Knowing God

Knowing God - Every person has his own personality. If someone asks to introduce him/herself, then the answer would be his/her name, family, habits, habitats, likes, dislikes, ambitions, targets, goals etc., These are all the known facts or in other words his/her personality that a person has come to know about himself/herself. One has to know that, he/she has also some hidden personalities that he/she would experience in the due course of time. As a matter of fact, we have reached at a point where we can now say that we know about ourselves a little.

If as humans who knows about ourselves a little, how can we know about God whose attributes and personality (this word should not be used to God) are unexplainable and incomprehensible. So then can't we know and understand God. Yes, it is possible to know and understand God.

As we see in fig.1, we notice an elephant picture which has circles where we take them as slots which are to be filled with coloured marbles.

As we see in fig.2, here we notice that the empty slots of fig.1 are been filled up by the coloured marbles in the pattern as it has to be by the manufacturer.

Now to fig.3, as we notice in this picture that the empty slots of fig.1 were also filled with the coloured marbles, but not according to the pattern. 

The person who is arranging the coloured marbles has to have an idea on the place of slot which he desired and the colour of the marble that has to be placed there. If he does them properly, then he will get the right picture that the manufacturer of the toy has desired. Even if the person who is placing the coloured marbles dosen't go with the pattern of the manufacturer is also successful in placing all the mables in the empty slots as we see in fig.3.

Now my question would be, who was successful in placing all the mables according to the manufacturer ? Obviously, the answer would be the one who places all the coloured marbles according to the pattern of the manufacturer.

To the conclusion part, this is how we have to know and understand God, placing all His attributes and His personality at the right place and according to the time. Lets see an example, Some would argue as God of OT and God of NT, there is nothing like God of OT or NT, He was the same yesterday, today and forever. It is only to our understanding that the God of OT is jealous (Ex.20:5). Because He is jealous, can we find an attribute Envy in God ? To make it clear, the word jealous here is an adjective form of the attribute of God. If we see this word in a verbal form, we will come to know that God dosen't want to lose not even one soul  of his creation, so He disciplines by His word. We can see this narration more clearly in (Is.11:10-15) when prophet Isaiah is speaking it is the heart of God which we look at, wanting them to restore the land that He has promised them. Here we see His LOVE (jealousy for His people, envy for His people) for His people which we notice with one of the attributes of the God of NT. Has God actually changed His nature or is it that our understanding that changed ? One more, in (Ex.9:12), God hardens the heart of Pharaoh. Is God deliberately hardening the heart of Pharaoh ? By the verse it seems so, but when we look at the verse from an another dimension, Pharaoh inspite of experiencing all the ten miracles of God personally, repeatedly God has proved His nature, that He is the Living God in all the ten miracles to Pharaoh. Inspite of enlightening and acknowledging the Living God, Pharaoh hardens his heart himself. Then why is the verse portrayed in this manner ? Because, it was written in Israelites perspective. Does God hardens somebody ? Does God have favourites ? Is God selfish ? If it is so, then there is no question of Jesus. Because of Jesus, these questions are void.

From the above discussion, I want to make it clear that one cannot come to a conclusion with a very little knowledge and understanding of God. It is good to have a desire in spreading the gospel of God, but with proper knowledge and understanding. Let us know that there are certain attributes that we donot know about God or which God haven't revealed to mankind. God wanted certain things to be hidden to us by Apostle John in his Revelation. Do you know why ? Because God wants our deep love and our curiosity to know Him. God reveals Himself to those who has ears which listen. Those who listen to God will know and understand Him. Let us know that we are on a mission (Matt) in spreading Christ, let us do it with fear and honour of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let us ask God to reveal His attributes to our understanding, so that we can preach Him with more knowledge and understanding. Let God guide us daily.