagonist. With divine providence, all things intended by God will come to pass. When whatever happens, God is always right to have caused it to happen.
We know these things because God has communicated them to us, in His written Word, which is by the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth (Jn 16:13), who communicates the Word of truth (Ps 119:160). It is the mind of Christ, which understands these deep things of God, and God’s people have been given the mind of Christ (1 Cor 2:16), when the Spirit of Christ baptized each one God intended to save (Mt 3:11; Jn 1:33; Acts 2:38; 10:47).
For man, who God initially created in His image, male and female, salvation is the primary subject. This is why a true Christian preacher is not concerned with anything that does not have Christ as its centerpiece. Thus, the preacher may speak of business, science, education, politics, medicine, etc., only as it relates to Jesus Christ.
Jesus Christ is the ultimate revelation, communicated from God to man (Heb 1:1–3). He was the incarnate God-man (Jn 1:14), who revealed the truth of God (Jn 14:6). Whatever God intends for humanity to know about the divine, man must fix his focus on Jesus Christ. The Son of God sent from heaven, who revealed God the Father, is Himself revealed by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit never reveals Jesus Christ apart from the written Word of truth. To know anything about any one of the three Persons of the Godhead, one must open the Bible and be taught of God the Spirit (Jn 6:45), who has been sent from the Father and the Son (Jn 14:26; 15:26).
God has chosen the content to be known about Him, even the reason why most people do not know or understand. There is nothing deficient in God, nor is there deficiencies in the means of His delivering divine content. Yes, most of humanity operates in dark ignorance of the Most High, but this, too, is purposeful, as already noted above.
For this reason, theologians refer to the revelation of God, as it pertains to the salvation of man, as “special revelation.” This, however, is not the private knowledge of the Gnostics. God has made it plain to all people. The generation revelation seen in the created world, reveals the existence and many of the attributes of the Creator God. God’s special revelation is the best-selling book in human history, the Holy Bible. Therefore, man is without excuse.
The disconnect between revelation given and revelation known and believed, is actually revealed in the Bible. Do you want to know why a person does or does not trust in Jesus Christ, as the only Savior of sinners? It is explained on the pages of Scripture. Therefore, the most significant faux pas in one’s life is to not attend to the preaching of the Bible, coupled with one not reading God’s Word. Both of these neglects are common among men.
Why are people so disinterested in the Word of life that is key to one’s eternal home? The Bible tells us that sin keeps us away from the Bible. It informs us that the god of this world is the one who blinds the minds of men, so that they might not know the Gospel of salvation (2 Cor 4:4).
My dear reader, there is little I can write to you that holds any value. My task, always, is to point you to the Word of grace, which points you to the God of grace, who rewards those who diligently seek Him (Heb 11:6). But alas, there is no one who seeks God, of his own will or flesh (Rom 3:11). Salvation belongs to God…from beginning to end (Ps 3:8; Jon 2:9; Rev 19:1).
In conclusion, we must state the obvious in the simplest terms. What you know and understand about the one true God is His gift to you. The special revelation of God is illumined, for those who receive the Spirit of Christ, according to the will of God (Jn 1:12–13; Rom 9:16). This is in perfect alignment with the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God (Acts 2:23); for those He foreknew, He also predestined to adoption as sons (Eph 1:4–5).
God graciously educates His chosen people, who grow in God’s grace and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ (2 Pet 3:18), the supreme revelation of God. If you are known to Him, then you will know more and more of Him. In addition, your delight in knowing more of Him will also grow. You will love God’s Word and meditate on it day and night (Ps 1:2).
The practical test for anyone to take, is to examine himself for the living presence of the indwelling Spirit of Christ (Rom 8:9, 11), who opens the heart and mind of God’s elect, to receive sound doctrine of the special revelation of the Word of Christ. Have you received the gift of God? You have…if you believe it.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
November 28, 2020
