No. 767
“I will extol thee, my God, O king; and I will bless thy name for ever and ever. . . . Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.” (Psa. 145:1, 3)
Humans instinctively desire to praise and worship a higher being. However depraved some of the human race may have become, this element of veneration and appreciation of a God constitutes a foundation upon which the depraved elements of the human character may be rebuilt. Without this instinct for worship, missionaries and philanthropists might well lose all hope for the moral and social uplift of the masses. Anyone seeking to promote human well-being must seek to maintain this instinctive state of mind, and anyone who undermines it is surely doing a destructive work.
Unfortunately, some of the most intelligent of our time are rapidly drifting away from the fundamental truth that there is a “living and true God.” (1 Thess. 1:9; Jer. 10:10) While these intellectuals may accept the idea of an impersonal God, we maintain that this is tantamount to saying there is no living and true God. They rarely attempt to define this impersonal God, but rather use the term “God” merely as a concession to the popular sentiments of the less learned. They often use the word “nature” as a synonym for God, their thought being that there is no intelligent creator and that the universe is merely governed by natural laws. In their view, the human race can prosper and progress only by learning how these laws operate.
Christian Science adherents attempt to explain that the word “God” simply signifies “good.” With something of a play on words that confounds the reasonable mind, they tell us that whatever is useful is good, and therefore is God. They declare, for example, that trees and rocks have goodness or usefulness in them, and so to that extent, they have God in them. Elaborating further, they say that God is in the air, because of its vitalizing effect; He is in the flower because it is good and useful for beauty and fragrance; He is in the tea-kettle, because of its usefulness and likewise in the chair, the table, the floor, the ceiling – everything. Such views destroy faith in a personal God and faith in the Bible as His revelation.
As the Apostle says, faith in a personal God is essential: “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Heb. 11:6) How could an impersonal God have a purpose, a will, a plan, a program? How could He give a revelation of that purpose or program in the Bible or anywhere else? Those with faith in Him as a personal being will find Him, and He will reveal His true character to them: “For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth.” (Matt. 7:8)
Christian Scientists counter our objection by asserting that a large proportion of the human family holds the same views that they do, including Buddhists and Theosophists. Furthermore, they claim that all the principal creeds of Christendom teach the thought of an impersonal God by declaring that God is omnipresent. Their claim is well founded – the seed of error on this subject was planted in our minds and confessions of faith long ago. This inconsistency cannot be attributed to the Bible, however. Although our confessions of faith were ostensibly made to be in harmony with the Scriptures, there is not one word in the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, declaring divine omnipresence.
GOD IS A PERSONAL BEING
Every statement on the subject affirms the personhood of the Father, and that our Lord Jesus is the “express image of his person.” (Heb. 1:3) “God is a Spirit” (John 4:24), but He is a being, a person. The Scriptures tell us that a spirit does not have a fleshly body as we have, but they also distinctly inform us of the divine personhood of God. They use the features and qualities of the human body to represent the Creator’s qualities in ways that we can understand. The “hand” of the Lord represents His divine power and the “eye” of the Lord represents His divine wisdom. The “ear” of the Lord is bowed down to hear the groaning of the creation. The “heart” of the Lord represents His thoughts and feelings and, in the words of the hymn, His heart “is most wonderfully kind.” Heaven is described as His throne and the earth as His footstool. While it is true that these expressions are figurative, they present a picture of a personal Creator who feels, thinks, and intelligently exercises His power. They picture a Creator who is displeased by the sinful and who loves those who seek righteousness and strive to do His will.
Cultivating this thought of a righteous, personal God will assist us in establishing corresponding character traits in our own hearts. By seeking to further know such a Creator and seeking His compassion and protecting care, we learn to love Him as we could never appreciate or love nature or an impersonal concept of an omnipresent non-entity. If our minds and hearts grasp the Scriptural personhood and personality of the Heavenly Father, we will understand the significance of our Savior’s words when He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matt. 10:29-31)
We worship the Almighty “in spirit and in truth” to the degree that we know Him as a personal being. We are directed to address Him as, “Our Father, which art in heaven.” Thinking of God as being present everywhere contradicts our comprehension of a God whose throne is in heaven. This was the thought that our Savior impressed upon Mary after His resurrection: “Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.” (John 20:17)
Thus the weight of Scriptural testimony not only confirms our instinct to worship, but intensifies and expands it by giving our Creator a location, power, and qualities of heart and mind. The Bible presentation is surely the view most helpful to humanity. The belief that there is no personal God must signify that there is no law-giver, no judge, no justice, no love, no mercy, and no personal relationship, as between father and child. Such belief would destroy the very basis of Christian faith and doctrine.
