“The last word, when all is heard: Fear God and keep His commandments; for this is man’s all; because God will bring to judgment every work, with all its hidden qualities, whether good or bad.” - Ecclesiastes 12:13-14.
Every man
must fear God and keep His commandments. Such is the true reason and
purpose of man’s existence that should please the supreme and almighty
God who created him. But how is it possible for any man to fear and
keep the commandments of the God that he never knew nor understood in
His truth? It is not possible. The apostle John already testified and
said that no one has at any time seen God. And that is true. Literally,
no man can see God because He is by nature an invisible supreme Spirit
Being. Figuratively, His actual being is so exalted and mysterious,
ineffable and inscrutable, as Dr. Jose Rizal puts it, that it is not
possible even for the wisest and most prudent man to know and understand
Him as He really is. Man is thus in a very sad predicament wherein it
is his primary obligation to know and understand the God who is beyond
his perceptive capabilities to see in His actual reality. Indeed, it is
the Supreme Problem of mankind to see the unseen God by his own human
mind. Mankind must then continue living without the fear of God and
always transgressing His commandments. In this erring way of life, man
must die and perish by a life that was not lived according to its divine
purpose.
But the only true God loves the man He created and He never desired that any man should die and perish, but that in death He may still save him and give him everlasting life. And John continued his testimony, saying,
Revelation is the act of making known or the thing itself that is made known. The only-begotten Son has revealed God. He will not reveal God as if He must yet do the act of making God known, but He has revealed God which means that He already did it. However, in saying, “. . . He (the Son) has revealed Him (God),” it can also be correctly understood that the only-begotten Son has done the act of making God known by making Himself known. Jesus Christ leads man to this truth in His gospel written by John, which says:
But the only true God loves the man He created and He never desired that any man should die and perish, but that in death He may still save him and give him everlasting life. And John continued his testimony, saying,
“No one has at any time seen God. The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has revealed him.” - John 1:18.
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only - begotten Son, that those who believe in him may not perish, but may have life everlasting. For God did not send his Son into the world in order to judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him. He who believes in him is not judged; but he who does not believe is already judged, because he did not believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God. Now this is the judgment: The light has come into the world, yet men have loved the darkness rather than the light, for their works are evil. For everyone who does evil hates the light, and does not come to the light, that his deeds may not be exposed. But he who does the truth comes to the light that his deeds may be made manifest, for they have been performed in God.” - John 3:16-21.The only-begotten Son has revealed God whom no one has at any time seen. Thus, man is now able to see God through the revelation of His only-begotten Son. It is also established that it is only by the revelation of the only-begotten Son and nobody else that man is able to see God in His true realities. And to be truly certain that the revelation is from the only-begotten Son, He must be seen always situated in the bosom of the Father. But human salvation, which means man shall not perish but will have life everlasting, is only meant for those who will believe in the only-begotten Son and in His name. And what is it that man must believe in the only-begotten Son except His revelation of the only true God. Man must also believe in His name in order that he may not be judged. John further wrote:
“He who receives his witness has set his seal on this, that God is true. For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for not by measure does God give the Spirit. The Father loves the Son, and has given all things into his hand. He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; he who is unbelieving towards the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God rests upon him.” - John 3:33-36.To come to the light is to believe in the name of the only-begotten Son of God, to believe that He was sent from God, and to do the truth as works performed in God. To come to the light is to seek and learn the truth that should enable man to see God, know Him, and understand Him in His divine and perfect realities. To see God in His realities is also to know His divine will and fear Him, and finally, keep His commandments.
Revelation is the act of making known or the thing itself that is made known. The only-begotten Son has revealed God. He will not reveal God as if He must yet do the act of making God known, but He has revealed God which means that He already did it. However, in saying, “. . . He (the Son) has revealed Him (God),” it can also be correctly understood that the only-begotten Son has done the act of making God known by making Himself known. Jesus Christ leads man to this truth in His gospel written by John, which says:
“Philip said to him, ‘Lord, show us the Father and it is enough for us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Have I been so long a time with you and you have not known me? Philip, he who sees me sees also the Father. How canst thou say, “Show us the Father?”Dost thou not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? The words that I speak to you I speak not on my own authority. But the Father dwelling in me, it is he who does the works.Do you believe that I am in the Father and the Father in me? Otherwise believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do he shall also do because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, that I will do, in order that my Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.” - John 14:8-14.Now it can be truly said that the only-begotten Son of the Father has indeed revealed God by revealing Himself, but only to those who will believe in Him and in His name. So, how was the revelation of the only-begotten Son accomplished in every man who believes in Him and in His name?
A. The Only-begotten Son
The only-begotten Son, as the name so suggests, was begotten by God. He is the only Son that God had begotten. Very many in the religious world are of the perception that the Son of God was born, brought forth by God from His womb. In fact, the concerned verse, “The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father,” is translated in the Pilipino language (Ang bugtong na Anak na nasa sinapupunan ng Ama) to actually mean, “The only-begotten Son, who is in the womb of the Father.” Now, the bosom is different from the womb and the two must never be interchanged with each other. Yet no one there seems to notice this error, not even by the priests and other self-claiming ministers of the word of God.
But what really is the Biblical meaning of the word, begotten? The English dictionary gives only two meanings for the word, begotten: to cause to be, or to be the father of. However, there is a Biblical account that would reveal how the Son of God was begotten, and it is written:
“I will proclaim the decree of the Lord: The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son; this day I have begotten you. Ask of me and I will give you the nations for an inheritance and the ends of the earth for your possession. You shall rule them with an iron rod; you shall shatter them like an earthen dish.’” - Psalms 2:7-9It is very clear that the Lord God did not cause His Son to be. The Lord is talking to His Son, proving that the Son is already in existence. In that case, the only meaning then for the word, begotten, is that the Lord became the Father to Him whom He is speaking to. In the book of Genesis, God is also speaking to somebody with Him in this specific verse:
“God said, ‘Let us make mankind in our image and likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, over all the wild animals every creature that crawls on the earth.” - Genesis 1:26.
