God Who Is He?
If you do not know God, however rational and educated you may be, your thoughts about the world, yourself and your destiny, are clouded. You know that at some point in time you must die. You may react to this fact in different ways. You may try to banish the thought by engrossing yourself with life. Why worry about death when life is so full? Enjoy a life filled with pleasure, or the pursuit of education, success, money, or prominence in the world. That approach buys time, perhaps, but no more, since you know within yourself that one day you must leave everything behind. You may hope that death is the end of all things that it means annihilation. (1) That view is hoary in age. The ancient Romans believed it, as can be seen from some of the inscriptions on their tombstones e.g. "once I was not, then I was, now I am not again." Others are not so sure. The world has been good to them, and they would rather return to it in some way. Out of this longing comes the opposite view to annihilation reincarnation, an Eastern doctrine with many followers in the West.(2) Others turn to good works in the vain hope of future reward. That is a key principle of human religion. It has never saved anybody but has deluded millions.
The common denominator in these various views of what lies beyond the grave, if anything, is man's rejection of what God has told him. He cannot do anything but squirm at the truth that "it is appointed to men once to die, and after this the judgment." Judgment after death being forced to account to God for your life? Anything but that. Invent fables to explain away the issues, but avoid reality. Reality is that you must be reconciled to God in this life, for after that it is too late. Death is not an escape. It only destroys the body, which God will raise again. Because man was created by an eternal God, he will live in glory or despair as long as God Himself, which is forever. That is why Paul told the Athenians that men should seek the Lord "if perhaps they might feel after Him and find Him" an allusion to a blind man groping for something that is there, but which he can't see. Can God then be found before your appointment with the grim reaper? Who is He this God we must all meet after death? Can we know anything about Him? Yes, we can, and must.
Our approach is to open up the subject of God Himself then how He has made Himself known to us. We will begin by assuming that the reader knows nothing about God, even though this is unlikely, so that the whole question is explored with thoroughness.
The Introduction to the Understanding of God Is That He Is an Eternal Being Without Beginning or End
It was God Himself who first disclosed the eternal nature of His being, and made this disclosure the first step in understanding who He is. At the burning bush the beginning of Moses' ministry God told Moses that He had no beginning, by stating that His Name was "I am" i.e. "I exist." He amplified this by saying "I am that I am" meaning that He existed eternally without giving any explanation of that truth. Paul too insists that the starting point for a man who would come to God is believing that He is i.e. accepting God's statement about Himself as the truth. So that His people would clearly understand His words, His bondman Moses spoke to them at the end of his ministry, just before his death. He made it clear that their God was the eternal God. Then he added a message of comfort that this eternal God would shelter His people from the storms of life Deut. 33:2727The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee; and shall say, Destroy them. (Deuteronomy 33:27). This tells us that God knows the end from the beginning. Man however must start with "that which is from the beginning" the eternal God whose Name is "I am.”
This is a test of our confidence in God, since we cannot understand eternity. Let us not occupy the seat of the scorner. Let us trust God that He is telling the truth about Himself. That is the first step in coming to God trusting Him about things we do not understand. He is a God who cannot lie. The serpent, who is a liar and the father of it, wants to undermine this trust, saying now as he did in the beginning "yea, hath God said?”
God and eternity are indissolubly linked together. Isaiah tells us that God is "the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity." But what is eternity? Everything is eternity, including the time periods in which we and other people live, have lived, or will live. Eternity has been defined as endless time. But this is questionable. For within the framework of this definition, time looks more like a crutch man invented to hobble along on the road to discover eternity only to discover that there is nothing to discover. Because we are finite we cannot visualize the infinite. From our vantage point as observers in "time" we can project ourselves forward in eternity more readily than backward, because we have an existence. We can go backward to the point at which creation began, but we soon lose our orientation after that. In any event time, which is measured by the sun, has no meaning when there is no sun, nor light years if there is no light. Eternity cannot be defined. It is like an ocean without a shore with no beginning and no end. The subject of eternity then, is the inlet to the larger question of God Himself, since He inhabits it.
