21. The Will of the Father
The Father is more committed to our salvation than we are. He is more passionate about having a relationship with us than we are about having a relationship with Him.
In yesterday’s reading, we highlighted the Father’s actions in providing our salvation. He has blessed us in Christ. Our salvation is His initiative. Not ours. And Jesus saved us because this was the purpose and heart of the Father. Before we leave this passage, let us examine in a little more detail the reasons that the Father had in saving us. Slowly read the verses below several times and consider the repeated phrase, ‘according to’.
Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
Ephesians 1:7 (ESV) In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,
Ephesians 1:9 (ESV) making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ
Ephesians 1:11 (ESV) In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
From these highlighted phrases, we see that the Father has blessed us and has provided salvation for us because He wanted to. Our salvation originated in His heart, and it is His will to save us. It is His purpose that we have a relationship with Him, and this plan is according to the riches of His grace.
One of the beautiful things about genuine, loving relationships is that we discover someone who loves us from their free choice. They are not coerced or acting out of obligation. They simply love us because they do. This reflects the heart that the Father has for us. He loves us because He does, and He wants to share His love with us.
How wonderful this truth is. The Father is more committed to our salvation than we are. He is more passionate about having a relationship with us than we are about having a relationship with Him. And through Jesus, He has done all that is necessary to bring us back into this relationship so we can experience the fullness of His love.
John also emphasises this truth in the following verse:
1 John 4:10 (NLT) This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.
The closest I can come to understanding His love for me is to think of my love for my own children. I love them with every fibre of my being. My love for them is not conditional on their behaviour. It is not because they love me back. I love them simply because I do. This love is not an obligation. I cannot help this love. It is an emotion that rises from the deepest part of my being. It is who I am. And everything I do in my relationship with them is motivated by my love for them.
If we, as imperfect parents, can love our children as much as we do, how much more does our heavenly Father love us with a perfect and complete love? Just as our love for our children is a compelling emotion, so the Father’s love for us compels Him in all that He does.
When we see the Father’s motivation in saving us, it makes us understand how secure we are in His love. His love for us will never change. He loves us with all of His being. There is nothing we can do to earn His love, and there is nothing we can do that will cause Him to stop loving us.
Further reading: Lk 12:32; Eph 2:8; Phil 2:13
He loves you more than you can imagine and will never stop loving you.
Spend a moment allowing Him to speak into your heart about His love for you.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
22. Reconciliation
The Father’s act of dealing with our sin is more than just the removal of the penalty of sin; it is the restoration of our relationship with Him.
2 Corinthians 5:18,19 (ESV) All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.
In our previous readings, we have explored the wonderful truth that the Father has dealt with the penalty of our sin through Jesus’ death. He paid the price for our sin on our behalf. We could say that we have been focusing on the legal side of salvation. We are sinners and deserve death, but the Father sent Jesus to die in our place so we can receive His forgiveness and have life. As we have seen, this is redemption.
As amazing and as thrilling as this is, we need to understand that God’s pardoning of our sin through Jesus is not an end in itself. Jesus’ death on the cross did more than deal with the penalty of sin; it restored our relationship with the Father.
Verse 19 above states, “... in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself…”.
Salvation is about reconciliation. Jesus came to bring us back into relationship with the Father.
The fantastic news of the Gospel is not only about getting to heaven. But about coming back into contact with the Father. Our sin estranged us from His love, but now in Christ, He has reconciled us back into the relationship that we were initially created to enjoy.
Sin severed Adam and Eve’s relationship with the Father. Before their fall, they enjoyed an intimate, loving fellowship with Him as He walked and talked with them in the Garden. This exchange of openness, innocence and trust, however, descended into shame, guilt and separation. But now, through Jesus, this broken relationship has been restored.
Jesus put it this way in John Chapter 14.
John 14:6 (ESV) Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
We often focus on the truth that Jesus is the way to heaven, but from this verse, we see that Jesus is not only the way to heaven. He is the way back to the Father. Christianity is not only about forgiveness and the removal of our sin. It is about coming home to the One who made us. To the One who passionately loves us and has done all that is necessary to deal with our sin and bring us back to Himself. This is the central message of the Gospel. Not only heaven but relationship with the Father.
