Oh, how I would like to know the Lord so that among the mass of identical people or spirits, I could always recognize Him, seeing what is hidden for others: "I adjure you, daughters of Jerusalem: if you meet my beloved, what will you say to him? WhatI'm sick of love.

"What is your beloved better than others lovers, most beautiful of women? Why is your beloved better than others? Why are you conjuring us like that?”

my beloved white and blush, better than ten thousand others : his head is pure gold; his curls are wavy, black as a raven; his eyes are like doves by streams of water, bathing in milk, sitting in contentment; his cheeks are a fragrant flower garden, ridges of fragrant plants; his lips are lilies, exuding flowing myrrh; his hands are golden round pieces set with topaz; his belly is like an ivory statue, overlaid with sapphires; his legs are marble pillars set on golden sockets; its appearance is like Lebanon, majestic as cedars; His lips are sweetness, and he is all kindness.This is who my beloved is, and this is who my friend is, daughters of Jerusalem! " (Song 5:8-16 ) .

How I would like to know Him wherever He is, even when He comes in secret, hiding His true identity, as He did during communication with the two who went to Emmaus - their eyes were opened when He was already breaking bread with them - teach us, Lord, to recognize You as soon as You speak!

As we come to know the Lord, our spiritual life becomes richer and more diverse, and our faith becomes stronger. The spiritual age of a believer is directly related to the knowledge of God: "I am writing to you, children, because your sins have been forgiven for His name’s sake. I am writing to you, fathers, because you have known Jehovah from the beginning . I am writing to you, young men, because you have overcome the evil one. I am writing to you, boys, because youcame to know the Father. I write to you, fathers, because you have known the Beginningless . I wrote to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have overcome the evil one. " (1John 2:12-14 ) .

First, people, growing in Christ, begin to know God, who forgives sins and gives salvation by grace, unlike babies who still find it difficult to accept the fact that to receive forgiveness nothing is required except repentance and faith.

Youths but they move on to the fullness of knowledge of the Father, they no longer doubt the care and guardianship of God and begin to discern where the Father shows His love for them, where he teaches, and where he educates and punishes, so that this brings the peaceful fruit of righteousness. You come into a close relationship with God, as with the Father, from whose hand no one will snatch you, to whom you can “cry into your vest,” who will always understand and comfort you, who will give wise advice and take care of all the needs of His child. This is cognition distinguishes a youth from a child, allowing us to fully enjoy communication with the Father, which we so need!

Boys they move into the sphere of knowledge of the God of truth. This higher degree of knowledge of the Lord makes it possible to bathe in the living rivers of the word of God and leads to the ability to discern the cunning moves of the enemy, the subtleties of his deception, admixtures and counterfeits of the truth, which brothers who are in lesser spiritual ages do not see. They are used very effectively by God in spiritual battles against the enemy, and through them the light of the Lord appears powerfully, driving out all darkness.

Fathers rise above it all into the knowledge of Existence and the Beginningless. They begin to live in eternity, they are no longer influenced by such categories as the visible and the temporary, because they begin to see the essence of things, cognizing the hidden existence of God, the Father of eternity, who completely dominates the entire universe, the Holy of Holies, infinitely different from everything in this world .

Fathers, not in philosophical theories, but in fact penetrate the veil of matter in order to abide in spirit at the throne of the Ever-Bearing Lord God, cognizing His secrets: "We preach wisdom betweenperfect, but the wisdom is not of this age and not of the passing powers of this age, but we preachthe wisdom of God, secret, hidden, which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the authorities of this century has known; for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory " (1 Cor.2:6-8 ) .

So, you can have a great ministry, do many things, be used in spiritual gifts, but still remain a spiritual baby if you do not take care to know God in greater depth, altitude, latitude and longitude!

One should gain weight and influence not in this visible world, but in the invisible, spiritual world, and this is achieved through knowing the Lord and living with Him! It is time to return the attention of believers from people to the Lord, and this is the primary task of people after the Lord’s heart.

In the process of knowing the Lord, it is important to explore His ways, as the psalm says: "God! be merciful to us and bless us, illuminate us with Your face, so thatwe have known Your way on earth, Your salvation is in all nations " (Ps.66:2,3 ) .

Jesus Himself is our path, the only one leading to salvation, while other paths only seem straight, but lead to destruction. It is a mistake to believe that all paths lead to God; in fact, there is a narrow path that leads to Him, in which we are called to follow Christ. Do we know where He is leading us and what the way of the Lord is? Do we know the principles and order of God, to which God has subjected the spiritual and physical processes so that we, understanding them, can use them for our own benefit?

" My people! remember what Balak king of Moab planned, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him, and what [happened] from Shittim to Gilgal, so thatlet you know the righteous actions of the Lord " (Micah 6:5).

God wants us to know His ways and righteous actions through the many wonderful lessons the Lord has prepared and illustrations in life and creation to show us the works and character of the Lord: "I knew that the Lord is great, and our Lord is above all gods. Lord does whatever he wants in heaven and on earth, on the seas and in all the abysses; raises clouds from the ends of the earth, creates lightning in the rain, brings out the wind from His storehouses " (Ps.134:5-7).