How God Makes His Eternal Being Known Symbolically in the Scriptures Through the Circle and Its Materialized Forms
To help us understand what is beyond our comprehension, God has given us a simple geometric figure to represent Him. This is the circle, and its various materialized forms. These are found throughout the Bible like a watermark on quality paper identifying the manufacturer. A circle has no entry or exit points. So, because as a geometric form it is without beginning or end, it is by extension a suited figure of eternity, which the eternal God inhabits as the "I am." But God was not willing to dwell alone in eternity. The Lord Himself said "except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die it abideth alone, but if it die it brings forth much fruit" John 12:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (John 12:24). Because a circle has both a center and a circumference, its symbolic meaning is that God would not be alone, but would have people surrounding Him. Two of the materialized forms of the circle tell us something about those people in their relationships to God.
.. The Circle as a symbol of God, His people, and His power— The circle, a 360 degree configuration with a center and a circumference, and the semi circle of 180 degrees, are both Scripture concepts. So too is the wheel, which is one of God's names.
First the semi circle, suggested in the rainbow which followed Noah's flood. In that flood the ark was a figure of Christ sustaining the waters of God's judgment and sheltering His people. After the flood God resolved never again to destroy the earth by water, and as a pledge of this hung His bow in the cloud, which is the symbol of divine glory. Now the configuration of the rainbow is approximately 180 degrees. That is because Christ was 180 minutes on the cross suffering from God for our sins. The rainbow is a memorial of that. It tells us that God was glorified in the work of the cross. Light passing through water breaks down into the beautiful colors of the rainbow a message that God is both light and love. So when God is about to judge the earth in Rev. 4:3,3And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. (Revelation 4:3) "there was a rainbow round about the throne." God must judge the world to assert Christ's rights to it, but the rainbow recalls His covenant not to do it with a flood. Ultimately He will bless the earth and rule it, for "the God of all the earth shall He be called" Isa. 54:55For thy Maker is thine husband; the Lord of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. (Isaiah 54:5).
This coming world rule of Christ leads us to the circle the unbroken 360 degree figure. "Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is He who sits on the circle of the earth" Isa. 40:2222It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: (Isaiah 40:22). God will never forget that Christ was 360 minutes on the cross. Neither will He let man forget it. He has providentially superimposed the number 360 on the human race as a measure of time and space. The circle a space consideration is by universal convention divided into 360 degrees. Then looking at time, the Bible year is 360 days from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible also has an internal chronometer the 70 weeks of Daniel to measure Messiah's rejection and the day of His wrath. Daniel's weeks are units of 2520 i.e. seven Bible years of 360 days. The same pattern emerges in the number counts of the original languages.(3)
The head of the new creation is the Man Christ Jesus, and "it is not good for the man to be alone." So while a circle has a center speaking of Christ who must be the center of everything it also has a circumference, speaking of those who surround Him as the fruit of His cross. A circle too can be expanded into concentric circles. This design feature helps us understand the thought of measured distances from the center. So God has many families in heaven cf. Heb. 12:22, 23,22But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 23To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, (Hebrews 12:22‑23) some nearer to the center, some farther away. Of these various families the Church will always be in the inner circle, as the bride of Christ.
These conditions were anticipated in the Lord's words while on earth "for where two or three are gathered together unto My Name, there am I in the midst of them" Matt. 18:20,20For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) the spirit of which is captured in A. P. Cecil's lines:
“Thou Holy One and True
Our hearts in Thee confide
And in the circle of Thy love
As brethren we abide.”
However while we are still on earth this can only be enjoyed by faith, for the Lord is unseen, as Peter remarks "whom not having seen you love." In heaven "our God the center is His presence fills that land" and there we shall see Him as He is. The opening chapters of Revelation picture the glorified saints surrounding "a Lamb as it had been slain." He is the center, and the redeemed surround Him as the planets do the sun.