Further reading: Rom 5:1; Eph 2:13-17; Col 1:21, 22
Jesus came to bring us back into relationship with the Father.
Imagine the intimate relationship Adam and Eve had with the Father before they sinned.
You, too, now have this relationship with Him.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
23. Adoption
This restored relationship, however, is much more than that of Creator and those He created. It’s about family. He has adopted us to Himself as sons and daughters.
Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
In our last reading, we discovered the purpose of salvation is not just about an entrance into heaven, but about the restoration of our relationship with the Father. This restored relationship, however, is much more than that of Creator and those He created. It’s about family. He has adopted us to Himself as sons and daughters.
There is no closer tie than family membership. A common phrase that sums up this truth says, “Blood is thicker than water.” Of all the relationships in the world, that of a family is the most important and strongest of all.
For most of my working life, I have worked as a member of the staff of a large church in South Australia, and for many of these years, our senior pastor was Ps Andrew Evans. Under his leadership, our church grew to be the largest Pentecostal congregation in our nation at the time, and as the State and National President, our movement also experienced phenomenal growth. I became a Christian through his preaching, and five years later, I joined the staff as an assistant youth pastor. He was an incredible leader who loved me and cared for me as he did all the members of our team. It was a tremendous privilege to work for him.
As wonderful and inspiring as it was to serve him, I never felt the liberty to enter his house without knocking, walk into the kitchen, take food from the fridge and turn on the television. I knew this was not appropriate. But for his two sons, this was a daily occurrence. Even though I was loved, I was still, rightfully so, an employee. But for them, he was not only the senior pastor, he was also their dad. There is a difference between working for someone and being a member of the household.
Likewise, in providing our salvation, the Father has not only dealt with our sin. He has also made us members of His family. He has adopted us to Himself so that now we are His sons and daughters.
We need to understand that when God describes us as members of His household, this is not just an analogy to express His love for us. Somehow, we really are His children.
How can we, beings that God has created, become members of His household? He is the eternal, all-powerful God who has always existed and is the Creator of all things. He is far above anything we could dream of or imagine, and, although He made us in His image, He is radically and infinitely different to us.
At the risk of trivialising this fundamental difference between God and ourselves, we could say that He is as distinct from us as we would be to a beloved pet. We may love and care for our pet and even treat them as a family member. But in reality, they are of a different kind to us and could never really be a member of the family like a true son or daughter. We cannot adopt a pet.
Yet amazingly, God declares that in saving us, He has also made us members of His family.
We will continue to explore this truth in the next few readings. But for now, spend a few minutes thinking about the privileges of being a family member and thank the Father that He has adopted you into His.
Further reading: Jn 1:12-13; Rom 8:15-16; Gal 3:26, 4:4-7
As a Christian, you are now, in reality, a son or daughter of your Heavenly Father.
Spend a moment reflecting on this amazing truth.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
24. The Word Became Flesh
The eternal Son of God became a man. Somehow, the all-powerful, all-knowing God became one of us.
Before moving on to explore the wonder of our adoption into the family of God, we need to consider the biblical revelation that, in Jesus, God became a man.
John 1:1 (ESV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John 1:14 (ESV) And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
These two verses hold some of the most inspiring and yet mysterious truths ever revealed. The eternal Son of God became a man. Somehow, the all-powerful, all-knowing God became one of us.
How this is even possible is beyond our comprehension. Still, the Bible reveals that Jesus’ humanity was identical to ours in every way. The Word became flesh. Jesus was not just God wearing a human mask. He did not merely appear human. He was human. At the same time, He was both genuinely God and genuinely man. No less God than He had been throughout eternity, and yet not some superhuman being different from us in our humanness.
The Bible does not explain all that we would like to know about this mysterious union of the divine and human natures in Jesus. But it gives us enough insight to understand that although He was God, He experienced normal human limitations.