Who is this somebody with
whom God is speaking to? He must be the same one who proclaimed the
decree of the Lord; who thus became the only-begotten Son of God. God is
definitely expressing His divine will to His Word just as the apostle
John has testified:
God became the Father on that day that He has begotten a Son. And it is important for every true Christian to distinguish when that day was because it is an essential part of the only-begotten Son’s revelation of God. Otherwise, no man can really see God. Very many are those who have been convinced and therefore believe that the only-begotten Son is Jesus Christ. But such belief is not adequate if the exactitude of the Biblical truths is to be satisfied. In other words, it creates loopholes which open opportunities for those who distort and misrepresent the words of God to pursue their selfish interests and material gains. God became the Father on that day that He sent forth His Word from His mouth to do whatever He pleased. Jesus Christ is not exactly the only-begotten Son of God. First of all, He is called Jesus Christ because He is the Christ, the son of the living God. Rather, Jesus is the Son of God, not because He was begotten but because it was the fulfillment of God’s promise to David His father. And this is the reason why He has often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. But the only-begotten Son of God must be distinguished differently from the Son of Man. Consider these Biblical revelations:
The clear distinction conforms to the two definitions of the word, begotten. First, God became the Father to His Word who became His only-begotten Son; and second, God caused that flesh to be conceived in and brought forth from the virgin womb as the Son of Man who became the Son of God according to His promise to David His father that, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” In this manner, the persistent issue in the religious world that has been going on unresolved among teachers and preachers, especially the members of the opposing church and religious organizations concerning the true nature of Jesus Christ, whether He is God or man or both God and man, may be put to its final resolution based on the truths of the Biblical revelations. The apostle John’s testimony must be carefully understood when he wrote:
And so is Jesus being acknowledged as a God-man, which cannot possibly be true. Another misrepresentation of this verse misled very many to believe that Jesus Christ is but a man and not God in His true nature. The written words of John’s testimony said, “And the Word was made flesh.” But he did not say, “And the Word was made into flesh.” The Word was God; and God does not, and will not change His divine nature. The Word cannot become what He is not. Since God is supreme in His being, it is blasphemous for anybody to bring Him down to the level of mankind, much more believe and so teach that He who was God became a man. But what did the apostle John really mean in his specific testimony? An account in the book of Genesis should provide the correct understanding of his words. And it is written:
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was made nothing that has been made.” - John 1:1-3.It is the Word whom God has begotten by being to Him a Father and the Word a Son to Him. And it is true. All things were made through the Word and without the Word was made nothing that has been made. Thus, God could not be speaking to anybody else except to His Word when He said, “Let us make mankind in our image and likeness.” So that it is now Biblically established that the only-begotten Son is the Word who was with God and was God through whom all things that has been made was made.
God became the Father on that day that He has begotten a Son. And it is important for every true Christian to distinguish when that day was because it is an essential part of the only-begotten Son’s revelation of God. Otherwise, no man can really see God. Very many are those who have been convinced and therefore believe that the only-begotten Son is Jesus Christ. But such belief is not adequate if the exactitude of the Biblical truths is to be satisfied. In other words, it creates loopholes which open opportunities for those who distort and misrepresent the words of God to pursue their selfish interests and material gains. God became the Father on that day that He sent forth His Word from His mouth to do whatever He pleased. Jesus Christ is not exactly the only-begotten Son of God. First of all, He is called Jesus Christ because He is the Christ, the son of the living God. Rather, Jesus is the Son of God, not because He was begotten but because it was the fulfillment of God’s promise to David His father. And this is the reason why He has often referred to Himself as the Son of Man. But the only-begotten Son of God must be distinguished differently from the Son of Man. Consider these Biblical revelations:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways, my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are exalted above the earth, so are my ways exalted above your ways, and my thoughts above your thoughts. And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth and water it, and make it to spring and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my Word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.” - Isaias 55:8-11.
“Look down from heaven, and behold from thy holy habitation and the place of thy glory: where is thy zeal, and thy strength, the multitude of thy bowels, and of thy mercies? They have held back themselves from me. For thou art our father, and Abraham hath not known us, and Israel hath been ignorant of us: thou, O Lord, art our Father, our redeemer, from everlasting is thy name.” - Isaias 63:15-16.God has always been the Father from everlasting. His Fatherhood began on that very day that He had begotten His Word as His Son. As the Word of God, the only-begotten Son was not brought forth from the womb of God, but was sent forth out of the mouth of God. Yet the Word remains in the bosom of the Father forever. But there is no way for anyone to know that day when God sent forth His Word from his mouth. However, it must be established that the only-begotten Son whom God gave into the world must be distinguished separately from the Son of God whom the virgin conceived and brought forth into the world.
The clear distinction conforms to the two definitions of the word, begotten. First, God became the Father to His Word who became His only-begotten Son; and second, God caused that flesh to be conceived in and brought forth from the virgin womb as the Son of Man who became the Son of God according to His promise to David His father that, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son.” In this manner, the persistent issue in the religious world that has been going on unresolved among teachers and preachers, especially the members of the opposing church and religious organizations concerning the true nature of Jesus Christ, whether He is God or man or both God and man, may be put to its final resolution based on the truths of the Biblical revelations. The apostle John’s testimony must be carefully understood when he wrote:
“There was a man; one sent from God, whose name was John. This man came as a witness, to bear witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him. He was not himself the light, but was to bear witness to the light. It was the true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But to as many as received him he gave the power of becoming sons of God; to those who believe in his name: Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us. And we saw his glory- glory as of the only-begotten of the Father - full of grace and of truth. John bore witness concerning him, and cried, ‘This was he of whom I said, “He who is to come after me has been set above me, because he was before me.”’ And of his fullness we have all received, grace for grace. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” - John 1:6-17.The only-begotten Son, the Word of God, was already in the world, given by God, even before Jesus was born; even before “the Word was made flesh.” The apostle John referred to the Word as the life which is the light of men. The Word was the true light that enlightens every man who comes into the world, and that includes Adam who is the first man created by God through the Word. But the world in which He came knew Him not. He came unto His own but His own did not receive Him. Yet there are those who received Him from them who are not His own. And they received the power of becoming sons of God. Those who believe in His name were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And then, the Word was made flesh. Now, this specific verse conceived the idea which supposes that Jesus Christ became what He previously was not - a man.
And so is Jesus being acknowledged as a God-man, which cannot possibly be true. Another misrepresentation of this verse misled very many to believe that Jesus Christ is but a man and not God in His true nature. The written words of John’s testimony said, “And the Word was made flesh.” But he did not say, “And the Word was made into flesh.” The Word was God; and God does not, and will not change His divine nature. The Word cannot become what He is not. Since God is supreme in His being, it is blasphemous for anybody to bring Him down to the level of mankind, much more believe and so teach that He who was God became a man. But what did the apostle John really mean in his specific testimony? An account in the book of Genesis should provide the correct understanding of his words. And it is written:
“Then the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man is alone; I will make him a helper like himself.’
“The Lord God cast the man into a deep sleep and, while he slept, took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib which the Lord God took he made into a woman, and brought her to him.” - Genesis 2:18; 21-22.The man did not become the helper whom God made for him. In the same breath, the Word never became the flesh that was made for Him. It must be underlined that the Word is a spirit being that is invisible, but the flesh is visible. And what John and his fellow disciples saw is the flesh bearing the glory of the only-begotten of the Father that is full of grace and of the truth. Truly, the flesh that was made dwelt with them; and they all received His fullness, grace for grace. Jesus is the flesh which was conceived and brought forth from the virgin’s womb by the power of the Most High. It is written:
“But Mary said to the angel, ‘How shall this happen, since I do not know man?’ And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God.’” - Luke 1:34-35.The flesh that was made shall be called the Son of God. But the Word remains the only-begotten Son of God who is in the bosom of the Father forever and ever.