Next we will consider a materialized form of the circle the wheel. This speaks of energy and movement, so is a fitting symbol of the power of God's throne. Solomon's temple, erected after the warrior king David had crushed God's enemies, embodies the symbolism of the wheel "and every base had four brazen wheels... and under the borders were four wheels, and the axle trees of the wheels were joined to the base, and the height of a wheel was 1.5 cubits, and the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel" 1 Kings 7:30-3330And every base had four brazen wheels, and plates of brass: and the four corners thereof had undersetters: under the laver were undersetters molten, at the side of every addition. 31And the mouth of it within the chapiter and above was a cubit: but the mouth thereof was round after the work of the base, a cubit and an half: and also upon the mouth of it were gravings with their borders, foursquare, not round. 32And under the borders were four wheels; and the axletrees of the wheels were joined to the base: and the height of a wheel was a cubit and half a cubit. 33And the work of the wheels was like the work of a chariot wheel: their axletrees, and their naves, and their felloes, and their spokes, were all molten. (1 Kings 7:30‑33). We find the wheel again at the beginning of Ezekiel under similar circumstances. The prophet foresees the destruction of Russia's armies the last great enemy of Israel at the end time. Following that event the millennial temple, which Ezekiel describes, will be erected. So Ezekiel opens "and I looked at the living creatures and behold one wheel on the earth beside the living creatures toward their four faces. The appearance of the wheels— and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel" Ezek. 1:15, 1615Now as I beheld the living creatures, behold one wheel upon the earth by the living creatures, with his four faces. 16The appearance of the wheels and their work was like unto the color of a beryl: and they four had one likeness: and their appearance and their work was as it were a wheel in the middle of a wheel. (Ezekiel 1:15‑16). From these verses to 10:13 there is a stream of references to the wheels 1:18, 19, 21 3:13 10:8, 9, 13 with the most critical one being 10:13 "as for the wheels, they were called in my hearing Galgal.” i.e. God Almighty:(4)
The Circle materialized in the ring and the— crown how God looks at His people In the Scriptures God wants to enlarge the great thought of the circle that Christ is the center and His people surround Him. So He has given us two materialized forms of the circle to tell us something more how He looks at the people who surround Him. These are the ring and the crown. Both symbols are passive by themselves. They become meaningful when God confers them on us, as a mark of His approval. The general thought of the ring is acceptance, of the crown reward.
In the tabernacle, which was God's house on earth, we find rings in the exterior boards, the furniture of the house, and the High Priest's garments. The boards which framed the tabernacle had rings of gold to couple them Ex. 26:24, 2924And they shall be coupled together beneath, and they shall be coupled together above the head of it unto one ring: thus shall it be for them both; they shall be for the two corners. (Exodus 26:24)
29And thou shalt overlay the boards with gold, and make their rings of gold for places for the bars: and thou shalt overlay the bars with gold. (Exodus 26:29). There were four rings of gold on the ark, four rings of gold on the table, two rings of gold on the incense altar, and four rings of brass on the brazen altar. There was a double arrangement of two rings of gold linking the High Priest's breastplate and ephod Ex. 39:2121And they did bind the breastplate by his rings unto the rings of the ephod with a lace of blue, that it might be above the curious girdle of the ephod, and that the breastplate might not be loosed from the ephod; as the Lord commanded Moses. (Exodus 39:21). In summary the rings throughout the tabernacle suggest the link between God, His people, and their High Priest. In the world a ring is more a symbol of authority when the ring holder maintains possession of the ring. For example Esther 8:88Write ye also for the Jews, as it liketh you, in the king's name, and seal it with the king's ring: for the writing which is written in the king's name, and sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse. (Esther 8:8) tells us that the king's edicts were sealed with his ring. When it is given to somebody it is a mark of favor or acceptance. Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand and put it on Joseph's hand Gen. 41:4242And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; (Genesis 41:42). In Luke 15:22And the Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them. (Luke 15:2)2 The father told his servants to put a ring on the prodigal's hand a clear indication that his person was accepted. This is probably the primary meaning for us.
The crown is a symbol of reward at the end. It is given in heaven for faithfulness on earth. The human head is not only designed to receive a crown, but its top is a semi circle. So when Jacob was dying, he called for blessings "on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him who was separated from his brethren" Gen. 49:2626The blessings of thy father have prevailed above the blessings of my progenitors unto the utmost bound of the everlasting hills: they shall be on the head of Joseph, and on the crown of the head of him that was separate from his brethren. (Genesis 49:26). The crown is a symbol of God's approval. It rests on the head the seat of direction. It speaks of what we did for God with the renewed mind. Our works vary depending on many things the individual's circumstances, for example, or the age in which he lived. So the crown reflects the varied character of our service, faithfulness, and other factors which only a righteous God can assess. Two examples would be a crown of life and a crown of righteousness. A characteristic glory encircles the brow of the person on whom the award is bestowed.
The Infinite Being of the Eternal God
God is a spirit, and fills all things in other words He is infinite. We will consider and expand this statement under two captions the form of God and the omnipresence of God.
