Journey into Faith
Knowing God Better: The Gift of Free Will—Part 3
Although God is sovereign over all things, He has chosen to give humanity free will. This freedom to make our own moral choices without outside coercion is an extraordinary gift. Whereas it is a priceless blessing, the misuse of free will carries serious consequences.
Why would God entrust humanity with such tremendous liberty? Why was free will so essential to His purpose? To understand, we must go back to God's intention in creating mankind. His desire was to create humans in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26) who would live in a loving relationship with Him. Such a relationship cannot exist where there is no freedom to choose.
Knowing God Better: Two Worlds—Part 2
We live in two interwoven worlds—one visible and one invisible. We are very familiar with the first because we perceive and function in it every day. The second, however, remains more hidden from our awareness.
These two worlds are perceived in different ways. The visible world—sometimes called the natural or physical realm—is perceived with our natural senses. The other is the realm of the invisible. It is often called the supernatural or spiritual world. It cannot be perceived through our physical senses but must be discerned through spiritual ones. Jesus referred to this kind of spiritual perception when He asked His disciples, "Having eyes, do you not see, and having ears, do you not hear?" (Mark 8:18 ESV)
Jesus was not speaking of physical eyesight or hearing but of the ability to perceive spiritual truth—to see, as it were, into the invisible realm. Many who saw Him with their natural eyes did not recognize who He was, while others discerned His true identity and received His words.
Knowing God Better: Understanding The Unfathomable-Part 1
To write a series on knowing God is a lofty undertaking indeed. How does one approach a subject that is, by its very nature, unfathomable? Yet, the desire to know God runs as deep in the believer's heart as the longing of someone who has never known their parents and yearns to discover their origins. That connection provides a sense of identity and gives roots that bring stability. How much more does knowing our Creator take us back to our original identity and most fundamental roots?