B. The Word of God
“And as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and return no more thither, but soak the earth and water it, and make it to spring and give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be, which shall go forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall do whatsoever I please and shall prosper in the things for which I sent it.” - Isaias 55:10-11.The Word of God goes forth from the mouth of God, and each time, He does whatsoever pleases God and shall prosper in the things for which He was sent, without fail. So, when did God become a Father to His Word? It could very well be on that very day when God sent forth His Word out of His mouth! And the reason for this is that God must not be seen to speak in vain. He sends His Word to fulfill His divine will and purpose which are all perfect, holy, and just. Now, John testified that the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed God whom no one has seen at any time. But the revelation of the only-begotten Son is both simple and profound. How should anyone see God by the revelation of His only-begotten Son?
First of all, God cannot be the Father without the Son inasmuch as the Son cannot be without the Father. This is a divine truth, both simple and profound, which very many wise and prudent men take for granted. Even with human beings, the son bears witness to the existence of his father even as the father does to his son. In other words, the existence of the only-begotten Son is an unimpeachable evidence of the existence of the Father who is the Lord God. And it is inconceivable that the Father who is God shall have begotten a Son who is not of His own divine nature. It must be underlined that God became a Father to His only-begotten Son and not to every son who shall henceforth be born of God through faith in Jesus Christ. Since the Fatherhood of God is from everlasting to everlasting, so must the Son whom He has begotten be. God did not beget His Son to bring Him into existence or cause Him to be because His existence is from everlasting to everlasting. But this truth is only established if it is unequivocally acknowledged that the only-begotten Son of God is His Word. But then, as the Word of God, the only-begotten Son shall also reveal the true realities of His Father.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. On the other hand, the only-begotten Son is in the bosom of the Father. God sends forth His Word out of His mouth, whereas the Father sends forth His only-begotten Son from His bosom. If the Word of God goes forth out of His mouth, where does He come from? The Word of God is conceived in and brought forth from the Wisdom of God. And thus, it is not that difficult to understand that since the only-begotten Son is the Word of God, then the Father who begot Him cannot be any other but the Wisdom of God. True enough: the Father and the Son are one God. For the only true God is substantiated by His Wisdom and His Word. The Father and the Son are one with each other and one in each other, exactly, as the Wisdom of God is with His Word and in His Word even as His Word is with His Wisdom and in His Wisdom. The Father and the Son share an inseparable being just as Jesus said:
“Even if I bear witness to myself, my witness is true, because I know where I came from and where I go. You judge according to the flesh; I judge no one. And even if I do judge, my judgment is true, because I am not alone, but with me is he who sent me, the Father. And in your Law it is written that the witness of two persons is true. It is I who bear witness to myself and he who sent me, the Father, bears witness to me. You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would then know my Father also.” - John 8:14-19.
"I tell you and you do not believe. The works that I do in the name of my Father, these bears witness concerning me. But you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them and they follow me. And I give them everlasting life; and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. What my Father has given me is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch anything out of the hand of my Father. I and the Father are one.” - John 10:25-30Unconditional trust and faith in God, free from perverse counsels and evil plots, satisfy the divine requirements that should enable the man to see God, hear and understand His Word, and thereby receive His Wisdom. But as God so desires to impart His Wisdom through His Word to all men, so must every man also seek God and desire to receive His Wisdom and His Word. Every man who admits the existence of an only true God must trust his faith in Him and do goodness in all his thoughts, words, and deeds. It is only by doing so that he is able to receive the divine providence of His Wisdom and His Word.
C. The Wisdom of God
The Wisdom of God surpasses all human knowledge and understanding. In His supreme Wisdom, God knows and understands all things, their beginnings and endings before they come to pass as they must come to pass. On the other hand, the Word of God is His almighty power to fulfill His divine will that He has conceived in His supreme Wisdom. God thinks in His supreme Wisdom and does His ways by the almighty power of His Word. And thus does God rightly and justly claim before all of His creatures that His thoughts and His ways are exalted above the thoughts and ways of man.
The Word of God speaks the Wisdom of God to man and to all His creatures in order for them to fulfill the divine will and purpose of God in creating them. Man, in return, must hear and abide the Word of God in order to please Him and establish that lasting and meaningful relationship between the Creator and His creatures. But a man is separated from God by his willful transgression of His divine will. Every man is free in his will to choose to hear and abide the Word of God or not. And every man must then be held accountable for every choice he makes. Jesus Christ said:
“If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” - John 8:31-32.Every man who will hear and abide the Word of God will not be held responsible for his act, in his thought, word, and deed, because he did not do his own will but the will of God who created him. Henceforth, the disciples of Jesus Christ know the truth because His word that they abide in faith has imparted to them the Wisdom of God that is in Him and with Him forever. They will no longer err in their ways of life because the truth has set them free from the responsibilities of their acts that they shall do in faithful obedience to the divine will of the only true God. The Word of God manifests the Wisdom of God in the following manner; and it is written:
“Wisdom is a kindly spirit, yet she acquits not the blasphemer of his guilty lips; because God is the witness of his inmost self and the sure observer of his heart and the listener to his tongue. For the spirit of the Lord fills the world, is all-embracing, and knows man’s utterance. Therefore no one who speaks wickedly can go unnoticed, nor will chastising condemnation pass him by. The devises of the wicked man shall be scrutinized, and the sound of his words shall reach the Lord, for the chastisement of his transgressions; because a jealous ear hearkens to everything, and discordant grumblings are no secret. Therefore guard against profitless grumbling, and from calumny withhold your tongues; for a stealthy utterance does not go unpunished, and a lying mouth slays the soul.
“Court not death by your erring way of life, nor draw to yourselves destruction by the works of your hands. Because God did not make death, nor does he rejoices in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the nether world on earth, for justice is immortal. It was the wicked who with hands and words invited death, considered it a friend and pined for it; they made a covenant with it, because they deserve to be in its possession.” - Wisdom 1:6-16.The Wisdom of the Lord is a kindly spirit: all-embracing, and knows the meanings and intentions of every word that a man speaks. It is in His Wisdom that God distinctly identifies the good from the bad whereby He rejects and hates all evil and wickedness from the acts performed by every man. The Wisdom of God is just, good and righteous. Justice promises life eternal to those who do all that is good and righteous but death and punishment to the wicked transgressors of His divine will.