... The form of God In what form did God exist in a past eternity? This is not an idle question, since Paul raises it in Phil. 2:66Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: (Philippians 2:6). He tells us about Christ Jesus "who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God." Paul gives us an insight into this question when he tells us that in Godhead glory Jesus dwells "in unapproachable light whom no man has seen nor is able to see" 1 Tim. 6:1616Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16). But it was Jesus Himself, the image of the invisible God, who told the woman at Sychar's well that God is a spirit. That is the form of God of which Paul writes in Phil. 2.
.. The Omnipresence of God: In 1 Cor. 6:1919What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19) Paul says "know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God?" This is true because God says so, but it is beyond the understanding of man. Why? Because it means that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in the bodies of an indeterminable number of believers in almost all the countries of the world. That alone is enough to tell us that the being of God is beyond comprehension. The Psalmist realized this when he wrote "where shall I go from Thy Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Thy presence?" Psa. 139:77Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? (Psalm 139:7). Having raised the question he concludes that God is everywhere heaven, hell, the uttermost parts of the sea, the darkness, the light. This ability of God to be everywhere at the same time is one of the marks of His power. It tells us that Jesus is God, for He pointed out that He was in heaven and earth at the same time. He said to Nicodemus "no man has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven even the Son of Man who is in heaven" John 3:1313And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13). Then Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) anticipates Church conditions when the Lord who is in heaven is in the midst of His own on earth. So Matt. 18:2020For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:20) and John 3:1313And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13) are opposite but complementary truths which unite to tell us that the Lord Jesus can be in heaven or on earth at the same time. Then Eph. 2:2222In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:22) informs us that the Church and it is all over the face of the earth is a habitation of God through the Spirit. So wide spread diffusion of believers over the world does not restrict the power of the Holy Spirit to indwell them individually or the Assembly corporately.
God in Three Persons—the Trinity
When Christians speak of the Trinity they mean God in three Persons Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While this term is not found in Scripture, it is a useful one, and has been adopted by convention over the centuries. But how does the Christian reconcile this belief with Deut. 6:4- "hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord?”
Well, God is one in His united purpose, counsel and will, all three Persons working together in perfect harmony. This is evident from the very beginning of the Bible. The opening statement, for example, tells us that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Then at the end of that creation which displayed a common will in wisdom and power, the Same God said "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness." Not only are these words plural but we are introduced to one of the three Persons of the Godhead in Gen. 1:2 The Spirit of God, who hovers over the face of the waters. Now note that the plurality of the Godhead, for want of a better word, was not revealed in the opening statement of creation but was reserved for the creation of man the end of creation. That is because, in creating man, God looked forward to His own Son in Manhood who should make God fully known.
The creation record in Gen. 1 posed a problem. It told us nothing about the Trinity, but made it clear that there was more than one Person in the Godhead. The only one mentioned, however, was the Spirit of God. Who were the others? The answer had to await the appearance of Christ in Manhood, and specifically the time when He was baptized at the Jordan. Here the Holy Spirit descended on the Son of God in the form of a dove, and the Father's voice from heaven pronounced His delight on His well beloved Son. Then, when the Lord's work on earth was completed and He was about to ascend to His Father, He told His disciples to baptize "to the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit." Thus it was God the Son who revealed the Trinity to us. He did this in the entire span of His service for God on the earth ranging from the lowly Jordan to His ascension to glory.
Our knowledge of God flows from the full revelation of Himself in the Son of His love, and in His written Word. Paul tells us "in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" Col. 2:99For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (Colossians 2:9). The fullness of the Godhead! Such depths seem beyond us until we read what John wrote "and of His fullness have all we received, and grace on grace" John 1:1616And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. (John 1:16). God's eternal Son, the incarnate Word, was the most approachable of men. John knew this and rested on His bosom, closest to His heart. That is the place God would like all believers to enjoy. In such closeness we learn God's thoughts as John did.
