[And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God] (John 17:3).
We have already learned the two ways and methods for obtaining eternal life, first of which is to know the only true God (John 17:3). In this chapter, we will learn of the only true God in de tail concerning what He is like, what relationship He bears to us, and what He does for us.
1. The Outward Appearance and Inward Heart of the True God
Philip said to Jesus [Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us] (John 14:8). This is a common question that has been raised by God's children who have not seen Him down through the ages since the days of Adam. So it was reasonable for Philip to make this request which also represents our common desire. There probably isn't one person who does not desire to see the heavenly Father who loved them "so much that He gave His only begotten Son." If there are any, they must be abnormal.
We already learned that we should know God as He reveals Himself in the Word. Now we will have time to take a look at His face and appearance as He reveals Himself in the Bible. Unless we first know His face and appearance well, how can we love Him or make friends with Him?
In this world also, when one tries to make friends or choose a spouse, one first looks at the outward features of the person to see whether he or she is handsome or pretty, whether comely or ugly, and then have a chance to confirm his (her) inward heart. Likewise, in this chapter we will have the opportunity to meet with the only true God and communicate with Him who is our Friend and our Love.
(1) The Outward Appearance of Our Heavenly Father
* Our Father has His head and hair
[I watched... and the hair of His head was like pure wool] (Dan. 7:9).
* He has a face
[His servants shall serve Him] and [They shall see His face] (Rev. 22: 3,4).
[Now we see ... dimly, but then face to face] (1 Cor. 13:12).
* He has a back
[You shall see My back; but My face shall not be seen] (Exodus 33:23).
[He who has seen Me has seen the Father] (John 14:9).
[I and my Father are one] (John 10:30).
* He has vocal cords and speaks
[the voice of the Lord] (1 Sam. 15:22)
* He has eyes and pupils
[the eyes of the Lord] (Pro. 15:3).
[as the apple of His eye] (Deut. 32:10)
* He has a nose
[There are a smoke in My nostrils] (Isa. 65:5).
* He has a mouth and lips and speaks with them
[the mouth of God] (Matt. 4:4).
[My lips] (Ps. 89:34).
[Every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord]
(Deut. 8:3).
* He has ears
[His ear] (Isa. 59:1)
[You will cause Your ear to hear] (Ps. 10:17).
* He has arms
[My arm] (Ps. 89:21).
[Your outstretched arm] (1 Kings 8:42).
[The Lord's arm] (Num. 11:23).
* He has hands and fingers
[Your fingers] ( Ps. 8:3).
[Has My hand not made all these things?] (Acts 7:50).
* He has legs
[Almighty God ... His thigh] (Rev. 19:15, 16).
* He has feet
[earth is My footstool] (Acts 7:49).
[Your feet] (Ps. 74:3).
* He is clothed in garment
[His garment was white as snow] (Dan. 7:9).
[He ... was like a jasper and a sardius stone in appearance] (Rev. 4:3).
[dwelling in unapproachable light (garment)] (1 Tim.6:16).
As mentioned above, we can be assured that our heavenly Father, the only true God, also has a head and hair, face and neck, and on His face eyes, nose, ears, mouth and lips to speak with, and on His body front and back, arms and legs, and hands and feet as it is written, [Then God said, `Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness'] (Gen. 1:26). This verse tells us that we were made in perfect accordance with His form and image. Jesus said, [Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father?'] (John 14:9). [I and My Father are one] (John 10:30). In other words, the heavenly Father has the same image as us.
If there is any difference, it is that while we have imperfect, corruptible and mortal bodies due to our transgression, He is perfect, [the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity] (Isa. 57:15), in whom is neither beginning nor end, who exists from everlasting, who is the [only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man ( guilty) has seen or can see] (1 Tim. 6:15, 16). Because He dwells in unapproachable light, no sinner who sees Him can survive. Therefore, it is His great mercy and love for us not to reveal His face to us. But how grateful and joyful we should be that it is not His will to leave His children alone in this sinful world who live [apart from sin] (Heb. 9:28). Our Father will again, for His obedient children send His Son to this earth a second time to bring back to His side those children who are living sinlessly, whom He knows personally. They shall all be [changed in a moment] (1 Cor. 15:51, 52) and go to the Father with Jesus, to see Him [face to face] (1 Cor. 13:12).
What an inexpressible joy it will be the moment we see our Father's face after thousands of years in waiting. My Brothers and sisters who read this book, [May your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ] by living apart from sin while on this earth (1 Theses. 5:23).