The Holy Bible devoted a whole book which comprehensively dealt with the Wisdom of the Lord. The author of the book is unknown, but what is essential is that he imparts the truth that should attain for man that perfect knowledge and understanding of the divine and perfect realities of the Wisdom of the Lord. Here are some of those revelations:
“Now God grant that I speak suitably and value these endowments at their worth: for He is the guide of Wisdom and the director of the wise. For both we and our words are in his hands, as well as all prudence and knowledge of crafts. For he gave me sound knowledge of existing things, that I might know the organization of the universe and the force of its elements, the beginning and the end and midpoint of times, the changes of the sun’s course and the variations of the seasons. Cycle of years, positions of the stars, natures of animals, tempers of beasts, powers of the winds and thoughts of men, uses of plants and virtues of roots - such things as are secret I learned, and such as are plain; for Wisdom, the artificer of all taught me.
“For in her is a spirit intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, agile, clear, unstained, certain, not baneful, loving the good, keen, unhampered, beneficent, kindly, firm, secure, tranquil, all-powerful, all-seeing, and pervading all spirits, though they be intelligent, pure and very subtle. Wisdom is mobile beyond all motion, and she penetrates and pervades all things by reason of her purity. For she is an aura of the might of God and a pure effusion of the glory of the Almighty; therefore naught that is sullied enters into her. She is the refulgence of eternal light, the spotless mirror of the power of God, the image of his goodness.
"And she, who is one, can do all things, and renews everything while she herself is perduring; and passing into holy souls from age to age, she produces friends of God and prophets. For there is naught God loves, be it not one who dwells with Wisdom. She is fairer than the sun and surpasses every constellation of the stars. Compared to light, she takes precedence; for that, indeed, night supplants, but wickedness prevails not over Wisdom.” - Wisdom 7:15-30.
“Resplendent and unfading is Wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of men’s desire. He who watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For taking thought of her is the perfection of prudence, and he who for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with solicitude. For the first step towards discipline is a very earnest desire for her; then, care for discipline is love of her; love means the keeping of her laws; to observe her laws is the basis of incorruptibility; and incorruptibility makes one close to God; thus the desire for Wisdom leads up to a kingdom. If, then, you find pleasure in throne and scepter, you princes of the peoples, honor Wisdom, that you may reign forever.” - Wisdom 6:12-21.
“For what man knows God’s counsel, or who can conceive what the Lord intends? For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. And scarce do we guess the things on earth, and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out? Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given Wisdom and sent your holy spirit from on high? And thus were the paths of those on earth made straight, and men learned what was your pleasure, and were saved by Wisdom.” - Wisdom 9:13-18.The Wisdom and the Word of God are integral parts of His supreme and almighty Spirit being. It is not possible to ever see God without His Wisdom and His Word by whom He accomplishes His thoughts and His ways to perfection. There are references to the Wisdom of the Lord in the female gender. Now many may find this in contradiction to the truth that it is the Wisdom of God who became the Father to His only-begotten Son. But Wisdom is referred to in the female gender because of her ability to conceive, produce and bring forth children of God, just like the same child-bearing capabilities of women. Besides, one must not forget that God, as the Father, is not subject to gender classifications. This is also a Biblical fact which is written:
“Before she was in labor, she brought forth; before her time came to be delivered she brought forth a man child. Who hath ever heard such a thing? And who hath seen the like to this? Shall the earth bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be brought forth at once, because Sion hath been in labor and hath brought forth her children? Shall not I that make others to bring forth children, myself bring forth, saith the Lord? Shall I, that give generations to others be barren, saith the Lord thy God?” - Isaias 66:7-9.If God has made it possible for both the virgin and the barren women to conceive and bring forth their own firstborn sons, should there be any doubt that He Himself can likewise bring forth His own children? God conceives by His Wisdom, and through His Word brings forth His own children as the apostle John already stated:
“But to as many as received him he gave the power of becoming sons of God; to those who believe in his name: Who were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” - John 1:12-13.
Now,
the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, has revealed
God indeed by revealing Himself as the Word of God whom God sends forth
out of His mouth. Coming from the bosom of His Father and out of the
mouth of God, the Word does whatsoever pleases God and shall prosper in
the things for which He was sent. Since the only-begotten Son has been
made manifest as the Word of God, then the Father who sends Him forth
from His bosom is made manifest as the Wisdom of God. And thus is the
invisible God made manifest as the supreme and almighty Spirit Being who
is substantiated by His Wisdom and His Word in perfection, holiness,
justice, love, and enduring goodness. And when Jesus claimed: “I and the Father are one,” there must no more be any doubt that the Father and the Son are within each other as one God.
D. God is the Lord
The Father and the Son are the two spiritual substances of the one and only true God. The two are not united as one as if they were previously separated; but they exist in each other from everlasting to everlasting. The Father is the Wisdom of God and the only-begotten Son is the Word of God. He who sees the Son sees also the Father just as he who receives the Word of God also receives His Wisdom. And he who sees the Father and the Son also sees God in His true and invisible Being.
D. God is the Lord
The Father and the Son are the two spiritual substances of the one and only true God. The two are not united as one as if they were previously separated; but they exist in each other from everlasting to everlasting. The Father is the Wisdom of God and the only-begotten Son is the Word of God. He who sees the Son sees also the Father just as he who receives the Word of God also receives His Wisdom. And he who sees the Father and the Son also sees God in His true and invisible Being.
But how must men see God in His real being as the supreme and almighty God who is substantiated by His Wisdom and His Word? God first introduced Himself to Moses at that time when He has chosen and appointed him to lead His people, the Israelites, out of Egypt where they are being oppressed and enslaved for generations.
“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and lead the Israelites out of Egypt?’ He answered, ‘I will be with you; and this shall be your proof that it is I who had sent you: when you bring my people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this very mountain.’ ‘But,’ said Moses to God, ‘when I go to the Israelites and say to them, “The God of your fathers has sent me to you,” if they ask me, “What is his name?” what am I to tell them?’ God replied, ‘I am who Am.’ Then he added, ‘this is what you shall tell the Israelites: I AM sent me to you.’
“God spoke further to Moses, thus shall you say to the Israelites: the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’”
‘This is my name forever; this is my title for all generations.’ - Exodus 3:11-15.The only true God whom His people must know and understand is the Lord who calls Himself: “I am who am.” Now, the word, am, is the form of the verb, be, that is used with I in the present tense; first person singular, present indicative of be (The World Book Dictionary). On the other hand, the verb, be, means, to have reality; to exist; to live. Thus, God must be known and understood as the only Lord who lives forever and ever for all the generations of his people who must all be living as He is. He is the God of the living and not of the dead. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and even Moses himself may have died indeed, but they live forever because they were born of God, their only Lord who lives forever.
