THE heart of God is the fountain-head of blessing!
He has been pleased to reveal Him, self in His Son―our Lord Jesus Christ; and to know Him consciously, as thus revealed, is to us the height of joy and blessing.
He is made known now as a Saviour-God; indeed we learn that judgment is to fall on them who know not God, and who obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:88In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: (2 Thessalonians 1:8)). This is serious!
No doubt we are told by some that God cannot be known, that He is so infinitely beyond our reach that no measure of human learning or investigation can find Him out.
This is indeed the case, for Scripture itself asks the question, “Canst thou by searching find out God?” (Job 11:77Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? (Job 11:7)), and it states that “the world by wisdom knew not God” (1 Cor. 1:2121For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. (1 Corinthians 1:21)); nevertheless God has been pleased to reveal Himself to faith, and therefore, whilst the natural mind of man has to admit total incompetence, the weakest believer possesses this wonderful knowledge. He knows God.
Notice, dear reader, that everything hinges on faith. Just as science and reason are correlative, so are revelation and faith. Reason may grapple with things within the boundaries of sight and sense; faith is needed for the apprehension of things unseen and eternal.
I once knew a man who had been an atheist. He wrote a pamphlet in order to prove that there is no God. On reading his production, before it went to the printer, it struck him that, whilst he had effectively met every objection that reason could present, he had not dealt with faith. But there was his difficulty. How could he dispose of faith?
He saw no way but to fall on his knees, and in prayer ask God, if indeed He was, to reveal Himself to him through His Son.
He did so―he asked God to grant him this revelation, and a merciful answer was speedily granted him.
He learned his folly; he discovered not only that “God is,” but that He is the God of all grace and love.
He destroyed his miserable pamphlet, and his after-life for many years declared, before thousands of witnesses, the verity and blessedness of this God-given knowledge.
But, it may be asked, why is faith the only channel? Why should God not deign to demonstrate Himself to the senses, or to work some miracle, so that He might be heard or seen?
Well, let us ever remember that He has been here-heard, seen, touched, contemplated. The eternal Son became man, and was in our midst in lowly human form—tempted in all points like ourselves, apart from sin. “In him is no sin.”
Thus man was given the fullest opportunity, at that wondrous time, of getting a perfect knowledge of God. Miracles were wrought, sick were healed, lepers cleansed, dead raised, sins forgiven, words of truth spoken, the Father declared; but withal He was rejected and crucified.
No doubt man did not know who He was in their midst, but why the ignorance? His testimony was sufficient. Demons owned Him; disease and death fled at His presence. He was raised from the dead. This witness was ample, but man was utterly blinded by sin.
Again, it is faith that leads the soul to take its true place before God. Faith repents. It admits sin and guilt, and it acknowledges God’s right of judgment. It cries, “I have sinned.” Conscience is thus exercised and brought into play. Conviction by God’s own Spirit leads the troubled and sin-burdened heart to turn to Him. Then the soul is fitted for this blessed revelation. Guilty, it cries for pardon; lost, it seeks salvation; hell-deserving, it craves for deliverance; vile, it pleads for cleansing; undone, friendless, forlorn, it yearns for a friend, a Saviour, a God of mercy!
This and much more is revealed in the written Word, and is to be received by faith as God’s revelation of Himself.
Hence faith is the sole and perfect means. And so we read in Romans 1:1717For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith. (Romans 1:17) that “the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”
And what is faith? sit is that God-given disposition or quality which enables the soul to take God at His word. “He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true” (John 3:3333He that hath received his testimony hath set to his seal that God is true. (John 3:33)). It receives God’s testimony and rests on His truth. It bows to His word, and as a certain consequence, it is assured of His blessing. It drinks in the revelation of His love, as told in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, whom God in love gave for a guilty world, and finds therein each question settled, each difficulty removed, and each doubt dissolved.
Thank God for the gospel―the good news of His love. But for it all were dark and hopeless. Creation witnesses His power―the Law proclaims His holiness; but in the one He is beyond me, and in the other He is against me, and I am thereby doubly undone. In the gospel I learn all His heart, how that the very God against whom I had sinned is He who, spite of all, loves me and seeks my everlasting weal. What a God!
Dear reader, allow not Satan or your own evil heart to misrepresent to you the true character of God.
“God is love” (1 John 4:88He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love. (1 John 4:8)) So proclaims His Word, and although perhaps your earthly path may not have been strewn with roses, or exempted from thorns, yet Calvary declares, in letters unmistakable and exquisite, that God the Father and God the Son have done all that love could do to assure you of compassion and pardon and welcome.
May His Holy Spirit lead you, dear friend, and hundreds besides who may read this little paper, to obtain this blessed knowledge of God through faith in His dear Son.
J. W. S.