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Knowing God
GOD
When Scottish theologian John Baillie taught
at Edinburgh University
he made it a practice to open his course on the
doctrine of God with these words: "We must remember
in discussing God
that we cannot talk about Him without His hearing every word we say. We may be
able to talk about others behind their backs
but God is everywhere
yes
even
in this classroom. Therefore
in all our discussions we must be aware of His
infinite presence
and talk about Him
as it were
before His face."── Unknown.
In 1715 King Louis XIV of
France died after a reign of 72 years. He had called himself "the
Great
" and was the monarch who made the famous statement
"I am the
state!" His court was the most magnificent in Europe
and his funeral was
equally spectacular. As his body lay in state in a golden coffin
orders were
given that the cathedral should be very dimly lit with only a special candle
set above his coffin
to dramatize his greatness. At the memorial
thousands
waited in hushed silence. Then Bishop Massilon began to speak; slowly reaching
down
he snuffed out the candle and said
"Only God is great."── Today
in the Word
April
1989
p. 24.
GOD
H.G. Wells was never particularly religious
but after he had studied the history of the human race and had observed human
life
he came to an interesting conclusion: "Religion is the first thing
and the last thing
and until a man has found God and been found by God
he
begins at no beginning
he works to no end. He may have his friendships
his
partial loyalties
his scraps of honor. But all these things fall into place
and life falls into place only with God."── Unknown.
God
as some cynic has said
is always on the
side which has the best football coach.── Heywood Broun.
C.S. Lewis once wrote of a girl he knew who
said that the word "God" reminded her of a "vast tapioca
pudding." The only problem was that she hated tapioca pudding!── Unknown.
My concern is not whether God is on our side;
my great concern is to be on God's side
for God is always right.── A. Lincoln.
The existence of God means that we are living
in a moral order
and in a moral order we can no more sin and get away with it
than we can break all physical laws and escape the penalty.── H.E. Fosdick.
Is man one of God's blunders
or is God one
of man's blunders?── Friedrich Nietzsche.
GOD’S
DWELLING-PLACE ( THE TABERNACLE).
God’s
dwelling-place in the past eternity was in the high and holy place (Isa.57:15).
Speaking after the manner of men
God desired another dwelling-place
and so
created man that He might have a companion to dwell and commune with. Sin came
in and separated man from God. Notwithstanding this
God’s heart went out
towards man
for He says
“ My delights were with the sons of men” (Prov.8:31)
and He commanded Moses to make Him a sanctuary
that He might dwell among them
(Ex.25:8)
which was but a shadow of Him who should come tabernacling among us
(John 1:14
R.V.
M.)
and having by His own blood put away the
hindrance—sin—and made a way even into the very presence of God
the sinner can
now draw near to God
and God can dwell in the believer
on the ground of the
finished work and living Person of our Lord Jesus Christ.
What was the Tabernacle made for?
God Himself
gives the answer
“ that I may dwell among you
” but God comes nearer than that
to us who believe in Him; “ I will dwell in them.” This tells us that God
dwells not now in any earthly temple of man’s making
but in the individual
believer in Christ ( 1.Cor.6:19)
and also in the Church as a whole (11.
Cor.6:16; Eph.2:22). This implies many truths. Among these we might notice—
Ⅰ. Regeneration by the Spirit of God through the truth. He it was who
quickened us from the death of sin
led us to Christ
begot in us a new nature
united us to and made us one in and with Christ
and He now dwells in every
child of God as the One who witnesses to our acceptance
as God’s mark upon us
as the Comforter to cheer
as the Teacher to teach
and as the Indwelling
Power
for us
in us
and by us to overcome our enemies
to glorify God
and to
work in us mightily
thus to manifestly show that we are born again.
Ⅱ. Satisfaction in and with Christ.
He says
“ He that eateth My flesh
and drinketh My blood
dwelleth
in Me
and I in him” ( John 6:56). The thought here
is our union with Christ
and His with us
and the satisfaction that flows to Him and to us
because that
we are in Him. What satisfaction it gives to us as we remember that we are
accepted in all the worthiness of the Person and work of Jesus
and also that
He is in us the hope of glory!
Ⅲ. Relationship to God as our Father. “ I will dwell in them……and I will be
their God
and they shall be My people……and will be a Father unto you
and ye
shall be My sons and daughters
saith the Lord Almighty” (11. Cor.6:16-18).
Here we have God’s relationship to us—“ Father”—and He has sent forth His
Spirit in our hearts
crying
Abba Father; and we have our relationship to
Him—“ sons and daughters.” Thus the Spirit
Son
and Father dwell in us.
Ⅳ. Standing. “ Ye are not in the flesh
but in the Spirit
if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of
Christ
he is none of His” (Rom.8:9). We are no longer in the first Adam
but
we stand accepted in the last Adam
the Lord from heaven; and the fact that
this is so
is
the Spirit of God dwelleth in us.
Ⅴ. Separation from the world. “ Be ye not unequally yoked together
with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness?
And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with
Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? and what agreement
hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are temple of the living God: as God
hath said
I will dwell in them” (11. Cor.6:14-18). Notice a sevenfold contrast
here—
Christian
and
Unbeliever.
Righteousness and Unrighteousness.
Light
and
Darkness.
Christ
and
Belial.
Believer
and
Infidel.
Temple
of God and Idols.
Clean
and
Unclean.
Well may Paul
ask
what agreement have these one with the other? None; therefore there is no
other alternative for us but to be practically separated from the one to the
other.
Ⅵ. Power. “ I will dwell and walk in them.” This is our power. The
Spirit is in us as our power to pray (Rom.8:26); He is in us as the source of
fruit-bearing; He is in us as our power to enable us to walk in Christ; He is
in us as our power to separate us from the world
and our power in work and
testimony.
Ⅶ. Resurrection. “ If the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the
dead dwell in you
He that raised up Christ from among the dead shall also
quicken your mortal bodies
because of His ( margin) Spirit that dwelleth in
you” (Rom.8:11). By His own almighty power shall He quicken our mortal bodies
should we die; and if not
by His power shall we be caught up to meet Christ
and be changed in a moment
and be like Him.
── F.E. Marsh《Five Hundred Bible Readings》