Indeed, many are those who attribute high-sounding qualities to God even as philosophers, theologians, and Bible scholars come out with different definitions and vague descriptions of His supreme and almighty Being. Some say God is just; or He is love; or that He is good; or He is holy; or He is merciful; or He is whatever they can think of. But what value would such attributes have to him who does not know or understand that God is the Lord? For God is the Lord of His own people who does His divine will in conformity with the revelations of His Word. The Word of God is His Law and His commandments that express His perfect will. And only those who look up to Him as the Lord are worthy to be counted among His own people. Those who transgress the commandments of God cannot be counted as the people of God even if they call Him Lord. Consider this testimony of the apostle Peter:
“Brethren, let me say to you freely of the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this very day. Therefore, since he was a prophet and knew that God ‘had sworn to him with an oath that of the fruit of his loins one should sit upon his throne,’ he, foreseeing it, spoke of the resurrection of Christ. For neither was he abandoned to hell, nor did his flesh undergo decay. This Jesus God has lifted up, and we are all witnesses of it. Therefore, exalted by the right hand of God, and receiving from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured forth this Spirit which you see and hear. For David did not ascend into heaven, but he says to himself, ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thy enemies thy footstool.’ Therefore, let all the houses of Israel know most assuredly that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” - Acts of the Apostles 2:29-36God is the Lord; and Jesus Christ is also the Lord. But Jesus also said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father in heaven shall enter the kingdom of heaven. Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in thy name, and cast out devils in thy name, and work many miracles in thy name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of iniquity!’ ” - Matthew 7:21-23.
God
the Father is the Lord only of those who do His divine will, those who
fear Him and keep His commandments. And since Jesus Christ has taught on
earth all the truths that men must learn concerning the divine will of
His Father, therefore must all true and faithful Christians also hear
and keep His words as their Lord.
To acknowledge God and Jesus Christ as one’s Lord is to become His faithful servant. The Lord God gives the command, and His servants must obey without question. But there are also other lords in this world - lords that hold authority and power over men. And they too, give commandments which their subjects must follow. So that whom one serves and obeys is his lord. Jesus Christ must be the Lord as God the Father is also the Lord because it is only by hearing and keeping the gospel of Jesus Christ that a man may be able to serve God and keep His commandments. Consider Paul’s testimony:
God is the Lord of heaven and earth whom all men must serve and whose will men must do in this world. This is the divine truth concerning the only true God which Jesus Christ seeks all men to know and understand from the time that John baptized Him in the river Jordan until the time when He returns again to save the living and the dead who listened to His words and acted upon them in true faith. Jesus Christ taught faithful obedience to the Lord God not only in His words, but also in His thought and deeds. He demonstrated His meek obedience even unto death in order that by His resurrection, He may make it manifest to all men that God is the Lord even as He is also the Lord. Yet Paul had emphasizes that men must not serve God as though He were in need of anything nor does He dwell in temples made by hands of men. And most definitely, they who blindly and generously donate and contribute money to church organizations purportedly to finance the work of evangelization are manifest victims of deception. So, how should a man truly serve God and abide in the words of Jesus Christ as his Lord? As the Lord, man must worship the only true God. For so did He give command to His people:
Other gods are other lords who also give commandments and whom men have come to serve in transgression of the greatest and first commandment of the Lord God. And there are various reasons why men do this evil that they do in this world. One reason is that which the apostle Peter has already forewarned: that there will be false prophets and lying teachers who will disown the Lord and malign the way of truth. He said they will bring in destructive sects and out of greed and with deceitful words will use for their own gain those who follow their wanton conducts. And thus, they all will certainly be condemned and destroyed. Another reason why men turn to other gods and idols is the devil, the ancient serpent, he who is called Satan, whose only reason for being is to lead astray the world by his wonderful deceptions and temptations. He even so foolishly tried to tempt Jesus Christ who is the Lord, vainly ignoring the truth that it is beyond all his evil powers to mislead or deceive Him; even quoting the words of Scripture which he has so subtly distorted. God is the Lord.
It is improper to say that there must be no other God and Lord man must acknowledge and worship except for Jesus Christ. For to say so leaves a wrong impression that Jesus Christ is an exception to the rule which commands the people of God to have no other gods besides Him. Jesus Christ is not another God and another Lord. And to worship Him will not mean that the worshipper is worshipping another God other than the true God as some false teachers and preachers claim. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and it is not possible for the Son to be without His Father even as it is not possible for the Father to be without His Son. It must then follow that since the Father is God and Lord, so must the Son also be God and Lord. And to worship the Father and the Son is to worship one God.
Jesus Christ teaches all His disciples to pray in this manner:
E. The Will of God
To acknowledge God and Jesus Christ as one’s Lord is to become His faithful servant. The Lord God gives the command, and His servants must obey without question. But there are also other lords in this world - lords that hold authority and power over men. And they too, give commandments which their subjects must follow. So that whom one serves and obeys is his lord. Jesus Christ must be the Lord as God the Father is also the Lord because it is only by hearing and keeping the gospel of Jesus Christ that a man may be able to serve God and keep His commandments. Consider Paul’s testimony:
“Men of Athens, I see that in every respect you are extremely religious. For as I was going about and observing objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription: ‘To the Unknown God.’ What therefore you worship in ignorance, that, I proclaim to you. God, who made the world and all that is in it, since he is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands; neither is he served by human hands as though he were in need of anything, since it is he who gives to all men life and breath and all things. And from one man he has created the whole human race and made them live all over the face of the earth, determining their appointed times and the boundaries of their lands; that they should seek God, and perhaps grope after him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being, as indeed some of your own poets have said, ‘For we are also his offspring.’ If therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to imagine that the Divinity is like to gold or silver or stone, to an image graven by human art and thought. The times of this ignorance God have, it is true, overlooked, but now he calls upon all men everywhere to repent; inasmuch as he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world with justice by a Man whom he has appointed, and whom he has guaranteed to all by raising him from the dead.” - Acts of the Apostles 17:22-31.God will definitely bring to judgment every work that every man has done in this world on that day which He Himself shall have fixed. However, the qualities of every work shall be determined in goodness if it had been performed in obedience to Jesus Christ. Otherwise, all that a man has labored for shall be in vain. Furthermore, God guaranteed that all those who will obey Jesus Christ as their Lord shall be saved. For Jesus Christ has indeed risen from the dead because He lived in this world and did all that His Father has commanded Him. For His Father is God who is the Lord He shall always love and serve in perfect faith.