For example, we see that while on earth, Jesus did not know the time of His Second Coming.
Matthew 24:36 (ESV) But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.
This does not mean that He gave up His divine knowledge to become a man. If He had done this, He would no longer have been God. Instead, He was self-limited in His access to this knowledge.
While theologians have long debated the intricacies of this union of the divine and human in Jesus, a simple illustration can help us grasp what His experience may have been like. Imagine we were to take the fastest 100-metre runner in the world, Usain Bolt, and enter him into a three-legged race with you or me, where one of his legs is tied to one of ours. We would all agree that in this situation, he could no longer run 100 metres in record-breaking time.
In this example, he would not have given up his intrinsic ability to produce scorching 100-metre times, but while attached to us, his performance would be restricted. Maybe this describes the daily experience of Jesus. He never gave up His divine attributes. He was always God, but in becoming a man, He was limited to the experiences of ordinary humanity.
The Bible supports this view of His humanity when it states that Jesus did not do miracles because He was God. Rather, He performed them because He was a man anointed with the Holy Spirit.
Acts 10:38 (TPT) Jesus of Nazareth was anointed by God with the Holy Spirit and with great power. He did wonderful things for others and divinely healed all who were under the tyranny of the devil, for God had anointed him.
We will explore the ramifications of this union of the divine and human in Jesus in our next reading. For now, however, why not thank God that He loves us so much that He became one of us. Jesus, the eternal Word, became fully and totally man for eternity.
The Bible reveals that Jesus’ humanity was identical to ours in every way.
Further reading: Heb 2:14-18; 4:15
The Father loves us so much that He sent Jesus to be one of us.
Spend a moment thanking them both for this act of sacrifice and commitment so that you could be saved and have a relationship with them.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
25. Sons of God
By becoming a man, the eternal Word joined the natures of God and man together. In the real sense of the word, Jesus is now our human brother, and we share the same Father.
Hebrews 2:11 (NIV) Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.
We have been exploring the Biblical revelation that the Eternal Word became totally and completely human and that His human experience was identical to ours in every way.
Besides these aspects, there is, however, another truth that, to a large extent, remains a mystery. When Jesus took on humanity and died on the cross, He was doing more than paying the price for our sin. In addition to redeeming us, He came to make us children of God. By becoming a human, the eternal Word joined the natures of God and man together. In the real sense of the word, Jesus is now our human brother, and we share the same Father.
When God created mankind, He formed us in His image with the ability to have a relationship with Him. In this way, we reflect His glory. We are His representatives, given the privilege to rule and reign over the rest of His creation. We are the highest of His created beings, yet nonetheless we are of a different nature to Him. But now, through Jesus, He has become one of us. Still God, but also authentically human.
From the moment Mary conceived Jesus in her womb, God took on humanity. The Word became flesh. From that time on, one member of the Trinity was a man. If this sounds a little shocking, consider that while Jesus walked on the earth, He was at the same time truly human and truly God. He was genuinely human and yet still a member of the Trinity.
We also need to understand that this act of the Eternal Word becoming flesh was not limited to the thirty years that Jesus was on the earth. He took on our humanity for the rest of eternity. Jesus rose from the dead in bodily form. He took his body and his humanity with Him when He ascended back to the Father. When God became a man, He became a man forever. There is, now, and forever will be a human as a member of the Trinity! What an amazing truth this is. God loves us so much that, in Jesus, He has become one of us.
We must be clear at this point that we will never take on the nature of God. We are and will always only be human, but He took on humanity, and in His humanity, Jesus shares our nature. He truly is one of us, and now, through His humanity, we share the same Father. We are now sons of God!
The act of adoption is not just a theological term used to explain a close family relationship. It expresses an authentic bond between the Father and us. His Son, Jesus, is human, and so are we. We are now members of the Father’s household together with our big brother, Jesus.
Further reading: Matt 28:10; Jn 20:17
Who are we that we should become sons and daughters of the living God? But that is who you really are.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
26. Abba Father
Mark 14:36 (ESV) And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus faced His most significant challenge.