(2) The Inward Heart (Character) of Our Heavenly Father
We have thus far learned that our Father is as good-looking and perfect in all respects as He reveals Himself in the Bible. Because He is so flawless in appearance, we can be proud of Him as our Friend wherever we go, and as One whom we can love and worship.
We will now learn of our Father's heart, whether He is truly good and holy in character as His outward appearance is or whether on the contrary, He is violent and fearful. If He is the latter, then it is much safer and wiser for us to give up making friends with Him beforehand. Anyhow, a decision can be made after we study His character in detail.
* Heart of Love
[God is love] (1 John 4:16).
[He will quiet you in His love] (Zeph. 3:17).
[God so loved the world] (John 3:16).
* Heart of jealousy
[I the Lord your God, am a jealous God] (Ex. 20:5).
[He is a jealous God] (Joshua 24:19).
* Heart of fondness
[The Lord has great delight] (1 Sam. 15:22).
[He loves righteousness] (Ps. 11:7).
* Heart of hatred
[the Lord hates] (Pro. 6:16).
[I hate the double-minded] (Ps. 119:113).
* Heart of Joy
[Complete my joy] (Phi. 2:4, KJV.).
[in whom I am well pleased] (Matt. 3:17).
* Heart of dislike
[lest My soul depart from you] (Jer. 6:8).
[I am weary of relenting] (Jer. 15:6).
* Heart of laughter
[He who sits in the heavens laughs] (Ps. 2:4).
[I also will laugh] (Pro. 1:26).
* Heart of singing in joy
[And Heaven and earth shall unite in the Father's song of rejoicing: `for this My son was dead, and is alive again he was lost, and is found'] (Luke 15:24, C.O.L. p.206).
* Heart of crying, sighing and weeping
[If you will not hear it, My soul will weep in secret ... My eyes will weep bitterly and run down with tears] (Jer. 13: 17).
[The Lord was sorry ... and was grieved in His heart] (Gen. 6:6).
[For the hurt ... of My people I am hurt, I mourn] (Jer. 8:21).
* Heart of wrath
[the day of the Lord's wrath] (Zeph. 1:18).
[the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with both wrath and fierce anger] (Isa. 13:9).
* Heart of pity (mercy)
[the Lord pities those who fear Him] (Ps. 103: 13).
[as I had pity on you] (Mat. 18:33).
* Heart of vengeance
[by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity] (Ex. 34:7).
[The Lord is avenging] (Nahum 1:2).
* Heart of forgiveness
[Let the wicked ... return to the Lord, for He will abundantly pardon] (Isa. 55:7).
[I will not remember your sins] (Isa. 43:25).
* Heart of graciousness (mercifulness)
[merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth] (Ex. 34:6).
[He is kind to the unthankful and evil] (Luke 6:35).
* Heart of goodness
[Good and upright is the Lord] (Ps. 25:8).
[Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good!] (Ps. 34:8)
* Heart of peace
[For God is peace] (1 Cor. 14:33).
[peacemakers ... shall be called sons of God] (Matt. 5:9).
* Heart of honesty
[Upright is the Lord] (Ps. 25:8).
[A God of faithfulness ... just and right is He] (Deut. 32:4).
* Heart of unchangeableness
[with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change] (James 1:17).
[For I the Lord do not change] ( Mal. 3:6).
* Heart of faithfulness
[know therefore that the Lord your God is the ... faithful God] (Deut. 7:9).
[Who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you] (Isa. 49:7).
* Heart of omniscience
[Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence?] [Indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You. But the night shines as the day] (Ps. 139: 7, 12).
[for You, You only, knowest the hearts of all the children of men] ( 1 Kings 8:39).
* Heart of justice
[for there is no iniquity with the Lord our God, or partiality, or taking of bribes] (2 Chro. 19:7).
[judge the world in righteousness] (Acts 17:31).
* Heart of thoroughness in keeping His promises
[God is not man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? ] (Num. 23:19).
[God desired to show ... to the heirs of His promise the unchangeable character of His purpose ... that ... we might have strong encouragement] (Heb. 6:17, 18).
[Know therefore that the Lord your God is ... the faithful God who keeps covenant ... with those who love Him and Keep his covenant] (Deut. 7:9,10).
* Heart of thoroughness in the repayment of reward and punishment
[I am ... bringing My recompense, to repay every one for what he has done] (Rev. 22:12).
[And these (the wicked) will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life] (Matt. 25:46).
* Heart of diligence
[My Father is working still, and I am working] (John 5:17).
[Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of His own accord, but only what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son does likewise] (John 5: 19).
