God is far above us, as the heavens are higher than the earth (Isa. 55:9). His nature is superior to ours. No man can plumb the depths of His wisdom. His judgments are unsearchable and His ways past finding out (Rom. 11:33). God is not man (Num. 23:19). Though much biblical imagery assigns Him bodily parts, we know that these are used in an accommodative way, since God is spirit (John 4:24). He does not have a physical body that gets sick or tired. He does not change (Mal. 3:6; James 1:17). He does not get old, for He is beyond time. He inhabits eternity (Isa. 57:15); therefore, a thousand years is as one day to Him (2 Pet. 3:8). A consideration of the vast universe He has created and placed man in shows how incomprehensibly great He really is (Psa. 19:1-4; Rom. 1:20).
But though He is so far above us, He is still intensely interested in us. The Bible reveals that He is a loving heavenly Father who gives us life, breath, and all things (Mt. 6:9-11; Acts 17:25). The fact that He makes His sun to rise on everyone, the evil and the good, and sends rain on all, the just and the unjust (Mt. 5:45), testifies that He is a good God who fills our lives with blessings that make us glad (Acts 14:17).
He not only sustains the world that declares His glory day by day, but He also has communicated with man throughout history by special revelation from the Holy Spirit, available to us today through the medium of the sacred scriptures (2 Pet. 1:20-21; 2 Tim. 3:16). He has also intervened miraculously during the composition of the Bible to confirm that what was being communicated was truly from Him (Heb. 2:2-4; 1 Cor. 12-14). The climactic point of His personal involvement with man was the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the Son of God: God empathetically participating in the human condition to the point of death (John 1:14; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 2:14-17).
God wants all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Tim. 2:4). His invitation is to all that they will call upon Him through baptism to wash their sins away in the blood of Christ (Acts 2:21, 38; 22:16; Rev. 1:5; 22:17). Christ delays His coming so that more may repent (2 Pet. 3:9). God is attentive to the prayers of those who obey Him (1 Pet. 3:12). He will even forgive sins when one who is in Christ prays with genuine penitence for forgiveness (1 John 1:9; 5:14). In fact, when one sinner repents the angels that dwell in His presence experience His joy (Luke 15:10).
The God that created the world in which you live (Acts 17:24), and the placed your spirit in the wonderful body you inhabit (Psa. 139:14; Eccl. 12:7; Heb. 12:9), wants to be with you for eternity. He desires fellowship with you so badly that He sent His own Son to die for you to make it possible (Rom. 5:8; 1 John 1:3). But you must make the choice in how you will respond to His love (John 15:9-10). Will you obey Him to eternal salvation (Heb. 5:9), or will all His efforts toward you be in vain because of your refusal to follow Him (2 Cor. 6:1-2)?
-Mark Day
Leave a Reply