The Eternal God Is a Supreme King Whose Rule Is Universal
We know from John 10:34-3634Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; 36Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? (John 10:34‑36) that the word "God" means king or ruler. In those verses the Lord explained the meaning of Psa. 82:66I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalm 82:6) that men were called gods because they held judicial offices. So human rulers are God's delegates, representing Him in the world. Satan is called the god of this world. He rules it in lawlessness, opposing Christ's rights in it. He has made himself a second god in the universe, challenging God's throne. But where the word "God" is used in its proper sense i.e. referring to the True God its meaning is the supreme, unquestioned King to whose will everything, and all beings, must submit. No counselors advise Him Rom. 11:3434For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? (Romans 11:34) and He answers to nobody. He is unconcerned about public opinion, unlike human rulers Matt. 22:1616And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians, saying, Master, we know that thou art true, and teachest the way of God in truth, neither carest thou for any man: for thou regardest not the person of men. (Matthew 22:16). The word "God" then, means the Supreme King the eternal Ruler. The rule of God is predicated on His eternal existence, out of which flows His will.
God rules over two spheres the physical and the moral. In the physical sphere, the universe He created is upheld by physical laws which He framed otherwise it would dissolve. So He is the Alpha of the physical universe. But He is also the Omega, the finisher for He will dissolve the universe as we know it and replace it with new heavens and a new earth. When we consider the moral sphere or to spell it out more specifically, man in the world setting difficulties surface. The apparent triumph of evil over good seems to challenge the Scripture view of an omnipotent God. But does it? The Lord Himself drew attention to the paradox in the words "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." It is on earth, not heaven, that the will of God is flaunted. But there is an explanation the fall of man. Sin has made the world the battlefield of good and evil. However this is a temporary condition, fully explained in the Bible, and allowed for a purpose in the permissive will of God. When the moral revolt against God is put down, (5)Jesus Christ will be universally acknowledged as Lord to the glory of God the Father.
That was what Paul was thinking about when he wrote to Timothy. At the opening of his first letter he told him that Christ was "the eternal King, immortal, invisible, the only wise God" 1 Tim. 1:1717Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen. (1 Timothy 1:17). Then at the close of that letter he wrote about "the blessed and only Potentate, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords" 1 Tim. 6:1616Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. (1 Timothy 6:16). The Lord appears at Armageddon with that Name King of Kings and Lord of Lords written on His vesture and thigh. He rides a white horse, symbol of victorious power to crush His enemies and establish His kingdom. Once that is done the Father's words will come to pass "But unto the Son He saith Thy throne O God is forever and ever a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom" Heb. 1:88But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. (Hebrews 1:8). When His 1000 year kingdom ends, His great white throne is set up in space to judge those who died in their sins. Finally the throne becomes the source of blessing in the Holy City Jerusalem. John sees "a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, flowing out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.”
Light From God
So far we have considered God in an abstract way i.e. His eternal existence, His dwelling in eternity, that He is a spirit, invisible, present everywhere, the supreme ruler of the physical universe He created, and of the realm of moral law. We have also seen that the Godhead consists of three Persons the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. God has written the Bible in such a way that these truths are not found in any one book. They must be searched out, compared, and brought together. This requires diligence, but is rewarding. So, using these methods, let us build on the foundation of what we have learned about God in an abstract way. Our purpose in this chapter is to see what the Holy Scriptures, the sole means of illumination, teach about God in a personal way in other words how God has made Himself known to us.
There is something wonderful about this, because God is good. If it had been otherwise, how dreadful, since God is all powerful. But no shining above all truths is the goodness of God. Jesus insisted on this basic truth "there is none good but one, that is God" Matt. 19:1717And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. (Matthew 19:17). He is the God who makes His sun rise on the evil and the good. He showers us with every blessing in our lives, causing those who love Him to say "bless the Lord o my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name." And if for a brief moment the storms of life assail us, He comforts us with these words "be of good cheer it is I be not afraid" Matt. 14:2727But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid. (Matthew 14:27).
The Peak of All Revelation—the Counsels of God
Because God is answerable to no one, He can only be made known if He wills to be made known, and then only on His own terms. He will not allow man to discover Him with the reasoning power of the human mind,(6) for He has decreed that no flesh shall boast in His presence. That is why He revealed the deepest truths of His existence to John, who was a fisherman. John's gospel opens with this sublime statement "in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Same was in the beginning with God." This beautiful title the Word tells us that God intended to make Himself known through Christ.