As we have now studied the general features of our heavenly Father, we can be assured that His heart and character is almost the same as ours. He possesses affection just as we do, He loves one whom He loves, and hates one whom He hates. When His love is rejected by His earthly children whom He has pursued with such unrequited love, He becomes disappointed and jealous. This is because He loves them too much. If He did not love them, He would not become jealous; therefore, His jealousy becomes just another expression of His ardent love for His children. And He feels happy at the sight of their happiness, and laughs at the sight of their pleasure. He becomes sad at the sight of sorrow, sheds tears at the sight of greater sorrow, and wails when He sees some thing even more woeful. He is so compassionate and loving that when He sees pitiful men, He is touched with pity and longs to give away everything He can in order to comfort them.
However, He hates and is displeased with those who keep doing loathsome things.
When we do something bad, He gets angry with us, and as we do worse deeds, He becomes indignant. As we do unbearable, unpardonable things, He rises up to give severe punishment and reprimands us. But if we go to Him and ask for pardon, even though we are so sinful, He changes His mind and forgives us completely, never remembering our past wrongs. And He restores His peace of mind right away. He is so honest that as much as He loathes dishonesty, He is faithful and truthful to His Word. Therefore, even at the risk of dishonoring His throne and His name, He never changes His promise but always fulfills it. He repays the good and the wicked according to what they have done even more perfectly and accurately than any computer or calculator, without the slightest miscalculation or partiality. He is the most truthful Homehead of our universal family, who works unceasingly for all of His creations, especially His loving children. His efforts are incomparable to the sacrifices and services of the best earthly parents for their children. Should we not always remember this fact and be ever thankful for the amazing grace of our Father?
Just as we are emotional people, so is our Father emotional and He speaks to us as follows, [I love those who love Me, and those who seek Me diligently will find Me] (Pro. 8:17). [Those who honour Me I will honour, and those who despise Me shall be lightly esteemed] (1 Sam. 2:30). [By those who come near Me I must be regarded as holy; and before all the people I must be glorified] (Lev. 10:3). Therefore, [My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, that they may dwell with Me; he who walks in a perfect way, he shall serve Me] (Ps. 101:6). Azariah also exclaims, [Hear me... the Lord is with you while you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will for sake you] (2 Chron. 15:2). Elder James also says, [Draw near to God and He will draw near to you] (James 4:8). Solomon says that if we exalt Him, He will exalt us.
Jesus who was best acquainted with the character of the heavenly Father, once said, [If God is glorified in Him, God will also glorify Him in Himself, and glorify Him immediately] (John 13:32). Jesus taught us that our heavenly Father rewards everyone unsparingly by all means available without the slightest reserve, even if He is glorified by one of the least of His children, no matter how lowly or weak he maybe.
Therefore, I hope that all members of the universal family will share a kind of love and friendship with our heavenly Father that the world has never seen or heard of before, not forgetting to glorify one another in the Lord.
Now we can see that His heart and character are not different from ours, and that He made us in perfect accordance with Him, not only in His image but also in His character, as He said, [Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness] (Gen. 1:26). If there is any difference, it is that in His heart there is no sin, no evil, and no untruthfulness. From deep within His heart springs forth the fountain of love that sinners cannot possess or compare with. This love is His life and light. If He could be robbed of that love which is His life and light, He would be reduced to nothingness and His life would disappear. His whole self is love (refer to 1 John 4:16). He is the source of all the love in the universe. He is just a great bundle of love! To rob Him of His love would be like removing intensely burning light and heat from the rays of the sun in midsummer. If this could be done, not only He Himself but the whole universe would become pitch dark and cold, and all things would fall to pieces in desolation. If not for the burning rays of love extending out unceasingly from Him, the universe could not exist. It would be easier and more reasonable for fish to survive out of water than for the children of men to love without the sun-rays of God's love, or for any other worlds in the universe to live without the sun of His love which springs forth from Him unceasingly.
Another difference is that God the Father has a heart of omniscience. As nothing is hidden between heaven and earth under the bright sun, so in the same way, no one and nothing in the universe is left unnoticed in the sight of God, to say nothing of the shallow, narrow hearts of men!
Now, since you readers have thoroughly learned of God's heart and character, I sincerely hope that you become His loving sons and daughters rendering obedience to Him who is the epitome of love from now on. I should hope that you submit to Him, not for fear of judgment or punishment, but for fear of making Him sad, sigh, cry and wail for you, whose life is love and whose entirety is love. Then, as He desires, promises, and plans, He will send back His Son when it is exactly His preplanned time and date, in order to take us back to His everlasting holy city, to live with Him forever as Enoch, our elder brother does, and we shall [possess the kingdom forever, even forever and ever] (Dan. 7:18).
Amen. Praise the Lord!