God is the Lord of heaven and earth whom all men must serve and whose will men must do in this world. This is the divine truth concerning the only true God which Jesus Christ seeks all men to know and understand from the time that John baptized Him in the river Jordan until the time when He returns again to save the living and the dead who listened to His words and acted upon them in true faith. Jesus Christ taught faithful obedience to the Lord God not only in His words, but also in His thought and deeds. He demonstrated His meek obedience even unto death in order that by His resurrection, He may make it manifest to all men that God is the Lord even as He is also the Lord. Yet Paul had emphasizes that men must not serve God as though He were in need of anything nor does He dwell in temples made by hands of men. And most definitely, they who blindly and generously donate and contribute money to church organizations purportedly to finance the work of evangelization are manifest victims of deception. So, how should a man truly serve God and abide in the words of Jesus Christ as his Lord? As the Lord, man must worship the only true God. For so did He give command to His people:
“I, the Lord, am your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery. You shall not have other gods besides me. You shall not carve idols for yourselves in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth; you shall not bow down before them or worship them. For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their father’s wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation; but bestowing mercy down to the thousandth generation, on the children of those who love me and keep my commandments.
“You shall not take the name of the Lord, your God, in vain. For the Lord will not leave unpunished him who takes his name in vain.
“Remember to keep holy the Sabbath day. Six days you may labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord, your God. No work may be done then either by you, or your son or daughter, or your male and female slave, or your beast, or by the alien who lives with you. In six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord has blessed the Sabbath and made it holy.” - Exodus 20:1-11.God, the Lord, is a jealous God who shall punish those who hate Him but shall be merciful to those who love Him. And thus did He command His people not to have other gods besides Him. God, as the Lord, gave various commandments and ordinances for His people to observe. And when a doctor of the Law asked Jesus which is the great commandment in the Law, He said to him:
“‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind.' This is the greatest and the first commandment. And the second is like it, ‘Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.’ Upon these two commandments depends the whole Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:37-40.The only manner by which every man may truly serve God as the Lord is by loving Him with his whole heart, with his whole soul, and with his whole mind. And to love the Lord God in this manner is to worship Him. Truly, it is very clear that loving the Lord God with one’s whole heart, soul, and mind should leave no more room in his being for other gods or graven idols in the shape of anything in the sky above or on the earth below or in the waters beneath the earth.
Other gods are other lords who also give commandments and whom men have come to serve in transgression of the greatest and first commandment of the Lord God. And there are various reasons why men do this evil that they do in this world. One reason is that which the apostle Peter has already forewarned: that there will be false prophets and lying teachers who will disown the Lord and malign the way of truth. He said they will bring in destructive sects and out of greed and with deceitful words will use for their own gain those who follow their wanton conducts. And thus, they all will certainly be condemned and destroyed. Another reason why men turn to other gods and idols is the devil, the ancient serpent, he who is called Satan, whose only reason for being is to lead astray the world by his wonderful deceptions and temptations. He even so foolishly tried to tempt Jesus Christ who is the Lord, vainly ignoring the truth that it is beyond all his evil powers to mislead or deceive Him; even quoting the words of Scripture which he has so subtly distorted. God is the Lord.
It is improper to say that there must be no other God and Lord man must acknowledge and worship except for Jesus Christ. For to say so leaves a wrong impression that Jesus Christ is an exception to the rule which commands the people of God to have no other gods besides Him. Jesus Christ is not another God and another Lord. And to worship Him will not mean that the worshipper is worshipping another God other than the true God as some false teachers and preachers claim. Jesus Christ is the Son of God; and it is not possible for the Son to be without His Father even as it is not possible for the Father to be without His Son. It must then follow that since the Father is God and Lord, so must the Son also be God and Lord. And to worship the Father and the Son is to worship one God.
Jesus Christ teaches all His disciples to pray in this manner:
“But in praying, do not multiply words, as the Gentiles do; for they think that by saying a great deal, they will be heard. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. In this manner therefore shall you pray: ‘Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.’ For if you forgive men their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you your offenses. But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father in heaven forgive you your offenses.” - Matthew 6:7-15.“Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” God is absolutely the Lord in His heavenly kingdom because it is only His divine will that is being done therein. But not so in the world, where only those who perfectly know and understand the only true God as the Lord do His divine will. Wise and prudent men of this world attribute high-sounding definitions and descriptions to God. They say that God is love, merciful, all-knowing, all-seeing, all powerful, just, kind, etc., etc. But what good will all these great compliments and praises for the only true God benefit a man who calls Him Lord but refuses to do His divine will? Jesus further said;
"But why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not practice the things that I say? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and acts upon them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house; that dug deep and laid a foundation upon rock. And when a flood came, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it; because it was founded on rock. But he who has heard my words and has not acted upon them is like a man who built his house upon the ground without a foundation; against which the stream broke and straightway it fell in, and great was the wreck of that house.” - Luke 6:46-49.Jesus Christ is the Lord and therefore everyone who hears His words must act upon them. Now, the words that Jesus Christ has spoken are all about the divine will of the Lord God that a man must do on earth. Who, then, is the only true God that all men must know and understand in the truth of His Word? He is the Lord of heaven and earth and of everything therein, especially, mankind. He is the Lord because His divine will must be done on earth as it is in heaven. They that acknowledge Him as the Lord have no other choice but to keep His commandments. But those who fear God with the doctrine and commandments of men will lose their wisdom and their prudence shall be hid. They will never understand that the only true God is the Lord only of them who keep His commandments.
E. The Will of God
The only true God has His own will and purpose for everything He does with His supreme Wisdom and almighty Word. And thus shall everything that He has willed to do be absolutely done in the perfection of His divinity, justice, righteousness and goodness. The English dictionary lists down several definitions to the word, will.
"As a noun: 1 the power of the mind to decide and do; deliberate control over thought and action 2 the act of choosing to do something, sometimes including also all deliberation that precedes making the choice 3 purpose; determination. SYN: resolution, decision 4 a wish; desire. SYN: inclination, preference, choice. 5 an order, command, decree 6 what is chosen to be done; (one’s or its) pleasure. As a verb: 1 to decide by using the power of the mind; use the will 2 to determine; decide 3 to influence or try to influence by deliberate control over thought and action 4 to wish; to desire." - The World Book Dictionary Volume Two / 1979 Edition: p.2392.
Any
one or all of these given definitions should very well describe the
will of God. Since the will of God is the power of His mind to decide
and do or His deliberate control over thought and action, then the
direct and complete involvement of His Wisdom and His Word at once comes
into play. It is in His Wisdom that God perfectly knows and very
clearly understands all things, both visible and invisible, so that
nothing is hidden from Him. God knows good and evil, truth and fallacy,
although He loves only the truth and the good, but hates all evil and
lies. On the other hand, it is by His Word that God does all that is His
divine will to do, without fail. If it is God who shall do His will,
there must be no doubt that He shall fulfill it. But if the will of God
is an order, command, or decree that He meant for somebody to do, it is
possible that His will may not be done. Yet God has interposed another
will in such cases, whereby He promised to bless those who shall do His
will but a curse to those who will not. God even promises life to them
who will do His will, but death to those who will not. For God also gave
man his own free will, that he may deliberate and choose in his own
human wisdom whether or not to do the will of God. And it is written:
In His heavenly kingdom, the divine and perfect will of the Lord God is absolutely being done, whether by Him or by those who dwells with Him therein. But it is not so on earth among mankind. God will not impose His divine will upon the man whom He has given the liberty to choose his course of action, but can only wish it. God has given mankind the earth as his domain which he must fill and subdue. And since God has given man such responsibility over His other creations, He found it just and good to give man his own free choice in his decisions. But God had to guide and supervise man with His commandments because of man’s limited wisdom and power which he must always utilize in the deliberate control of his actions in order that he may always choose good over evil, the right over the wrong, and the truth over the lie.