Jesus always understood it was His destiny to die for the sins of mankind. This was why He came into the world. This was His clear and undeniable mission. He had even foretold this to His disciples many times before, that He would be arrested, tried and crucified. Only days before, He had precipitated His own arrest when He overturned the tables of the money changers in the temple. This was a deliberate provocation of the religious leaders to bring to a head their animosity against Him. It had achieved its purpose and caused them to resolve to kill HIm. And, during the last supper, He had encouraged Judas to do what he had determined in his heart.
This was the goal He had worked towards throughout His whole ministry. But now, confronted with the moment, the intensity of what He was about to encounter overwhelmed Him. He knew that in a few hours, He would experience the excruciating agony of the cross, and He would take on the sins of the entire world. The anticipation of what was about to happen bore so heavily on Him that the blood vessels in His forehead broke down, and His sweat became as drops of blood.
I don’t think we can fully imagine the torment and trauma Jesus experienced in the Garden that evening. Everything within Him must have recoiled against the gravity of what lay ahead. Although He understood this was His destiny, He prayed three times that if possible, the Father would take this cup from Him.
It is in this darkest hour, however, facing His most significant challenge, that we see Jesus placing His greatest trust in the Father. In His prayer, He called God, “Abba, Father”.
This was not how his contemporaries ever addressed God. In fact, this address would have seemed overly familiar and contemptuous to them, as this expression was that of a young child to its father. Scholars tell us this was a nursery term and is the equivalent of our English word daddy. *
Jesus was not being disrespectful toward His Father. Instead, He was expressing His deepest trust and intimacy with the One He loved and respected. He was saying, “Dad, this is so hard. Dad, are you sure there is not another way?” At His moment of greatest need, Jesus did not address God in a religious and distant manner. He addressed Him as Dad. As someone He knew was committed to Him and who He could depend on with the toughest challenge of His life.
The relationship between Jesus and His Father is one of intimacy and love. And it was this intimate relationship with the Father that allowed Jesus to push through the trauma of the Garden. After praying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me.” We see Him affirming, “Yet not what I will, but what you will.” Jesus resolved to carry out the will of the Father, not because He was forced to, but because He trusted the love of His Father implicitly.
This story of Jesus in the Garden shows us the depth of intimacy between Jesus and His Father. Their love and trust for each other are almost beyond our ability to imagine. To Jesus, the Father was not some distant God. He was His dad, whom He turned to with total trust and vulnerability.
Amazingly, shockingly, wonderfully, the Bible says that we have this same relationship with the Father, too.
Romans 8:15 (ESV) For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!”
Galatians 4:6 (ESV) And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!”
Not only can Jesus call His Father Dad, so can we. Just as He had a loving and intimate relationship with the Father, so we, too, have been invited into this relationship. We can also call Him, “Abba, Father.”
The Father is not distant and aloof. He does not want you to address Him with cold formality. Instead, He invites you to know Him as Dad.
Further reading: Rom 8:15-17; Gal 4:4-7
Spend a moment reflecting on the truth that the Father invites you to call Him Dad.
* Balz, H. R., & Schneider, G. (1990–). Exegetical Dictionary of the New Testament (Vol. 1, p. 1). Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
27. Thanks for the Inheritance
We inherit God’s vast kingdom, and in return, He inherits us.
Ephesians 1:11a (ESV) In him we have obtained an inheritance,
What an amazing Father we have. When we receive Jesus, the Father forgives us, makes us members of His family and gives us His kingdom as an inheritance. We can only imagine the splendour and glory of this inheritance that will be ours for eternity.
There is, however, another side to this story. Not only do we inherit God’s vast kingdom, but, in Ephesians chapter one, Paul says that we are God’s inheritance.
Ephesians 1:18 (ESV) having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
In this verse, Paul prays that we might understand the riches of God’s inheritance, not for us but in us. While we inherit God’s kingdom, He inherits us.