Why "the Word?" Why should the Lord take such a title to make God known to us? Simply because a word any word for that matter is a communication tool to transfer thought between persons. To illustrate this, suppose you ask an artist to sketch a chair. He will visualize a piece of furniture on which people sit, but will tell you that the word chair is too general. By adding further words in effect a progressive revelation of what is in your mind the kind of chair you want him to draw becomes clear. That is why the revelation of God has been gradual. But the lesson of John 1 is that its starting point was the will of God to make Himself known. God's counsels originated with the Word in a past eternity. Paul told the Ephesian elders "I have not shunned to declare to you all the counsels of God" Acts 20:2727For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God. (Acts 20:27). This tells us how important these counsels are. They originated in a past eternity, were executed in time by God's Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, and look forward to a future eternity.
The Importance of the Foundation of the World in God's Counsels
Men scoff at the opening verse of the Bible, claiming that Moses had no idea of the insignificance of the earth when he wrote it. Not so. God's Son was to walk on this earth and make His Father known. It was on the earth He was to die for our sins, and open the way for God to have both a heavenly and an earthly people. So when God laid the foundation of the earth He was marking the beginning of that purpose, just as surely as a man announces his intention to build a house by laying its foundation. Matt. 13:3535That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world. (Matthew 13:35) confirms this "I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
.. The foundation of the world witnessed by angels We know that the angels were present when the earth was founded, for the Lord asks Job "where were you when I founded the earth?... when all the sons of God shouted for joy?" Job 38:4, 74Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. (Job 38:4)
7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:7). This passage tells us how very ancient the angelic creation must be, since the earth, at whose foundation they were present, is billions of years old. The angels are spirits and frequently appear in shining garments i.e. clothed in light. So these earliest of created beings bear the impress of their Creator. They did not, and could not, understand that when God laid the foundations of the earth, a turning point was established. It was the mind of God that the angelic administration of the universe was ultimately to be replaced by man in Christ. The presence of the angels at the foundation of the earth is analogous to the ceremony of the changing of the guard. However long it might take, rule must eventually pass from angels to man.
.. The foundation of the world the dividing point for God's choice of a heavenly and earthly people: God's counsels for the blessing of His people were settled at a late stage in creation. First He created the heavens then the earth. It was not until He laid the foundations of the earth that He chose an earthly people. The Church, being heavenly, was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world Eph. 1:44According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: (Ephesians 1:4) whereas Israel, being earthly, was chosen from the foundation of the world Matt. 25:3434Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: (Matthew 25:34). From these Scriptures we learn that the foundation of the world is the great dividing point in God's counsels the Church chosen before that event Israel from that event. This raises the great question on what basis could God secure for Himself this heavenly and earthly people?
.. The Man of God's eternal counsels, and the record of divine conversations concerning Him When the mind of God was dwelling on the vision of Christ in Manhood, He told us even the words He spoke. The words "let us make man in our image after our likeness" were spoken in the counsels of the Godhead. The united purpose of the Godhead was that man should represent God on the earth. Adam however, was only "the figure of Him who was to come" Rom. 5:1414Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14). He sinned and misrepresented God on the earth in contrast to Christ the Last Adam, who glorified God on the earth. The Man Christ Jesus was made in the likeness of men Phil. 2:77But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: (Philippians 2:7) but is the image of the invisible God Col. 1:1515Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: (Colossians 1:15). That perfection however only condemned man's sinful race, and made the death of Christ necessary if God's counsels were to be fulfilled that He should have both a heavenly and an earthly people.
That is why God has written into the Scriptures still another divine conversation one which concerns the death of Christ. In this conversation the Son is addressing His Father "lo I come" i.e. into the world to put away sin "in the volume of the book it is written of Me, to do Thy will, O God" Heb. 10:77Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:7). In Psa. 102 we have a dialog between the Father and the Son concerning the cost of doing the Father's will. The Son says "O My God, take Me not away in the midst of My days." The Father replies "Thy years are throughout all generations. Of old hast Thou laid the foundation of the earth" note how this time is pre eminent in the mind of God "and the heavens are the work of Thy hands. They shall perish, but Thou shalt endure. Yea, all of them shall become old like a garment, and as a vesture shalt Thou change them, and they shall be changed. But Thou art the Same, and Thy years shall have no end.”