Recognizing his human limitations, man should find it convenient and proper to keep the commandments of the Lord God and thereby rid himself of the responsibility in his actions by his own free choice. But there is another will, evil and imposing and very deceptive, which confronts the man and his free will: the devil’s will. The devil is God’s adversary, and his evil will is to deceive and mislead every man to act against the divine will of the Lord God. But whereas the Lord God so desires to make mankind imperishable, the devil, on the other hand, seeks to kill and destroy all men. Jesus Christ spoke of the devil in the following manner:
“Here, then, I have today set before you life and prosperity, death and doom. If you obey the commandments of the Lord, your God, which I enjoin on you today, loving him, and walking in his ways, and keeping his commandments, statutes, and decrees, you will live and grow numerous, and the Lord, your God, will bless you in the land you are entering to occupy. If, however, you turn away your hearts and will not listen, but are led astray and adore and serve other gods, I tell you now that you shall certainly perish; you will not have a long life on the land which you are crossing the Jordan to enter and occupy. I call heaven and earth today to witness against you: I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life, then, that you and your descendants may live, by loving the Lord your God, heeding his voice, and holding fast to him. For that would mean life for you, a long life for you to live on the land which the Lord swore he would give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” - Deuteronomy 30:15-20.
“Say not: ‘It was God’s doing that I fell away’; for what he hates he does not do. Say not: ‘It was he who set me astray’; for he has no need for wicked man. Abominable wickedness the Lord hates, he does not let it befall those who fear him. When God, in the beginning, created man, he made him subject to his own free choice. If you choose you can keep his commandments; it is loyalty to do his will. There are set before you fire and water; to whichever you choose, stretch forth your hand. Before every man is life and death, whichever he chooses shall be given him. Immense is the wisdom of the Lord; he is mighty in power, and all-seeing. The eyes of God see all he has made; he understands man’s every deed. No man does he command to sin, to none does he give strength for lies.” - Ecclesiasticus 15:11-20.Everything that God has chosen in His divine will to do have all been done in all goodness. But God is the Lord of heaven and earth, so that He must have His own people on earth who must serve Him. And to serve Him as their Lord, His people must do His divine will which is fully expressed and explained through His commandments, statutes, and decrees which they must follow and obey. And since man was given his own free choice to do or not the will of the Lord God, the divine will of God is then held in abeyance, now in the form of a promise which God shall certainly fulfill: life and prosperity for those who will choose freely to do His will by obeying His commandments, but death and doom for those who will choose not. And then the divine will of God takes yet another form and becomes a wish or a desire: that man choose life by loving God, walking in His paths, and keeping His commandments.
In His heavenly kingdom, the divine and perfect will of the Lord God is absolutely being done, whether by Him or by those who dwells with Him therein. But it is not so on earth among mankind. God will not impose His divine will upon the man whom He has given the liberty to choose his course of action, but can only wish it. God has given mankind the earth as his domain which he must fill and subdue. And since God has given man such responsibility over His other creations, He found it just and good to give man his own free choice in his decisions. But God had to guide and supervise man with His commandments because of man’s limited wisdom and power which he must always utilize in the deliberate control of his actions in order that he may always choose good over evil, the right over the wrong, and the truth over the lie.
Recognizing his human limitations, man should find it convenient and proper to keep the commandments of the Lord God and thereby rid himself of the responsibility in his actions by his own free choice. But there is another will, evil and imposing and very deceptive, which confronts the man and his free will: the devil’s will. The devil is God’s adversary, and his evil will is to deceive and mislead every man to act against the divine will of the Lord God. But whereas the Lord God so desires to make mankind imperishable, the devil, on the other hand, seeks to kill and destroy all men. Jesus Christ spoke of the devil in the following manner:
“If God were your Father, you would surely love me. For from God I came forth and have come; for neither have I come of myself, but he sent me. Why do you not understand my speech? It is because you cannot listen to my word. The father from whom you are is the devil, and the desires of your father it is your will to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie he speaks from his very nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I speak the truth you do not believe me. Which of you can convict me of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear is that you are not of God.” - John 8:42-47.Man must exercises his own free will under the direct supervision of his own human wisdom and intellect by which he deliberates on the choice of action he must do and accomplish. And the human intellect is greatly influenced by his senses: what he sees, feels, hears, smells, and tastes. But the capabilities of the human senses are limited, just as it is written:
“For the deliberations of mortals are timid, and unsure are our plans. For the corruptible body burdens the soul and the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns. And scarce do we guess the things on earth and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty; but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?” - Wisdom 9:14-16.The human free will is so vulnerable to the devil’s deceptions. The cunning and crafty ways of the devil in his evil will to deceive men is at once made manifest in that garden in Eden where God put the first man and woman He created. The Lord God commanded Adam and Eve not to eat or even touch the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die. But the devil so easily succeeded in imposing his will on the woman by a wonderful lie. It is written:
“But the serpent said to the woman, ‘No, you shall not die; for God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ Now the woman saw that the tree was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and desirable for the knowledge it would give. She took of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband and he ate.” - Genesis 3:4-6.When God asked the woman why she did what she did, her answer was that the serpent deceived her and she ate. And thus must the man and the woman die as God has forewarned them. Now it should not be difficult to understand that the divine will of God for mankind is not to die but to live forever. In His Wisdom, God had already seen that the knowledge of good and evil shall make their death inevitable. And thus did He forbid them from partaking of its fruit. And God’s desire to give everlasting life to the man He created is again made manifest when He drove them out of the garden in order that they may not partake of the fruit of the tree of life which will consequently enable them to live forever a sinful way of life that must certainly perish. And by putting the tree of life out of their reach, God has indeed saved the dying man from destruction. Now it is quite clear that the divine will of the Lord God is His wish or desire that the man He created should not die but live forever; yet even if it so happened that man must die because he learned good and evil in transgression of God’s commandment, the divine will of God still stands and shall absolutely be done through His Son, who says:
“I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, even if he die, shall live; and whoever lives and believes in me, shall never die. Dost thou believe this?” - John 11:25-26.
