“Whom have I in heaven but Thee?” Psalm 73:25
Dear Ones:
Perhaps one of the most difficult things to have, and to maintain, in the life of a Christian, or disciple of Christ, is the true perception of who Christ truly is. Why is this so very important? We grasp one reason by the demand that Christ puts upon us all, to BELIEVE Him, without reserve, regret, or retreat. The reason that the demand is so all-encompassing, is because of WHO Christ truly is. Nothing less than a true vision of Him can bring the fearful, hesitating lost sinner to the place of putting his entire trust in Christ for time and eternity. So, we need to ask the question, “How can we truly have a vision that is correct, one that is true, whereby Christ is seen and grasped as He IS?” There are three things that God has given us so that this can be achieved.
In Matthew’s gospel, he writes concerning what Peter said to the Lord Jesus: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” (16:16) How did Peter come to realize this, and yet, so many around him did not? The Lord answers the question: “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath NOT revealed this unto you, but My Father which is in heaven.” (v.17) There is NO way that a man, by his own intellect, and the workings of his heart, can come to a true understanding of who Christ is, except the Father, by the Spirit, reveals it to him. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “For after that in the wisdom of God, the world BY wisdom knew not God.” (1 Cor. 1:21) It is NOT in man, in and of himself, to be able to come to a right understanding of God, and thus, to truly believe in Him, unless God actively, and precisely, reveals it to him. Will He? Yes, for anyone, and all, who will truly respond to the revelation.
The second requirement that is necessary for a person to have a true knowledge of who Christ is, is contact with the truth of God, as revealed in the Scriptures. As Jesus walked on this earth, and interacted with people, He was constantly giving them a knowledge of the truth. This was confirmed by the way in which He spoke, with power and authority, and by His very demeanor, and that which He accomplished. By His own admission, His works testified of Him. All that He was, said, and did, proclaimed the truth of Him, the Father, by the Spirit. He was laying the foundation for faith by giving forth a knowledge of the truth. Today, we have the written word of God, the objective knowledge of the truth. Although the knowledge of the truth is essential for faith, there is one more provision given by God to man, and it has to do with the Spirit of God, and prayer.
It is as the heart seeks to know God, according to the truth, that God’s dealings with us are revealed. Any desire that we might have to know God, is certainly a gift of God. Scripture tells us that no man can know, or come to Christ, without the Father “drawing,” or attracting him. God gives the desire to know the truth, and to know God. The second element of this matter of seeking has to do with prayer, that profound and honest expression of the heart to God, for His intervention. All through Scripture we see individuals who are very different from one another. We see them in circumstances and times that are vastly removed from our present day ones. And yet, just as they sought God, and found Him in Jesus Christ, so we are called upon to do so. It is thus, in the heart’s cry to God, specific and entire, that God hears and will reveal Himself, and His truth to the heart. The one who is truly willing to be receptive to the truth, and commit himself to do the will of God, WILL KNOW.
Dear Father, Because of Who thy Son is, Creator and Redeemer, we fix our trust only in Thee. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad