What May be Known of God

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. (Romans 01:18-19, NKJV).

The gods of most religions wrap themselves in mystery, and are said to be unknowable. The pantheon of gods in ancient Greece, Rome, and Scandinavia, and in modern Hindi, as well as other religions new and old, are not only mysterious, but changeable and unpredictable. New Age deities are likewise mysteries and riddle-ridden. And for those erroneous religious philosophies that preach that we humans are gods, the required quest is one of discovering one's own “inner avatar” through fruitless meditation and aimless (or even dangerous) thought experiments.

The God of the Bible is none of those things. He is knowable and unchanging, and most importantly, He desires us to know Him in the same way that one person knows another. That is why He sent His Son to become one of us, living life among us, and going steadfastly to the Cross to remove the barrier of sin between us and our Creator.

So then, what may be known of God?

Everything needful.

He is living,

He is eternal.

He is transcendent (present everywhere and living beyond time and space).

He is deserving of honor and glory.

He is all-powerful.

He is all-knowing.

He is a Person.

He is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

He loves us.

He is our Judge.

He cannot abide sin or unrighteousness.

He is merciful, gracious, and slow to anger.

He cares for us, and thinks innumerable thoughts about us that are good and not evil.

His ways are above our ways.

He knows everything about us.

He works all things together for good to those who love Him.

He provides for us through His goodness, a future and a hope.

These are just a few of the things He has revealed about Himself in His Word, and the truly beautiful aspect of this is that the more we study the Bible, the more we know God.

Notice that – it is not just the more we know of God.

Reading and studying His revelation to us in Scripture enables us to know Him personally. Like human beings come to know each other.

There can be no greater pursuit of knowledge.

Jesus said this, as recorded by John:

And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3, NKJV).

It is self-evident that there can be no loftier goal than seeking eternal life. This is every heart's innate desire whether admitted or not, for life, by its very nature, seeks to remain alive. This is clear in even the most “primitive” living cells, and is exponentially true in us, who are self-conscious beings made in the image of our Creator.

Ironically, we are made to be immortal, and will live into eternity no matter what, for God has made us so that we cannot be unmade. But where we spend that eternity, in Heaven with God, or in Hell forever separated from God, is the key issue of our existence.

And that key issue is resolved by what we do with our knowledge of God.

Hebrews summarizes it this way:

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6, NKJV).

God's purpose in Creation is fellowship with us. He desires our company, and delights in giving us the desires of our hearts – hearts (emotion, intelligence and will) which He Himself designed and made.

It is likely that we may spend the rest of eternity in exploring the why of it all (why He wants to be with us, why He made the earth, the heavens and the Heaven of heavens for us), but that He did so is incontrovertible according to His Word.

He made us for His good pleasure. Attaining knowledge of Him is the most satisfying endeavor we can undertake, and unlike the gods of other religions, He is knowable and wants to be known. He does not change. His words are true. He is faithful.

Everything about us is primed to finding out what may be known of God, and it is that knowledge, and what we do with it, that will either save us, or leave us condemned.

Paul's prayer for the Ephesians (and for us) is...

that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, (Ephesians 1:17-20, NKJV).

Love,

Dad