Understanding the true nature of God – Part 1

“Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation. Christ is also the head of the church, which is His body. He is the beginning, supreme over all who rise from the dead. So, He is first in everything.”
(Col 1:15 & 18) NLT

Jesus Christ is first in everything. He knows better than anyone. He does not only speak the truth, He is the truth. He does not only point to the way, He is the way. He does not only give life, He is the life. He does not only talk about God, He is God Himself. Glory to God!

“No one has ever gone to heaven and returned. But the Son of Man has come down from heaven… so that everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.” (John 3:13-15) NLT

Jesus declared that no one has ever gone to heaven and returned. So, no one can tell us exactly how the father looks. No one knows the mind of the Father. He came from the Father and He alone can declare the true nature of God. He demonstrated that He came from the Father by returning bodily back to Him after His death and resurrection. John the Baptist, the prophet that was sent ahead to prepare the way before Him said this about Him: “He has come from above and is greater than anyone else. We are of the earth, and we speak of earthly things, but he has come from heaven and is greater than anyone else. He testifies about what he has seen and heard, but how few believe what he tells them! Anyone who accepts his testimony can affirm that God is true. For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.” (John 3:31-34) NLT

The confession of John the Baptist, (who Jesus called the greatest among all other prophets) on his limited knowledge about the things of God in comparison to the knowledge that Christ has, is the same for all the other prophets that precedes him. John was saying all the other prophets were limited in knowledge, based on the limited grace that was given to them, but that Jesus had the Spirit without measure. He exemplifies God.

You cannot understand the true nature of God by studying the lives and writings of the other prophets. They only had a glimpse of who God is, only the Son reveals the true nature of God. Moses reveals that God is the God of Judgment and Elijah reveals that He is a consuming fire. These are part of the character of God but not His true nature. The Son reveals that God is Love! This testimony is the truth about who God is.

“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.” (Heb 1:1-3) NIV

Many times, people have a mixed feeling about God. This comes from comparing God’s character in the Old Testament with that of the New. We must pay more careful attention, therefore, to what we have heard from the Lord Jesus so that we do not drift away. This truth was amplified by His apostles in the epistles. The life and teachings of Jesus mirrors the nature of God to us today.
Watch out for part two.

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