GOD IS INFINITELY SUPERIOR
The Scriptures present the Almighty as a great God, infinite in wisdom, justice, love, and power. Heaven is His locality, but His influence and powers pervade the universe. We can only imperfectly imagine the channels and agencies through which He exercises His Almighty power, but the light of present day inventions gives us at least some suggestions of it. Man can send communications around the world and beyond and can transmit power thousands of miles, all instantly and invisibly. He can scan previously unseen expanses of the universe with telescopes and discern previously indiscernible things with microscopes.
Man is in a weak, imperfect condition, born in sin and “shapen in iniquity.” He is “of few days, and full of trouble.” (Psa. 51:5; Job 14:1) If man can enlarge his natural powers to such an extent, what limitations can there be upon the intelligence and power of his Creator? “He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? he that formed the eye, shall he not see?” (Psa. 94:9) He who gave us our sense of justice must be the very embodiment of justice. He who gave us the power of sympathy, compassion, and love must be infinitely superior to the very highest of our human ideals.
We do not necessarily even need to believe in the Bible in order to conceive in our minds something of the glorious character and attributes of our Creator. It is true that the Scriptures, if properly understood, will certainly aid us in our conceptions, but we now address not merely those who believe in the Scriptures, but also those who do not. Rational thought alone forces us to conclude that man is the highest and most intelligent form of earthly creature, and this forces us to the further conclusion that there must be an intelligent Creator as much superior to us as we are to the lowest worm. Moreover, He who gave us our superior qualities must be separated from us by an even wider gulf than that which separates us from the worm, because we cannot even create a worm. We must logically conclude that the greatest and noblest of our talents and powers are but feeble reflections of the same qualities in our Creator.
How great is the God that our intelligent reason reveals to us! How worthy is He of our reverence, our devotion, our love, our service! The Scriptures assist us by showing that the blemishes we find in ourselves and others result from disobedience to the divine instruction; they are the results of man’s fall from the image and likeness of our Creator.
MISCONCEPTIONS FROM A DARK PAST
We should all be inspired to worship and pay homage to such a noble and superior God, but many are hindered from doing so by errors from the Dark Ages. These false doctrines misrepresent God’s character, implying that He is not the embodiment of wisdom, justice, love, and power. These voices from the distant past tell us that we are commanded to love our enemies and do good to them that hate us and persecute us, while at the same time telling us that the Almighty who gave these commands does not love or forgive His enemies and does them good only sparingly. We are told, in fact, that He has instead prepared for them to be tortured eternally.
These voices from the past are wholly inconsistent with the voice of our reason. Many claim that the Bible substantiates the creeds of the Dark Ages, but we hold that this is a mistake. The errors are partly attributable to poor translations and partly attributable to misunderstood parables. The reasoning mind must surely rebel against the theories prevailing during the Dark Ages – theories that led to the horrors of the Inquisition. We are glad that we have gotten rid of such a gross misconception of the “Father of Lights.” A sane and reverent intellect will rejoice to recognize a God worthy of our reverence and worship, who is infinite in the attributes of wisdom, justice, love, and power.
The Bible, God’s Word, has been greatly misrepresented in the past and deserves reconsideration. Our forefathers read the Bible with smoking lamps and blurred vision, and nevertheless got some blessing from it. In the bright light of the present day, it would be a tribute to the power of God if we were to find it to be the store-house of divine grace and truth, perfectly harmonious and surpassing our highest ideals!
A BOOK OF MYSTERIES
Having seen in the light of reason that we have a personal Creator who is infinite in wisdom, justice, love, and power, and having claimed that the Bible is the revelation of His divine purpose, the question properly arises: Why is it largely filled with parables, symbolisms and dark sayings? Why is it not so open and clear that anyone might read it and not misunderstand it? Why is it that even learned Doctors of Divinity find it perplexing, mysterious, and incomprehensible? Why should a subject of interest to all be such a mystery?