My dad died some time ago. He was a wonderful, loving man, and I could not have wished for a better dad. A few years before he passed away, he sold the family home and moved, with mum, into a retirement village. This meant he had to downsize, and in sorting out what to keep, sell or give away, he called into my place with a small bag containing some wire puzzles. As a boy, living at home, I had loved playing with these pieces of enmeshed wire. I had spent hours learning how to separate and put back together these impossibly entangled objects. Dad knew how much I had enjoyed them and so wanted to pass them on to me. Unfortunately, I inherited his twisted sense of humour. So as he gave them to me, I said, “Wow, Dad, thanks for the inheritance”. He appreciated the joke, and we had a laugh.
When we talk about God inheriting us, we can feel we are like this bag of puzzles. What value could He possibly see in us? We inherit God’s vast kingdom, and in return, He inherits us. Nothing more than a bag of wire puzzles! Becoming a parent myself, however, has changed my perspective on this radically. One day, my children will inherit everything that my wife and I possess. (One of them might even get the puzzles.) But there is something in the relationship they don’t fully understand. As much as they will receive our material possessions, right now, we inherit them. And they are of immeasurably more value to us than all of our assets combined. Our possessions are nothing compared to the love and joy we experience in having them as our children. If it were necessary, we would gladly trade all that we own, multiple times over, to have them.
This is what the Bible means when it says that we are God’s inheritance. As His sons and daughters, we are of more value to Him than the rest of His kingdom combined! We inherit His kingdom, but He inherits us. To get a glimpse of how much He values us, we only need to look at the price He paid to make us members of His family. The life of Jesus, His Son. Who not only died for us but took on our nature for eternity.
Who are we that the Father should place such value on us?
We put so little value on ourselves. We can see ourselves as barely more than a bag of wire puzzles. But nothing could be further from the truth.
Like Paul, I pray that you might understand more fully the riches of the Father’s inheritance in you.
Further reading: 1 Pet 1:3-4; 2:9-10; Deut 32:9
We are of more value to God than we can imagine.
You are of immeasurable value to the Father.
Spend a moment today asking Him to show you a little more of how much He values and loves you as His priceless inheritance.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
28. How Much Does He Love Us?
The Bible says that the Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus!
The night before His crucifixion, Jesus gathered His disciples together and shared one last meal with them. The Last Supper. In the urgency of this hour, He used this time to share with them some of His most essential truths.
In this context, Jesus said something in His prayer to the Father that seems beyond belief.
John 17:23(NLT) “I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me.”
Jesus stated that the Father loves us as much as He loves Jesus!
I can only imagine the depth of love that exists between the Father and Jesus. As members of the Trinity, they have shared in the most intimate, committed loving relationship for all of eternity. Their love for each other is more profound than any other love in the universe. And this verse says that the Father loves us with this same love.
One of my earliest childhood memories is that of my brother and I standing next to the kitchen table while Mum was eating her breakfast. We were asking her who she loved more. My brother, being two years older than me, was putting forward his case that mum must love him more because she had him first. I was claiming she must love me more because I was the baby. Mum, being a good mother, was responding by saying she loved us the same. Not satisfied with this answer, we were still suggesting that, although she loved us the same, she must love one of us just a little more than the other, and we continued to press the point. As children, we didn’t understand that good parents love each of their children equally.
My wife and I had a difficult time conceiving our children. We graduated from Bible college, decorated the spare room, and friends gave us a cot. It was all going to be so simple. But it was eleven years before we eventually had our first child. The nursery remained empty for eleven years. You can imagine how much we doted over our little son when he finally arrived. Our long-awaited gift from God. We loved him with all of our hearts. It then took a further five years for Michelle to conceive again. During this second pregnancy, we naively wondered how we could love another child as much as we loved our son. When our second was born, however, our hearts overflowed with the same love as they had for our first. There was no distinction. We love them both passionately. Love is not a quantifiable thing. We didn’t love the first with all our hearts and then divide that love to share with the second. We love both of our children the same. Each one has captured our hearts more than they can understand. We can’t help ourselves. We love each one as much as the other.
