Do you know the only true God? The answer to this question is all that will matter in the end. To know God changes us and ultimately results in our salvation. Our Lord said in His prayer to the Father, “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (Jn. 17:3). Contrariwise, to not know God is to be lost. When the Lord is revealed from heaven, punishment will come to those who “know not God” (2 Thess. 1:7-8).

Hosea declared how God’s people under the Mosaic covenant were destroyed for a lack of knowledge (Hos. 4:6). In context, this was more than merely an intellectual understanding of His existence; they had rejected Him and refused to acknowledge Him in the way they lived. We should acknowledge the Lord in all our ways (Prov. 3:6). We can know that we know God by keeping His commandments (1 Jn. 2:3). While Israel of old may have in large part become estranged from God, His prophets foretold of a time when the earth would be filled with the knowledge of His glory (Hab. 2:14).

Now, in the new covenant of Christ, each one of His people know Him (Heb. 8:11; Jer. 31:34). To know God is to be in a covenant with Him. Many first-century Gentiles turned from their idols and false gods to serve the living and true God (1 Thess. 1:9-10). The universe God created teems with evidence that points to Him. Those who preached to Gentiles in the first century pointed to creation as they introduced God (Acts 14).

God is not an impersonal entity. The personal relationship He desires to have with us is described as a loving father (Deut. 1:31; Psa. 103:13; Heb. 12:5-11), or a jealous husband (Ex. 20:5; 34:14; Ezek. 16:8-19; Hos. 1:2; 3:1-5; Eph. 5:23; Rev. 21:2, 9). Yet, while He desires interaction with us (Acts 17:27), His nature is transcendent (Isa. 55:8, 9). God is not beset by human frailties as false gods created in the minds of men. The gods made in man’s image act like immature children who get their feelings hurt. Greek mythology is filled with tales of gods who behave like characters in a soap opera. They are like souped-up humans, capricious in character. Contrariwise, the only true God does not change (Mal. 3:6). There is no variation with the Father (Jas. 1:17). Jesus Christ is ever faithful (2 Tim. 2:13), the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8).

The only true God is distinct from gods in other religions in that He entered into human suffering. Jesus, the Son of God, became flesh (Jn. 1:14). He experienced sickness, hunger, thirst, sleepless nights, betrayal, distress, pain and death. Jesus has declared the unseen God (Jn. 1:18). To truly see Jesus is to come to know and see the Father (Jn. 6:45-47; 14:9), for the Son and the Father are one (Jn. 10:30; 17:11, 21). This is what the prayer of Jesus was in John 17:3, that men would come to believe and know the only true God and have eternal life. God has revealed Himself and given sufficient evidence for us to believe and know Him through Jesus Christ and have eternal life (Jn. 20:30-31). Do you know God?

-Mark Day

Kings tend to think they have supreme authority, that no one is above them. King Solomon wrote, “Where the word of a king is, there is power; And who may say to him, “‘What are you doing?’” (Eccl. 8:4). But only one King has no one above Him. Nebuchadnezzar was king over the mighty Babylonian empire and thought he was above all, but God humbled him and taught him that there is indeed a King of kings (Dan. 4:34; 1 Tim. 6:15). God is the Most High who reigns as king over the kingdom of men (Dan. 4:17; cf. Psa. 7:17).

God’s sovereignty means He works all things according to the counsel of His own will (Eph. 1:11; Dan. 4:35). All are subject to His rule (Psa. 103:19). He is the Creator of all; He does what He pleases (Psa. 115:3; Rev. 4:11). As the omnipotent, reigning King (Rev. 19:6), He could force His will upon us feeble humans who in Him live, move, and have our being (Acts 17:28). Some believe that He does. John Calvin viewed predestination as, “the eternal decree of God, by which he determined with himself whatever he wished to happen with regard to every man. All men are not created on equal terms, but some are preordained to eternal life, others to eternal damnation; and accordingly, as each has been created for one or the other of these ends, we say that he has been predestinated to life or to death.”[1]

Contrary to Calvin, the Bible teaches that God allows humans to have free will. From the beginning—when He gave Adam and Eve the option of obeying Him and living or eating of the forbidden tree and dying (Gen. 2:16, 17)—God has always given man a choice (Deut. 30:19; Josh. 24:15). Jesus said, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn. 7:17). Man can exercise his will to find out the will of God and know divine doctrine, or he can reject the Lord. Jesus does not, at present, force us to be His servants; instead, He extends the invitation to all to come to Him (Mt. 11:28). The Lord has all authority; however, with that authority He commands the invitation of the gospel to go out to the entire world (Mt. 28:18-20). Every individual has the choice: “whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely” (Rev. 22:17). Many are lost because they reject this offer (Mt. 23:37; Acts 13:46; 2 Thess. 1:8).

