Why Your Degree of Knowing God is Limited, but Still Amazing
Sometimes well meaning speakers and teachers say things that sound good; but are at best partial truths. One of them is this:
“You can know God as well as you want. It’s all about how much you want to know Him.”
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard well-known speakers say something similar to that. . Though our willingness to seek God, prioritize Him, and develop a deep devotional life all play important roles in knowing Him; the fact is none of us is ever going to know God as deeply as we would like in this age..
Why is that? Because God has set up limitations in how well we will know Him in these bodies, in this world, in these souls. We are not going to experience the fullness of all God has prepared, including knowing Him as He is, until we get new bodies, in a new heaven and earth, with totally renovated souls.
Here is one of the many Scriptures that make this clear:
1 John 3:1–2 “See how great a love the Father has bestowed on us, that we would be called children of God; and such we are. For this reason the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”
This passage has some incredible God-given benefits for Jesus followers, as well as a clear indicator of this present age’s limitations.
- God has bestowed on us such GREAT love that He calls us His children. Right now, from conversion on, we are all children of God. That is wonderful!
- Even though we are God’s children right now, something greater is coming, which has not yet “appeared.” (Limitation)
- When Jesus appears THEN we will see Him “just as He is”. Right now, we still “see” Him spiritually, but not perfectly. 1 Corinthians 13:13 says, “FOR NOW we see in a mirror DIMLY (IN A RIDDLE), but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully just as I have been fully known.”
Clearly, though what we have right now is great; there are limitations to what we can experience in this time.
4. When Jesus appears, it will be so powerful, seeing Him “just as He is” or “face to face” that it will be enough to make us “like Him.”
God’s Plans for You are Far Greater Than Your Plans
One of God’s big purposes for each one of us is that we would be conformed to the image of Jesus. (Romans 8:29) That is incredible. God’s plans are so much better than ours. He is going to conform all of us into the image of Jesus, the highest form of life in existence.
We will experience a measure of it in this life, in these bodies, in these souls, in this fallen world; but there are limitations. We won’t know God as deeply as we really want, we won’t be completely transformed into the image of Jesus until we get new, glorified, immortal bodies in completely healed and renewed souls, in a new heaven and new earth.
I’ll be writing more about this theme in different articles, so you can watch out for them and I’ll be posting lists of articles on www.TruVineMission.com.
So if you’re interested in learning more about having Biblical expectations for your life, how to keep growing and living God’s purposes, take a look at www.TruVineMission.com
Limited Seeing is Still Life Changing
Even though we won’t know God as deeply as we really want to IN THIS PRESENT AGE, we can still know Him to a degree that is still life transforming. Knowing God with limitations, “seeing” Him dimly (in a riddle) through an opaque mirror is still better than anything this world can offer.
2 Corinthians 3:18 tells us limited, imperfect “beholding” is still transformative. “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.”
How do we behold an invisible God?
- Through His word. (2 Corinthians 3:7–17)
- By the working of the Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds. (1 Corinthians 2:7–14)
- Through His people and creation. (Romans 1:20–22, 1 Corinthians 12)
- With spiritual eyes of the heart and soul (Ephesians 1:14–17)
