How do we know God ?
Not through theology alone, but through theology and faith.
Theology being the study of God's Word, and living faith, the obedience to God's
Word (see study on 'Faith toward God' in 'First Principles').
We come to know God through His Word, His Spirit, His creation; and through His workings in our lives, and our obedience to His will.
Is
theology enough to get to know God ?
No.
We can know about God through His
Word; but we must obey God to know Him.
Exodus 33.12 And Moses said unto the Lord, See, Thou sayest unto me, Bring up this people: and Thou hast not let me know whom Thou wilt send with me. Yet
Thou hast said, I know thee by name, and thou hast also found grace in My sight. 13 Now therefore, I pray Thee, if I have found grace in Thy sight, show me now Thy way, that I may know Thee, That I may find grace in Thy sight: and consider that this nation is Thy people. 14 And He said,
My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.
When Moses asked the
Lord to show him His way, that he may know Him; The Lord said, My presence shall go with you.
According to the Lord, His way is that He goes with us,
and He will give us rest.
It must be understood that we must go with the Lord, follow the Lord in Spirit and in Truth, we must remain in the presence of the ever-present Lord to receive that rest; we must
deny self and die to our life in the world, not only to know God, but to be saved.
Isaiah 30:15 For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel;
In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength: and ye would
not.
Do not be numbered among those who will not rest in the Lord. (see study on: 'Resting in the Lord').
The presence of God is always with us, and we must live in His presence; His Way; in Spirit and in Truth. Because, if we are baptized into Jesus Christ, a truth is:
the Spirit of Christ is always with us, and in us.
Galatians 4:6 And because ye are sons, God
hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
Christ
in us, the hope of glory.
Jeremiah 29:13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Paslm 46:10a Be still, and know that I am God:
If we will still our mind of all worldly and selfish thoughts, and know that God is in our heart, and let our
mind rest in the Lord, in our heart, we will find Him; and as we remain
at rest in that stillness of His peace, He will manifest in us, the mind and the nature of Christ. (see study on: 'Resting in the Lord'.)
Hebrews 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from
His. 11a Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,
It is therefore a labour to
enter into that rest; and not, as many teach, to "just let go, and let God." It is a daily labour to deny self, to die to our life in the world,
let the Life of Christ be magnified in us.
Psalm 40:16 Let all those that seek Thee rejoice and be glad in Thee: let such
as love Thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.
John 3:30 He must increase, but
I must decrease.
We have been given the Love of God; we have been given the
Mind of Christ; we have been given the Life of Christ; but our heavenly Father does not force anything upon us, but has given us free will; now it is up to us to deny ourself, to take up our cross daily, and die to our life in the world, to
decrease, to labour to enter into His Rest; and then He will manifest, in us, His love, His Life, His Mind and His Nature.
John 15:5 I Am the Vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth (Gk. meno; to stay, remain, dwell) in Me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing.
Our salvation
depends upon us resting in Him. In His ever-present Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 13.5b ... for He has said, I will never leave you, nor forsake you.
He wants us to take His yoke upon us, and never leave Him.
John 8.31 Then Jesus said to those Jews which believed on Him, If you continue in (Gk: meno; to stay in, abide, live according to) My Word, then are you My disciples indeed (because you do it); 32 And you shall know the Truth, and the
truth will make you free.
Free from the deception of man's many differing and divisive intellectual interpretations of God's Word; free from the darkness and misunderstanding of the natural, carnal,
fallen, sensual mind; free from the abounding works of iniquity (the unlawful use of God's Word, and God's name: see study on: 'Workers of Iniquity'); free from hell and death.
John 10 27 My sheep hear My vioce, and I know them, and they follow Me:
John 10.14 I am the good shepherd, and I know My sheep, and am known of Mine.
The disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ
are the Church of God; the Body of Christ. It is not those that believe in Him, it is those
who believe in Him and follow Him in Spirit and in Truth.
Luke 9.23 And He said to them all, If
any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow Me.
John 12.26 If any
man serve Me, let him follow Me: and where I am, there shall
also My servant be: If any man serve Me, him will My Father honour.
Matthew 11.28 Come unto Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke
upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest for your souls.
30 For My yoke is easy, and My burden is light. (To take His yoke upon us is to bind ourselves to Him, and stay in His ever-presence, and go when and where He directs us.)
1 John 2.3 And hereby we know
that we know Him, if
we keep His commandments.
If we keep His commandments!
Do
not be deceived, if we do not obey God, we do not know God.
If we do not obey Jesus, He is not our Lord.
If we say that we believe in Him, and then do not obey Him; then we have deceived ourselves; and we do not really believe that He is God.
James 2:22
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
1John 2.4 He that says, I know Him, and keeps not His Commandments, is a liar and the truth is not in him.
See Study on "The difference between the Law and the Commandments".
To know God, is to love God: to love God, is to obey God: to obey God, is to live in, to remain
in, and rest in His, Presence, and fellowship with Him.
1John1:7a But if we walk in
the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another,
1John1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with
us: and truely our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him
deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 24 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the
same shall save it.
We must truely count ourselves as nothing, wanting nothing of this world; understanding and confessing each day that we are dead to
the world and the flesh, and alive in Christ; and must labour to remain in His presence, yoked to Him, and waiting upon Him: rather than following doctrine about Him.
We must have a personal relationship and fellowship with Him; rather than a theological knowledge about Him.
Get
to know God's presence and rest in Him.
(see study on: 'How are we saved?')