The answers to these questions open the outer door to the temple of truth, to a proper appreciation of the Bible as the Word of God. The Bible distinctly declares itself to be a book of mysteries. The four Gospels of the New Testament are considered to be the simplest and plainest portion of the Bible, mainly being a record of our Lord’s deeds and words. Yet they declare, in harmony with Old Testament prophecies, that the great teacher Himself delivered His message in parables and dark sayings: “All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.” (Matt. 13:34-35; Psa. 78:2) When the disciples asked Jesus why He spoke in parables, He replied, “Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive.” (Matt. 13:13-14; Isa. 6:9-10)
Wherever we go in the world, whether in civilized or uncivilized places, we find that many intelligent people associate in various secret societies. While these societies may prominently display the stated objectives for their existence, the public is not allowed to know more about their methods and operations. Their secrets are carefully guarded, for fear that those not in sympathy with them might seek to impede them.
For similar reasons, our Creator has kept many of His purposes secret from human beings who are alienated from Him. Consequently, it would not be surprising to find that those in fullest harmony with their Maker are granted knowledge of the divine purposes hidden from others, and the Bible declares this to be the case.
THE SECRET OF THE LORD
From the Scriptural standpoint, God was the organizer of the most remarkable secret society ever known to mankind! The Jewish Church served as a subordinate order and prepared the way for the Gospel Church, which has constituted the great divine secret society. Many nominally associated with the Church have been hypocrites and therefore have had no part in its privileges, its blessings and its secrets. There have been others who have taken the first step toward membership and are thus privileged to know some rudiments of the divine purpose. Those who have taken still further steps have grown in grace and knowledge, and become wise with “the wisdom that is from above.” (Jas. 3:17)
We can prove from the Bible that there are secrets of the divine purpose that are revealed to some but not possible to be understood by others. The Scriptures declare, “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear [reverence] him; and he will show them his covenant.” (Psa. 25:14) St. Paul speaks of this secret: “Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.” (Col. 1:26) This mystery is not made known to the world, but to the saints, and it is made known to them in proportion to their saintliness.
Our Redeemer prayed aloud to the Father, “I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight.” (Matt. 11:25-26) He told His disciples, “Unto you it is given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God: but unto them that are without, all these things are done in parables.” (Mark 4:11) In other words, the mystery is intentionally hidden from those who are not His disciples.
There is a prominent difference between the Lord’s secret society and the world’s secret societies. The latter have great difficulty keeping their secrets, while the former has no difficulty. The Lord advised His people: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.” (Matt. 7:6) That is, the Lord’s people should not share the deep and precious jewels of divine truth with the brutish and swinish of the world. It is not because the latter might understand and thwart the divine purposes or reveal the divine secret. Rather, it is because they would not appreciate the truths and might use the good intention to injure the Lord’s people.
Otherwise, God’s people may tell anything and everything respecting the divine mysteries to the extent of their knowledge, but they should know that only those with the right condition of heart can understand these mysteries. Mark the Apostle’s clear expression on this subject: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory . . . But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. . . . But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Cor. 2:7, 10, 14)
The Apostle proceeds to show the necessity for this secretiveness about the divine purpose, saying that if the divine program were generally known among men, they would at times interfere with it: “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” (1 Cor. 2:8) As was previously foretold by the Prophet, “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit.” (1 Cor. 2:9-10; Isa. 64:4)
A GRADUAL REVELATION
We have established our point that there are mysteries connected with the divine purpose, and that they can be understood only to the degree that one is in harmony with God. Only the spirit-begotten and fully developed saints of God have understood them completely. Additionally, the Bible shows that the revelation of these mysteries, even to the saints, was to occur gradually as the mysteries became due to be known, as “meat in due season” for the Household of Faith. (Matt. 24:45) For example, at His first advent our Lord declared to His followers: “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12) He promised that in the future these still hidden things would be gradually revealed, according to the needs of His followers. Full knowledge of the mystery of the Lord was not promised until the end of this Gospel Age: “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.” (Rev. 10:7)
Our Lord pointed out this future culmination of knowledge: “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.” (John 16:13) In full harmony with this, special visions and revelations were given to St. Paul, not for the benefit of himself alone, but for the blessing and encouragement and assistance of all the members of the Church of Christ, God’s “secret society.” Although the Apostle tells us that he was forbidden to make known the secret things revealed to him (2 Cor. 12:2-4), nevertheless by divine intent the knowledge given to him greatly illuminated his writings and made them especially helpful to the saints throughout the age.