If we, as imperfect parents, can love our children equally, with our total love, how much more does our Father in heaven love us with all of His heart? He does not divide His love among His children. He loves every one of us with His absolute love.
In the same way, when He looks at Jesus and says, “I love you.” He does this with all of His heart. So too, when He looks at you and me and says, “I love you,” this also is with all of His heart.
This truth seems almost too wonderful to grasp. Who are we that the Father should love us as much as He loves Jesus? Yet as marvellous and unbelievable as this might seem, this is the truth. The Father loves you and me as much as He loves Jesus.
Further reading: Jn 16:27; Jn 17:23-26
Spend a few minutes today to think about how much the Father loves Jesus.
Now let the truth settle in your heart that He loves you with the exact same love.
He loves you as much as He loves Jesus.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
29. Family Likeness
To say this in a way that is both shocking and memorable is to say that in eternity we will be as holy as God!
1 John 3:2 (ESV) Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.
Have you ever noticed how members of the same family often look similar to each other? Even married couples seem to grow alike over time. And what about the unexplained phenomena that pet owners resemble their pets! (Note to self, always choose wisely when buying a new pet.)
With families, these similarities are genetic. Earlier in this book, I mentioned that I shave my dad every morning in the mirror. He is no longer here. He passed away many years ago. But whenever I see my reflection, I glimpse him looking back at me because as I get older, I am becoming more and more like him. I can’t help it, I have inherited his genes.
Sometimes these similarities are caused by association. My wife and I saw a television special where they were explaining why couples begin to look more and more alike over time. This show noted that partners often mimic each other and pull the same loving, comical faces in moments of fun or bewilderment. The program suggested that, in this process, they are building up the same facial muscles, which results in their appearances becoming similar. The funny thing was, as we were watching this special, we realised we were looking at each other and pulling the same face in amazement at what we were hearing. Maybe there is something to this theory.
While this last illustration may be stretching things a little too far, the reality that is God has begun a work in us. Not to change our outward appearance, but to build our character to be like His. When He appears, we shall be like Him. What an amazing promise this is. Right now, we are His children, but His transformation of us is still in progress. We are new creations in Christ Jesus, but we do not always display His character. But when He returns for us, we will be like Him. Think about this for a moment. Somehow, by His grace, we will be changed so that when we step into eternity, we will be just like Him. We will take on a family likeness, so we will reflect our big brother Jesus and our heavenly Father.
There are many aspects of this family likeness that we do not understand at this stage. One area we know, however, is that in eternity we will be sinless. The power of sin and death will be broken. To say this in a shocking but memorable way is to say that, in eternity, we will be as holy as God! This sounds presumptuous and almost blasphemous, but in heaven, we will be sinless! We will not have to strive to be good or be on our best behaviour. We will simply be like Him.
Paul mentioned our future nature in Romans 8:18, where he refers to a glory that will be revealed in us.
Romans 8:18 (NIV) I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.
Some translations of this verse refer to a glory that will be revealed to us. But the NIV and others describe a glory that will be revealed in us. The Greek word translated “in” or “to” in this verse can be translated either way, but the context (v19) refers to creation waiting for the revealing of who we are in Christ and therefore supports verse 18 to be talking about glory that will be revealed in us.
What an amazing truth this is. We experience a real family likeness and will be like Jesus!
Take courage. You may be experiencing failure and frustration today, but God is working a sure and unstoppable work in you, so when Jesus appears, you will be like Him.
Further reading: 1 Cor 15:42-49; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:17; Phil 3:21
Spend a few minutes right now thanking the Father that He has adopted you into His family.
He is working in you so that you are taking on a real and genuine family likeness.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
30. An Ongoing Journey
Romans 8:28–29 (ESV) And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. 29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
Romans 8:28 is a verse that brings great comfort and hope to our hearts when we face difficult times. This verse assures us the Father is working behind the scenes in every situation to work out His plan in our lives. In all circumstances, He is bringing about good. This verse is an anchor to our souls and encourages us to trust Him in all things. He is our loving Dad, who is always acting for our best.