The mutual love of the Father and the Son was unknown until the Son revealed it. He spoke of it in His prayer to the Father before the cross "Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world" John 17:2424Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24). The Son returned this eternal love with a commitment to lay down His life in the body God would prepare for Him all of which was written down in "the volume of the book." God then promised the Son to give eternal life to the many sons who should be brought to glory as the fruit of His death. Paul mentions this in Titus 1:22In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began; (Titus 1:2) "in hope of eternal life which God who cannot lie, promised before the world began." God could freely write our names in the Lamb's book of life (7) the guarantee that we shall enter the gates of the Holy City Jerusalem because of what was written in the volume of the book i.e. the death of Christ. Now eternal life is in God's Son it is the life which God's eternal Son enjoyed with His Father before the worlds were. Why should God want to give us this life? Wouldn't the forgiveness of sins have been enough? No. God wanted us to be sons with His Son. By imparting eternal life to us, God enables us to enjoy His thoughts concerning the glory of His Son, and in the still wider range of things the di vine bosom in all its richness and loveliness. He would throw open His house to us and be surrounded by the blood redeemed, the Spirit born, who both know Him and love Him.
God Has Told Us How He Works in Trinity to Execute
His counsels. The next question is how does God perform His works? Is there an order to the way He does things? If so, can we discern it in the way each Person in the Godhead carries out the works of God? Only in the Scriptures can we find answers to these questions.
As Jesus passed through this world all His works testified to the Father who sent Him. As Son of God He Himself did the works, but He did not do them independently. He did them in His Father's Name John 10:2525Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me. (John 10:25) and in the power of the Holy Spirit Matt. 12:2828But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. (Matthew 12:28). Because the Lord's purpose was to destroy the works of the devil 1 John 3:88He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8) it might be helpful to compare His warfare with the way men organize armies. An army is mobilized by a king or similar overall power, has a commanding general to direct hostilities, and soldiers to do the actual fighting. This is analogous to the way God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit carry out their separate but coordinated work. Once we understand this principle it becomes clear why God worked the way He did in His two great works creation and redemption.
.. The pattern of God's work in creation: Paul told the Athenians that God made the world and all things in it Acts 17:2424God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; (Acts 17:24). He expanded this thought to the Hebrews, telling them that God made the worlds by His Son. Then he brought this truth to its zenith, telling the Colossians that "by Him" i.e. the Lord Jesus Christ "were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth...all things were created by Him, and for Him, and He is before all things" Col. 1:16,1716For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. (Colossians 1:16‑17). Paul wrote these Scriptures long after Moses had come and gone. Yet Moses tells us that the Spirit of God is the power or energy of God's works, for as soon as God is about to work He moves on the face of the waters.
.. The pattern of God's work in redemption: We find the same pattern in God's work in redemption as we observed in creation. John tells us that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world, and the Spirit and the water and the blood witness to the completion of the work 1 John 5:6 8. Paul tells us that God the Father is the source of our salvation Heb. 10:5-7,5Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: 6In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. 7Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. (Hebrews 10:5‑7) His Son the means Heb. 10:9,9Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second. (Hebrews 10:9) and it was through the Eternal Spirit Christ offered Himself without spot to God Heb. 9:1414How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:14). Christ had to suffer these things(8) before He could enter into His glory.
God's Nature Light and Love
God's nature is revealed to us in John's first epistle God is light 1 John 1:5,5This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) and God is love 1 John 4:88He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8). Can we then trace a pattern in Scripture as to how God manifested His nature, or is it purely random? The answer is that God has made His nature known to us as light and love in Christianity.
In His life and ministry on earth the Lord made God fully known both as light and love. John's gospel opens with Christ as the Light and closes with the Father's love of Him John 17:2626And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26). Both light and love are combined in Christ, for all the fullness of the Godhead was pleased to dwell in Him bodily. He loved His own who were in the world until the end i.e. until the Light of the world left the world and ascended to glory. What then? Why it was then, for the first time, that the nature of God light and love could be fully understood. In the Holy Spirit's service we see God as light in the affection between the Father and the Son we see that God is love. Like Nicodemus we may well ask how can these things be?
.. The Holy Spirit God as light: Jesus was the light of the world, but man put the light out by crucifying Him. Then the Holy Spirit came down to replace Him as the light, not of the world any more, for the world had rejected Him, but as the light of God's house. The light now was for God's people. The Holy Spirit's descent was the Father's answer to His Son's prayer "I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter" John 14:1616And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; (John 14:16). The Lord also told us why He asked His Father to send us the Comforter "but the Comforter, who is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My Name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatever I have said to you" John 14:2626But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26). "All things" is a very far reaching phrase, but without the teaching of the Holy Spirit even the Apostles did not understand things which today we take for granted.
