| The Apostles' Creed, Part 2: "I believe in God the Father |
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| Written by David Lawrence |
| Monday, October 24 2011 00:00 |
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The Apostles’ Creed further clarifies the Christian belief in God: that He is Father. Jesus taught us to pray, “Our Father…” Here we depart from traditional Judaism that has difficulty with the idea of God as Father. They rightfully revere Him as holy, far removed from humanity in his holiness, a lawgiver who must be obeyed, the author of a great covenant that incorporates them and binds them to God. All of these beliefs are true, but they do not go far enough in revealing the true God. Why not? John states it clearly when he says that “…the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has even seen God, but God the One and Only who is at the Father’s side, has made him known (Jn. 1:17-18). God revealed law through Moses, but He revealed Himself in Christ. Only God could do that; it could not be encapsulated in a law. I can write devotionals. I can even send you emails. I can post information on Facebook. I can call you or even Skype you. But you still don’t know me. You may know something about me, you may understand what I said to you, but you do not actually know me. If I came to your house, met you, lived with you, interacted with you over a period of time…if we spent hours in intimate conversation together or shared personal experiences with each other…if you had been with me long enough, you could say that you really knew me. I can read information about some city in a foreign land, I can see pictures of it, or talk to people who have been there, but until I actually go and see for myself and gain the personal perspective, I cannot say that I really know that city. Thus it is with God. Law cannot make God known. But God can make God known. That would require God becoming flesh and dwelling among us, as John says in Jn. 1:14. Then we can know God. We know him not just as holy lawgiver and author of covenant, but we know him intimately, as Father. We know of his grace. We know of the fullness of His truth. But only God can disclose that to us, just as only through personal encounter and living with me can I really disclose myself to you or you to me. Thus, the Christian knows more about God; in fact, the Christian knows God because he knows God in the flesh, even Jesus Christ. We confess then not only that we believe in God, but in God the Father. Now we have lost some who can no longer stand with us as they do not know God in this way. But Christians remain bound together by this confession. |
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