God loves every person (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 5:6-8). He desires that all be saved (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Pet. 3:9). God has not chosen for you whether you will be saved or lost; you must choose. Your will is the deciding factor. God wants you to love Him in return with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mk. 12:30). But He will not force you to love Him. Just as Jesus chose to lay down His life (Jn. 10:18) in order to follow God’s determinate plan (Acts 2:23), you must choose whether you will follow the path God has laid down for you to have eternal life.  Jesus said, “If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it” (Lk. 9:23, 24). You can choose to let God reign as King in your life by doing all things under His authority (Col. 3:17)

-Mark Day

[1] Institutes. III.21.5

Prayers to God should be made on behalf of all men (1 Tim. 2:1). All kinds of people need salvation. God not only sends His sunshine and rain on everyone (Mt. 5:45), but He also desires to save each and every person (1 Tim. 2:4). As Christians, we should petition God, who is the creator and benefactor of all people, for conducive conditions for spreading His message to all people. We should even pray for rulers and all those who are in authority—even if they are antagonistic to Christianity—for their decisions will affect whether we have opportunities to spread the gospel (1 Tim. 2:2). People can more readily listen to God’s message of salvation when free from terror, anarchy, and severe economic hardships.

The means by which all people are saved is coming to a knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). Paul used “the truth” in his letters to refer to the saving truth of the gospel (Gal. 2:5, 14). To Timothy, Paul made it clear that the church is to uphold the truth (1 Tim. 3:15); contrariwise, to lack a knowledge of the truth and be opposed to it is to be lost (1 Tim. 6:5; 2 Tim. 3:7, 8). Thus, salvation involves cognition—acquiring knowledge and understanding of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ. Obviously other things are involved such as one’s volition, but without knowing who the Lord is, one cannot appeal to Him for salvation; one must know the gospel before one can obey it (Rom. 10:13-16).

Truth is exclusive. While God’s desire for salvation is inclusive of all people, the nature of objective truth means that proposed answers other than the truth are false. Just as Paul goes on to say “there is one God” in 1 Timothy 2:5, there is only one truth and one way to the Father: Jesus Christ (Jn. 14:6). Jesus is not “a truth” or “a way” among many. False gods and false ways will not save. Jesus is the one mediator between all men and God. Jesus is in a unique position to mediate because He can identify with both God and man. Jesus is God (Jn. 1:1; Heb. 1:8; Isa. 9:6; Mt. 1:23). Yet, He became flesh and lived as a man for a third of a century (Jn. 1:14; Phil. 2:7; Heb. 2:9, 14). He gave His own life as a ransom for all men to be released from their sins and have peace with God (1 Tim. 2:6).

Life is short (Psa. 90:10; Jas. 4:14). The opportunities we have to study the truth and tell it to others are dwindling. This week, brother Allen Webster will be here to speak on these vital subjects. Our prayer is for all kinds of people to come to a knowledge of the truth that saves their souls through the efforts of this week.

-Mark Day

For the last several years, Christians in America have, in general, enjoyed material prosperity with the absence of persecution. Good times, however, can have negative spiritual effects. The Lord’s disciples can grow soft and lazy while they are “at ease in Zion” (Amos 6:1). Sermons to rouse people from their indifference do not always work; often they fall on deaf ears. Painful circumstances, however, can make people wake up and listen.

The book of Zephaniah is dated during the reign of Josiah (Zeph. 1:1), leading up to his reforms. God promised to bring punishment on those who had grown stagnant in their spiritual service, saying, “And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil” (Zech. 1:12). The complacent are said to be “settled on their lees,” a word picture taken from handling wine. The term lees (or dregs) refers to the solid sediment that settles at the bottom of the container over time. If wine is allowed to settle too long, it thickens and is ruined.  God said He would visit in punishment the men who were thickening upon their dregs. These men were so complacent that they thought God would be too. In effect, they had made a god in their own image who was indifferent, who will not do good, nor evil. But God assures them He will bring His penalty upon them at a time referred to as “the day of the Lord” (Zeph. 1:7).

We strive to be the church revealed in the New Testament. The book of Acts tells us about the persecutions against the early followers of Jesus. The spiritual dangers that come to Christians when their environment is unfriendly to them are plain. The pages of Scripture and uninspired history are filled with examples of such.  However, persecution also causes disciples to bind together and become active and sacrificial in giving to each other. I don’t know the future; the Lord alone knows whether a period of persecution is on the horizon for His church and what the particulars of it would be. However, times of persecution do have a way of showing one’s true colors. If we’ll let it, pain can cause us to get serious about what’s really valuable.

Compare what Jesus said about lukewarm Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22) with persecuted Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11) and Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). It would not be surprising if Laodicea had a nice, comfortable building in which to meet, but what about their hearts? The persecuted church does not have all the nice material possessions the world offers, but it also does not have members who are disinterested in spiritual activities because they’re too busy entertaining, going on vacation, going to ball games, golfing, et cetera. God disciplines His children; pain in the present can cause us to make spiritual reforms and have better priorities in the future (Heb. 12:5-11).

In Zephaniah’s day, God could not rouse people from complacency for very long by merely sending someone to speak to them. He had to send foreign people in to take away their goods, their houses, and their lands (Zeph. 1:13). What does He have planned for the complacent today?

-Mark Day