Note that St. Paul’s writings constitute more than one-half of the New Testament. Thus God provided a storehouse of spiritual food, to be gradually dispensed by the Holy Spirit to the Household of Faith throughout the age. Furthermore, the understanding of the Law and the prophecies, given to typical Israel in types and symbols, was gradually given to the spirit begotten by the Holy Spirit and also constituted “meat” for the Household of Faith, so that they could understand “the deep things of God.” The writings of St. Paul constitute a key to the understanding of the many features of the typical Law Covenant.
This principle of keeping secret the divine purpose, yet providing a key to its understanding that will unlock it in due time, reminds us of the time-locks invented to secure bank vaults. The combination will not operate until the appointed time has arrived, and then it will yield only to those who have the combination, thus assuring the treasure inside is accessed only at the proper time and by the proper persons.
The Prophet Daniel’s experience illustrates this point well. He was given a vision that was partly interpreted for him, but the remainder left him perplexed. After weeks of pleading with the Lord with fasting and prayer, he received another partial interpretation. Of the remainder of the vision, however, he was told, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. . . . and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:4, 9-10) Only those with heavenly wisdom will understand and they will understand only at the proper time – at the end of the present order of affairs.
A further illustration is provided in our Redeemer’s last conversation with the disciples prior to His ascension: “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own power.” (Acts 1:6-7) He had previously warned them: “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.” (Matt. 24:36) There is nothing in these words to suggest that the Son would never know the time, that the angels in heaven would never know the time, nor that men would never know the time. They merely state that it was not then the time for that knowledge. It was still in the Father’s hands, unrevealed even to the Son.
The book of Revelation gives another illustration of the fact that there are great secrets connected with the divine program. The book itself is full of signs and symbols, evidently designed to barricade its mysteries from all except a certain class, and even from them until the due time for the secrets to be revealed. Note the words, “Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear [understand] the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand.” (Rev. 1:3) The very reading of the book will bring a blessing; as its mysteries gradually unfold, the understanding of them will bring still greater blessings.
The name of the book itself, Revelation, signifies the uncovering of something hidden. The opening sentence reads, “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it [revealed it in signs and symbols] by his angel unto his servant John.” (Rev. 1:1)
THE DIVINE SCROLL
Revelation, Chapter Five gives a beautiful symbolic picture of God the Father upon His throne of glory, holding a scroll with writing on the inside and on the outside, and sealed with seven seals. That scroll contained the divine purpose or plan for the human race. This picture confirms our Redeemer’s statement that the Father has kept all things pertaining to His divine purpose in His own hands or power. Note the proclamation that followed: “Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?” (Rev. 5:2) That is, who is worthy to open its seals, know its mysteries, and be entrusted with the honor of carrying them to completion?
None was found worthy and John the Revelator was greatly grieved that the wise and gracious program of the Almighty must remain sealed and unfulfilled because no competent agent was to be found. The scene changed, however, when an angel said, “Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.” (Rev. 5:5) Looking again, St. John saw another symbolic picture – a lamb looking as if it had been slaughtered. The lamb took the scroll from God’s hand and then a new song was sung by the heavenly host: “Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.” (Rev. 5:9)
Our Redeemer was great and honorable before He left the glory He had with the Father “before the world was.” (John 17:5) He had not yet, however, proven Himself worthy of taking the scroll of the divine purpose, with authority and power to carry out that purpose. Nor did He prove Himself worthy during His earthly ministry. He was found worthy only after He finished His sacrifice by dying on Calvary as the Lamb of God and then ascending to heaven. In the Apostle’s words, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)
Then all the heavenly host hailed Him, “Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.” (Rev. 5:12) He had not yet executed the divine purpose, which was still undeveloped and immature, although He had begun the execution of it in the organization of His Church. At Pentecost He sent forth the begetting spirit, and through it He has begotten to newness of nature the faithful, consecrated believers throughout the Gospel Age. Called the “mystery of God,” the completed Church will be the Lamb’s Bride and joint-heirs with Him in the Kingdom. That Kingdom will, by the grace of God, bless all the families of the earth, by releasing them from the powers of sin and death, which now hold the human race in slavery.
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Based on What Pastor Russell Wrote for the Overland Monthly, pages 1-7.
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