As beautiful and encouraging as this is, I think we sometimes miss a more profound truth that is being presented. We discover this deeper meaning when we link verse 28 with the following verse. Verse 29 starts with “For” or “Because”. This word links the two verses and shows that verse 29 is giving us the reason we know all things work together for good. This reason is that God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His Son. All things work together for good because God can use them to change us into the image of His Son. This puts a whole new slant on verse 28. The good in verse 28 is that God is working to make us more like Jesus. We often interpret verse 28 to say God is acting to assure our comfort. But in reality, it is saying God is using every situation to develop a Christ-like character in us.
We saw in our previous reading that when Jesus returns, He will transform us to be like Him. We shall reflect His glory and enter a sinless existence for eternity. Romans 8:28, 29 tells us that right now, in all circumstances of life, the Father is helping us to grow into mature sons and daughters who reflect His character.
By now, you would understand I passionately love my children. As they were growing up, my wife and I, like all good parents, would do everything to protect and shield them from any hurt. Life, however, has its share of cuts and bruises that we cannot avoid. Splinters and skinned knees are part of maturing. As toddlers, when the first skinned knees or splinters occurred, by the number of tears and screams, you would have thought the end of the world had come, and we would always respond with care and compassion. It broke our hearts to see them in any pain. Today, however, now that they are adults, we would expect them to display greater maturity toward these minor scrapes. Somehow, these painful experiences have helped them grow in character.
Please understand my heart. I am not trying to trivialise the real pains and hurts of life by comparing them to the bumps and scrapes of a normal childhood. To do so would be a great injustice. But the truth remains that often we learn the most significant lessons in the most painful of situations. For example, we only grow in patience by enduring frustration, and we only develop the ability to love by choosing to love and forgive those who hurt us.
Some of the greatest lessons we learn come from the most challenging experiences.
These verses are not saying that God causes bad things to happen to us, so we will mature. No, that is not what our Father is like. Instead, they say that in the difficulties of life, there is hope and that in these situations, we can trust Him to work out good. As our loving Father, He will help us in every circumstance. He is working out His good, and sometimes His good is more significant than our immediate comfort.
Paul states it this way in Romans.
Romans 5:3–5 (ESV) Not only that, but we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.
Are you facing challenges right now? I encourage you to continue to trust that He is working in this situation for your good. Believe for your circumstances to change. Continue to pray for the change you desire. He is a miracle-working God. But also understand that He can even use this circumstance to do a lasting work. And this lasting work will glorify Him and help you reflect His character and nature to this fallen world.
Further reading: Rom 5:3-5; Eph 1:4; Phil 1:6
What is the biggest challenge in your life right now?
What good might the Father be able to bring about in you through this situation?
How can you respond to this challenge so you reflect a greater Christlikeness to those around you?
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
31. Holy, Holy, Holy!
What I love about these creatures is that, having seen everything that God has done, they unanimously cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” Their response to seeing all that He has done is to affirm that He has always done what is right!
Revelation 4:2 (ESV) At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne.
I love chapter four of the book of Revelation. There is so much in the book that is hard to understand, and theologians have long debated the best way to interpret it. Still, this chapter always stirs my heart, as it describes the throne room of God.
The focus is on the One who is sitting on the throne. This is the Father, who exerts total sovereignty over all creation. Over the throne is a rainbow, the colour of emerald and around the throne are twenty-four elders, each clothed in white garments and wearing golden crowns. From the throne proceed flashes of lightning and peals of thunder. And around the throne, there is a sea of glass like crystal. This is truly an awesome place. I love to picture this scene in my mind, visualise the colours and imagine the sounds.
This chapter lays a foundation for the whole book. The following chapters describe the cosmic battle between good and evil. But here we see the Father is in control, and His authority is absolute. There is never a moment when His rule is seriously challenged. From this throne, He sovereignly governs the entire universe and the affairs of mankind.