.. The Father and the Son God as love The gospel of John is the gospel of the Father and the Son. There are many more references to the Father than to the Son in this gospel, because it was the Father's Name the Son came to declare "that the love wherewith Thou hast loved Me may be in them, and I in them" John 17:2626And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. (John 17:26). The Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world. This love is eternal, like the Son Himself. The Father loved the Son in a past eternity, as He will in a future eternity. As for time,(9) it is only a concept to help us bridge the two eternities, for there is really nothing but eternity. The eternal God who was Israel's refuge, is, was, and ever will be the eternal Son. This truth does not stand in isolation as just another doctrine, however true. It is the key, not only to understanding God's nature as love, but to understanding God's desire to share His love to love us as He loved His Son.
The Eternal Sonship of Christ Tells Us of a Divine Love Without Beginning or End
The greatness of God's love is compressed into the words of that well known verse "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." That is an allusion to when Abraham "offered up his only begotten son" Heb. 11:1717By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (Hebrews 11:17). But stop! Surely Paul didn't know the Scriptures when he wrote those words, for Abraham had many sons. We read about them in Gen. 25, as well as Ishmael, who was begotten before Isaac Gen. 16:1111And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. (Genesis 16:11). But Paul did know the Scriptures when he wrote those words. He was handing us a key to the meaning of "only begotten" in Scripture language. "Only begotten" has nothing to do with time, precedence, or natural generation. Its usage in Heb. 11:1717By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (Hebrews 11:17) establishes its meaning as exclusive relationship in affection. This thought is confirmed in Gen. 22:1212And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. (Genesis 22:12) "your only son" which was not literally true.
When did the Father begin to love His only begotten Son? He always did. "I am the Lord I change not" Mal. 3:66For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. (Malachi 3:6). The cross brought this love to our attention God giving His only begotten Son but it was always there. It could not be that this love began in time. That is an ancient heresy, going back to the days of the early Church, when grievous wolves came in, not sparing the flock. It masquerades today as "new light" deceiving those who have not researched its history. It is really a doctrine of the unknown God. Why? Because if Jesus only became Son in time, He would have to be nameless in a past eternity, and so would His Father. So instead of the Father sending the Son to be the Savior of the world, we would have to say that an unknown and unnamed Person in the Godhead sent another unknown and unnamed Person in the Godhead to be the Savior of the world. If true, then God would not have sent the richest gift He could give the Son of His love but only One to whom He had no known relationship in affection. Such doctrine detracts from the revelation that God is love i.e. His very nature, which is eternally unchanged. To whom could He manifest that nature, that divine love, in a past eternity except His Son. We are certain this is so because John 17:2424Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. (John 17:24) tells us that the Father loved the Son before the foundation of the world.
When we began to consider our Lord's eternal sonship we quoted only part of John 3:1616For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16) "for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son." Why? Because we can't understand the rest of the verse until we understand the meaning of "only begotten" first. Did God give His only begotten Son simply that we might have forgiveness of sins? No. That thought is there, but it was not the prime reason for such a rich gift. Let Scripture answer "that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life." The only begotten of the Father, God's eternal Son, would give eternal life to man. Eternal life is in God's Son 1 John 5:1111And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. (1 John 5:11). Now you are let into the secret of why God gave His only begotten Son. The Father wants to love you with the same love with which He loved His Son in a past eternity. This would be impossible unless you had the life of His Son. How else could you be holy and without blame before the Father in love. Because the Son is eternal, the life of the Son is called eternal life in Scripture. The heart of the Father which loved the Son, overflowed in love to us to make us sharers of His love. We have been made sons by adoption. James 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18) tells us "of His own will begat He us." 1 John 5:1818We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. (1 John 5:18) insists that we are begotten of God. Sons with God's Son think of that! Then we are "begotten unto a living hope" 1 Peter 1:33Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, (1 Peter 1:3) for the place of a son is in his father's house.
The Lord's people should cherish the eternal Sonship of Christ as the warm, living truth it is revealing the very beating of the Father's heart. It is the complement of the wondrous revelation that God is love. God wants us to taste that love, for it is sweet. So He gives us the life of His Son and brings us into the circle of the Father's love. Our Father loves us with the same eternal love with which He loved His eternal Son.