The
divine will of God is for the power of His Wisdom to decide and the
power of His Word to accomplish. It is also His commandment, by which
God, as the Lord, takes deliberate control over the thoughts and actions
of every man who believes in His only-begotten Son and in His name. The
divine will of God is His wish and desire that His people not perish
but may have life everlasting through faith and obedience to His Word,
His only-begotten Son and in His name, Jesus Christ. For Jesus also said
One self-claiming strictly-Biblical preacher gained popularity by accepting all questions concerning issues of Christian faith from his audience and providing them with answers that he purportedly draws straightaway from the verses of the Bible. He was asked whether or not man shall still exercise his own free will in the heavenly kingdom after his final salvation into an everlasting life with God. And his answer is in the affirmative which he supported by his own interpretations of the Biblical verses he cited. And as usual, the unstable listeners have been misled to believe and accept his explanations as Biblical truth. Clearly, this preacher and his perplexed audience have completely ignored the teaching of Jesus Christ in this regard: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
It is not possible for any man to do the will of God while at the same time doing his own will. And if he cannot possibly do it on earth as he prays for, much more is there no possibility for any man to exercise his own free will in heaven. But every man who faithfully does the will of God on earth is only able to do so because he has surrendered his own free will to God the Father as his Lord whose divine will must also be done on earth by His children. It is true that man is free in his own will to choose and decide on whatever he has determined in his mind and heart to do in the conduct of his earthly life. But it is also true that he must either enjoy the good benefit of his correct choices and decisions or suffer the evil consequences of his wrong choices and decisions. But every man’s choice or decision is finally determined and influenced by his own comprehension of the realities of the thing or things he must choose to do.
A man may prefer one food over another because it tastes better. But better taste should not always be the basis of one’s choice. The food that tasted better could be bad for the health while that which does not taste that good could make one healthy. In the long run, one’s choice to eat better tasting food is proven erroneous when he must have to suffer the ailments that eating such food had caused. If time still permits, a man can always change his previous preferences that he has proven wrong, which means that he will then choose to eat what is good for his health rather than what is good for his taste. The point here is that man is not capable of always arriving at the perfect choices that he must make by his own free will because of the timid deliberations of his limited intellect. The human senses can only perceive the clear, visible, and immediate realities before him. Yet he is able to imagine with his heart and mind. But imaginations are not real. Man cannot therefore rely upon his imaginations in his efforts to correctly determine the perfect choices he must make. In order to be imperishable, the imperfect human being must always be perfect in his acts that he chose to do by his own free will. That is just not possible. But God is mightily able to make man imperishable through His Word of truth.
Man shall inevitably die and perish as the consequence of the erroneous decisions that he is bound to make in the exercise of his own free will. And for man to die and perish is definitely against the divine will of God. And so, God gave His only-begotten Son into the world in order that those who believe in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
“It is the spirit that gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But there are some among you who do not believe.”- John 6:64-65.The divine will of God is fully expressed in the words spoken and taught by Jesus Christ. And He demonstrated it in detail in all the works that He accomplished during His earthly life. Jesus Christ “is not a man like you and me.” He is God by nature and the fullness of God dwells in His body. He is the Word God, the Christ who dwells in the spiritual and heavenly body of Jesus. God has indeed expressed His divine will that man must do; and it is written:
“Sanctify yourselves, then, and be holy; for I, the Lord, your God, am holy. Be careful, therefore, to observe what I, the Lord, who make you holy, have prescribed.” - Leviticus 20:7-8. “Sanctify them in the truth. Thy word is truth. Even as thou hast sent me into the world, so I also have sent them into the world. And for them I sanctify myself, that they may be sanctified in truth.” - John 17:17-19.Jesus Christ will continue to sanctify His true faithful disciples by means of His Word, His doctrine and commandment but never by the words, doctrines and commandments conceived by men. Thus, every man who seeks to be made holy must hear and act upon His Word instead of joining and supporting church and religious organizations that were founded by men.
One self-claiming strictly-Biblical preacher gained popularity by accepting all questions concerning issues of Christian faith from his audience and providing them with answers that he purportedly draws straightaway from the verses of the Bible. He was asked whether or not man shall still exercise his own free will in the heavenly kingdom after his final salvation into an everlasting life with God. And his answer is in the affirmative which he supported by his own interpretations of the Biblical verses he cited. And as usual, the unstable listeners have been misled to believe and accept his explanations as Biblical truth. Clearly, this preacher and his perplexed audience have completely ignored the teaching of Jesus Christ in this regard: “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
It is not possible for any man to do the will of God while at the same time doing his own will. And if he cannot possibly do it on earth as he prays for, much more is there no possibility for any man to exercise his own free will in heaven. But every man who faithfully does the will of God on earth is only able to do so because he has surrendered his own free will to God the Father as his Lord whose divine will must also be done on earth by His children. It is true that man is free in his own will to choose and decide on whatever he has determined in his mind and heart to do in the conduct of his earthly life. But it is also true that he must either enjoy the good benefit of his correct choices and decisions or suffer the evil consequences of his wrong choices and decisions. But every man’s choice or decision is finally determined and influenced by his own comprehension of the realities of the thing or things he must choose to do.
A man may prefer one food over another because it tastes better. But better taste should not always be the basis of one’s choice. The food that tasted better could be bad for the health while that which does not taste that good could make one healthy. In the long run, one’s choice to eat better tasting food is proven erroneous when he must have to suffer the ailments that eating such food had caused. If time still permits, a man can always change his previous preferences that he has proven wrong, which means that he will then choose to eat what is good for his health rather than what is good for his taste. The point here is that man is not capable of always arriving at the perfect choices that he must make by his own free will because of the timid deliberations of his limited intellect. The human senses can only perceive the clear, visible, and immediate realities before him. Yet he is able to imagine with his heart and mind. But imaginations are not real. Man cannot therefore rely upon his imaginations in his efforts to correctly determine the perfect choices he must make. In order to be imperishable, the imperfect human being must always be perfect in his acts that he chose to do by his own free will. That is just not possible. But God is mightily able to make man imperishable through His Word of truth.
Man shall inevitably die and perish as the consequence of the erroneous decisions that he is bound to make in the exercise of his own free will. And for man to die and perish is definitely against the divine will of God. And so, God gave His only-begotten Son into the world in order that those who believe in Him may not perish, but may have life everlasting.
“If you abide in my word, you shall be my disciples indeed, and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Amen, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave of sin. But the slave does not abide in the house forever; the son abides there forever. If therefore the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. I know that you are the children of Abraham; but you seek to kill me because my word takes no hold among you. I speak what I have seen with the Father; and you do what you have seen with your father.” - John 8:31-32; 34-38.Faithful obedience to His word demands that a man relinquish his inherent free will in order that he may be able to fulfill the divine will of his Creator. Giving up one’s free will does not really enslave the man but actually makes him free. Certainly, a man who errs in the choice that he made by his own free will shall be held liable for his wrongful act. But he who does the divine will of God cannot be held liable for any wrongdoing because God does not err at all.
