"For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known." 1 Corinthians 13:12. The Old Testament documents humanity's search to fully know God. God's communication with us transitioned from walking with us in the garden to talking with us through His prophets. Even though He has always fully known us, we have never fully known Him, "He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not." John 1:10-11. God used the Old Testament period to foreshadow a time when we could fully know Him if we choose to, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." John 1:14 and "Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:" Colossians 1:15. And, so, Jesus entered this world to show us the Father, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1 and "Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father?" John 14:9.
When we understand that He has always fully known us, "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8, and still invites us to heaven, we can stop pretending. Slowly, we begin to drop our masks. We stop pretending to be something we are not, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." 1 John 1:9. We cannot pretend we are somehow better than we really are. Like Saul, we can throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus and become the person God created us to be, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10. This is what He created us to be. Heaven will be filled with people who have accepted Jesus's love and been transformed by renewing their minds. This is the only way heaven can be the place where, "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away." Revelations 21:4.
The renewing of our minds means we study the Bible to learn about God. This is how we fully know Him. Throughout history, people have misunderstood God. Some believe He does not exist because the evil one has blinded them, "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Corinthians 4:4. Have you ever, or have you ever known someone who, when faced with the truth still believes it is a lie? This is the reason we need to read the Bible for ourselves. We cannot depend on the opinions of others. Our minds will never be renewed if we accept opinions rather than reading the truth.
The battle begins in our minds, "And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God." Romans 12:2. When we reason with both sides of issues, including the existence of God, the truth will eventually become obvious, "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:32. I remember when I first heard about Darwin and his idea of evolution. It seemed to make sense, especially since he had studied those birds for many years. Then, someone discovered DNA. When I reasoned with the truth of DNA, it became obvious that Darwin's ideas, founded before the discovery of DNA, were wrong. The truth of DNA set me free from the path of evolution, which leads to a life without God. Fully knowing God requires our honest evaluation of ideas. The only way to know God is to read the Bible, which fully describes God's character.
For help in understanding what the Bible tells us about the character of God, try investigating this website: The Character of God
We will never know God if we are unwilling to do the research, "Thus saith the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord." Jeremiah 9:22-23.
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