Knowing God

 1. This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent (John 17:3). We are made to know God. Knowing God is a relationship calculated to thrill a person's heart. Knowing God involves listening to God's Word as the Holy Spirit interprets, noting God's character as His Word and works reveals it, doing what He commands and recognizing the love He has shown you. Knower looks up to one known and Knower takes the responsibility for the welfare of one known. Jesus Christ is God manifested in flesh.

2. All my knowledge of Him depends on His sustained initiative in knowing me. I know Him because He first knows Me and continues to know me. He knows me as a friend, who loves me and He watches over me. In your mind and heart, go to Calvary and lay hold of Calvary solution, worship true God, and that He is my God and I am enjoying eternal life.

3. God the Son. He was only begotten or one only Son of God. The Son of God is the Word of God. In Him was life. And life was the light of all men. The Son can do nothing of Himself. It is the nature of the second person of the Trinity to acknowledge the authority and submit to the good pleasure of the first. Though coequal with the Father in eternity, power and glory. Son's joy is doing the Father's will, just as it is natural to the first person of the Trinity to plan and initiate the works of the Godhead and natural to third person the Holy Spirit to proceed from the Father and Son to do their joint bidding.

4. Holy Spirit is Counsellor/Comforter. Jesus was original Comforter and Spirit's task was to continue side of the ministry. The God's Word is speech and God's Spirit is breath. Both appear in the creation. Just as Jesus had come in His Father's name, acting as the Father's agent, speaking the Father's name, doing the Father's works and bearing witness throughout to the one, so the Spirit would come in Jesus Name to act in the world as the agent and witness of Jesus.

5. God unchanging :-
God's life does not change.
God's character doesn’t change.
God's truth doesn’t change.
God's ways don't change.
God's purpose doesn’t change.
God's Son does not change.

6. Majesty is a word in the Bible uses to express the thoughts of the greatness of God. God being on high does not mean God is far distant from us in space but He is far above us in greatness and therefore is to be adored. We should remove our thoughts of God's limits that would make Him small. You cannot hide anything from God. God is always with me. God is Maker and Master, all are in His hands and subject to His will. Such are His power and majesty.

7. God's boundless wisdom and endless power are united, this makes Him utterly worthy of our fullest trust. Wisdom of God is manifested in Christ's incarnation and cross.

8. The sphere in which God's word is addressed to us personally. God' word takes different forms such as Laws (Commands or Prohibitions), Promises (Favourable or Unfavourable) and Testimony (Information about God and people).  God's laws or commands provides guidelines for grateful living. We keep God's commands because we love God. We don't do commands to earn our salvation. It is by grace though faith we earn our salvation (Ephesians 2:8). God's promises are true for God keeps them. He never fails those who trust His Word.

9. God's love is poured into our heart by the Holy Spirit. Living in the enjoyment of a strong and abiding sense of God's love for us. This is regular ministry of the Holy Spirit. God loves us. God disciplines us for our good to share in His holiness. Even we cannot see why things happens to us, rejoicing always that God loves us unconditionally. God's love to sinners is expressed by the gift of His Son. God's love is an exercise of His goodness. It has nature of grace and mercy.

10. God is not obliged to pity or pardon. he does out its own will and nobody forces His hand, It does not depend on man's will or effort but on God's mercy. The grace of God is love freely shown toward guilt sinners contrary to their merit. It is God showing goodness to persons who deserve only punishment. For love awakened leads to love in return. Those who receive grace should henceforth should give themselves to good works (Ephesians 2:10).

11. Old Testament emphasizes on God's action as Judge. The New testament is overshadowed by the certanity of coming day of universal judgement. God will judge men's secrets through Jesus Christ. Father has entrusted all judgement to Son, gave authority to judge. In John 5:24, Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgement, but has passed from death into life. By believing Jesus , there is no condemnation and we will not be banished from God 's presence. Although believers will judged according to our works done during course of our life. Our actions done out of love for Christ. No matter how hard we try, we can NOT earn our way to heaven. Our “good works” are like filthy rags compared to God’s holiness (Isaiah 64:6). God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it (Ephesians 2:8&9).

12. Love and fear of God are mutually exclusive. The love of God motivates us to obey God because we love God. Whereas, the fear of God motivates us to obey God because we fear the consequences God might bring upon our lives if we disobey Him. If it is based on fear, it would not the based on trusting relationship. We take risks because we trust Him even what He asks us to do is foolish. We have confidence in God's care and guidance over our lives. We can trust God for reward when right is done.

13. The law cannot save us, for its only effect is to stimulate sin and show us how far we fall of righteousness. Jesus by the virtue of His death on the cross as our substitute and sin bearer. If we are in Christ through faith we are just as if we are not sinned at all because we are washed by the blood of Jesus. Wrath of God will not touch us. Jesus delivers us from the wrath to come.

Written By J.I.Packer