WE know God solely by His revelation of Himself. His eternal power and divinity are indeed to be understood by the things that are made (Rom. 1:2020For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: (Romans 1:20)), but God Himself can be known only by the declaration of Himself (John 1:1818No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)). The old Athenians were wise, but their wisdom did not teach them God. The Apostle Paul watched them in their devotions, and his spirit was stirred within him, for the city was full of idols (Acts 17:76). Idols represent demons, not God. “We ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art or man’s device” (v. 29), said he. The wisdom of man— wonderful as it was in those old days—had lost the knowledge of God, and thereby had degraded humanity to honor demons!
As the Apostle watched these learned heathen, he saw amongst their various altars to their different deities one upon which was this inscription: “TO (THE) UNKNOWN GOD,” and he took this altar for his text, and proclaimed to the wise and the learned men of Athens, who gathered around him, the Creator, filling all things with His glory, and making man, and also the truth of the resurrection of the dead and the judgment to come.
Altars to the UNKNOWN GOD have been discovered from time to time, and a photograph of one dug up in Rome will interest the reader. Upon it is an inscription, beginning thus—
SEI • DEO • SEI • DEIVAE • SAC •
dedicated to either the god or the goddess, for the worshipper did not so much as know the nature of the deity he addressed, and to whom his altar was sacred. Then follows the name of the worshipper, and after that the respectful tribute paid by the Senate of Rome to the unknown deity.
There were various reasons for erecting altars to a deity the heathen did not know. Certainly their gods, or the greater number of them, were horrible and cruel, and not one of them ever offered pardon, life, or peace to man. The heathen were glad, therefore, to offer to a god of whom they were ignorant!
Now we are privileged with the possession of God’s revelation of Himself, we therefore know a great deal concerning Him which one who has not the Bible cannot possibly know.
Let us look at a few passages of the Scriptures which speak to us on this important matter.
We turn to the Apostle John’s epistles, for he speaks so much of what we know. And he it is who says the little children of God’s family know! Know what? think we. What does a little child in one of our own families know—a little child who is too young to know its letters, and too feeble to know how to walk? The little one knows its parent. “I write unto you, little children,” says the aged John, “because Ye Have Known The Father” (1 John 2:1313I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father. (1 John 2:13))
Yes, this is the privilege of us all. We know God the Father, little ignorant children though we may be. Again, he says—
because of the unction given us from the Holy One (v. 20). The child of God knows the Father, and also having the Holy Spirit, he knows the truth and that no lie is of the truth—a very great power when so many religious lies are prevalent.
Again, the apostle says—
Have we not got on a grand way in knowledge, fellow Christian? We know God the Father, we know the truth through God the Spirit, we know our future with God the Son! Yes, we know what our future will be. There is no doubt about it. The heathen do not know what their future will be: all is dark to them. To us all is bright, and blessed and glorious— “we shall be like Him?”
But we put down for meditation a few more sentences, all of which are full of grace:
“Ye know that He was manifested to take away our sins” (v. 5).
“Ye may know that ye have eternal life” (ch. 5:13).
Thus, by these three short passages, we can all say—
WE KNOW OUR SINS ARE TAKEN AWAY.
WE KNOW WE HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.
WE KNOW WE SHALL HAVE ETERNAL GLORY.
Let us write down one other passage, which speaks of Him to whom we owe all these great and irrevocable realities.
H. F. W.