Amid this remarkable scene, there are four prominent creatures who are closest to Him. They are difficult to imagine. The first is like a lion, the second like an ox, the third has the face of a man, and the fourth is like an eagle in flight. Each has six wings. Their most unusual feature, however, is that they have eyes all around and within. Even under their wings. I can’t picture what they look like. They are truly unique and beyond our ability to understand. One thing we know, however, about these creatures is that, with all these eyes, they see everything. Nothing escapes their attention.
They are the closest beings to the throne of God, which says they have observed everything God has ever done. There is nothing He has done that they have not seen. Ponder this for a moment. They have witnessed His actions throughout all of history. Every decision He has made. All He has allowed. Everything He has done concerning you and me.
What I love about these creatures is that, having observed everything God has done, they unanimously cry out, “Holy, Holy, Holy!” With these words, they affirm He has never made a mistake and has never mistreated anyone. He has always done what is right!
Let me say, I love these creatures. I don’t understand them, but I love them. Sometimes we can think God has let us down. He has not answered our prayers in the way we wanted them to be. We or those we love have suffered, and there seems to be no sense or reason a loving Father would allow these things to happen.
Life has its unanswered questions, but it is at these times that we need to remind ourselves of these four creatures. They are right next to the throne of God. They have seen all that He has done, and with this perfect knowledge, they affirm that He has always done what is right!
Their testimony reminds us we can trust our heavenly Father. He is good and loves us more than we can imagine, and His every dealing with us is based on His love and His desire to work out good in our lives.
Further reading: Rev 4
Spend a few moments right now thinking about the testimony of these four creatures.
What are the unanswered questions you have about the Father’s dealings with you, and how can their testimony give you comfort, strength and hope to continue to trust Him with these situations?
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.
32. What Shall We Say to These Things?
My passionate prayer for you is that the truths in this book have touched your heart and opened your understanding to how much you are loved by your Father in heaven. He is good, and you can trust Him with every part of your life.
We started this book by recounting the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They had been created for a loving relationship with the Father, and they had walked with Him in open, innocent love. We can only imagine how good life must have been for them as they enjoyed all that God provided.
Sadly, they rebelled against Him, and their sin marred this fellowship. Life would never be the same, and now they felt guilty and isolated from the One who had created them.
And then they heard His voice calling after them.
In recounting this story, we reflected on how we imagine the tone of the Father’s voice calling for them. Many assume this tone to be harsh and judgmental, but we have seen that, in reality, it was the voice of a broken-hearted Dad who was coming to make it right. He knew what they had done, and he rushed to help them in their distress.
The wonderful truth is that it is more than OK with our Father in heaven. He is not an angry Creator looking to judge a rebellious creation. Instead, He is a Dad who loves us with all of His heart. He has done everything possible to undo the ravages of our sin and to reconcile us to Himself. At an enormous personal cost, He sent His Son to die in our place so we can be forgiven and enjoy life as His beloved children.
Spend a few moments reading the verses below several times and allow the Holy Spirit to show you just how much it is OK with your Father in heaven.
Romans 8:31–39 (ESV) What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? 33 Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? 36 As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
It is truly OK with your Father in heaven. He is calling after you, too. But as we have seen, this is not an angry, judgmental voice. Instead, it is the voice of a Dad who passionately loves you.
You are deeply valued and loved by Him, and nothing shall ever separate you from His love.
I pray this journey has opened your understanding of how much He loves you. He is good, and you can trust Him with every part of your life.
Why not spend a few moments telling the Father how much you love Him in response to His love for you?
Luke 15:1–7 (NLT) Tax collectors and other notorious sinners often came to listen to Jesus teach. 2 This made the Pharisees and teachers of religious law complain that he was associating with such sinful people—even eating with them! 3 So Jesus told them this story: 4 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them gets lost, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others in the wilderness and go to search for the one that is lost until he finds it? 5 And when he has found it, he will joyfully carry it home on his shoulders. 6 When he arrives, he will call together his friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Rejoice with me because I have found my lost sheep.’ 7 In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven’t strayed away!
John 3:16 (ESV) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
This is an extract from my free book Knowing God as Father, which is available for download at Knowing God as Father.