By observing what the Lord does and remembering that there is nothing random in the world, we can see a certain order and perfection of God's actions behind the apparent external chaos and disorder. The Lord Himself says in Scripture: "Are not two small birds sold for an assarium? ANDnot one of them will fall to the ground without the [will] of your Father; Even the hairs on your head are all numbered; do not be afraid: you are better than many small birds " (Matthew 10:29-31).

The physical world is strictly subject to certain laws, by discovering which people have made great progress in easing the living conditions of modern man. The spiritual world has its own structure, and by cognizing it, we can see where there is real danger, and in what we can be so successful that it will take us minutes to accomplish things on the spiritual plane that previously required years of diligence and effort.

Knowing God's ways allows us to not lose heart in the difficulties and trials of life, because we will look beyond these situations to the final goal and to the Lord who leads us to salvation and perfection.

The people of Israel could not enter into God's rest because they did not care to know the ways of the Lord: "Therefore I was indignant at this generation and said: continuallythey are deceived in heart, they have not known My ways; therefore I swore in My wrath that theythey will not enter My rest. See, brothers, thatthere was not in any of you a wicked and unfaithful heart, lest you depart from the living God " (Hebrews 3:10-12).

Is it because we have mood swings or ups and downs in our spiritual life because we have not yet learned to see beyond the defiles of humiliation and problems the mountains of blessings and the glory of God? We will never be able to rest in the rest of Christ unless we learn to look beyond our noses and have a correct understanding of what the Lord is doing!

The Israelites, instead of reflecting on the miracles of God and His beneficial hand, during the period of trial again began to doubt God, reaching the point of murmuring and suspicion that God wanted them to perish!

Sometimes we, Christians, are just as short-sighted, allowing ourselves to be deceived in our hearts regarding the desires and intentions of the Lord, incurring the wrath of God: "My people will be destroyedfor lack of knowledge : because you have rejected knowledge, then I will reject you from sacred rites before Me ; and because you have forgotten the law of your God, I will also forget your children " (Hos.4:6).

It's time to stop such dishonor and turn with all your heart to the Lord to understand how merciful He is to us, and His hand is still strong in the ability to accomplish the work of our salvation! Understand that in our life, in addition to blessings, there is sanctification, spiritual warfare, education, service and other processes necessary for every believer, and all this is done for our good!

When will we finally understand this so that we can always give glory to God and submit to His guidance in everything, no matter what happens: "Therefore, having heard about your faith in Christ Jesus and your love for all the saints,I thank [God] for you without ceasing remembering you in my prayers,

- and let us see what Paul prays for, asking God for the Ephesians, already filled with faith and love, -that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give youthe Spirit of wisdom and revelation to the knowledge of Him , And enlightened the eyes of your heart, so that you may know , what is it hope of His calling,

- it is very important to have communication with the Spirit of wisdom, Who alone can reveal to us God and what I can hope for when I come to Him, what is the Lord’s further plan for my future life, and whether I can count on something more than I have now,

- and what the riches of His glorious inheritance for the saints, - I remember a story about a small faith community in America that had small area land. They were poor and their church building was dilapidated until oil was discovered on their property. After this, the community immediately got out of all its needs and began to live in abundance. What happened? Oil has always been in the ground, but it had to be discovered!

- And Howthe immeasurable greatness of His power in us , - God abides in us with the same measure of power that He always had. Almighty God, for whom nothing is impossible and there are no limits, has not limited His measure of power in us to anything: only we determine this measure by the level of our faith, which can increase through the knowledge of God brought to us by the Spirit of wisdom. Do not hinder God with your unbelief, let Him to live in you and do His works,

- believers by the action of the sovereign His strength, which He wrought in Christ, raising Him from the dead, and seating Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and authority and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in that which is to come, and put all things in subjection under His feet, and made Him above all things, the head of the Church, which is His Body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all " (Eph.1:15-23 ),

So, we see that the same power that allowed Jesus to live a perfect life, perform miracles, rise from the dead and ascend into heaven, the power with which the Father submits everything to Jesus, is available to every believer! Today the Lord is the same, He is creating to this day, and the Lord is ready to do His works through you in order to fully reveal His glory! But who has known this in practice? Only a few, and then to a limited extent.

And our task is to open up to the Spirit of wisdom, so that, according to the desire of the Lord, we know everything that the Lord has prepared for us: "Therefore, from the day we heard [about this], we have not ceased to pray for you and ask that youfilled with the knowledge of His will, in every wisdom and spiritual understanding, - God wants His multifaceted will to be revealed to us in all its subtleties, features and completeness,

- to act worthy of God,pleasing [Him] in everything , bearing fruit in any casedoing good and growing in the knowledge of God, becoming strongerwith all our mightaccording to the power of His glory,with all patience and generosity with joy, - knowledge has the goal of pleasing God in everything, having in its arsenal the strength that allows not only to defeat the enemy, but also to go through one’s field with patience, to have generosity and to be able to rejoice in any circumstances.

Having various ways of spiritual understanding and the ability to know the Lord in His manifold wisdom, we will be able to bear various fruits in every undertaking, have the keys to all doors and the ability to solve any problem, so that we will not lack anything, -

Just as jesters dream of playing Hamlet, so I dreamed of writing a treatise on God. However, the book in front of you is not a treatise. Judging by its size, it can be mistaken for treatise, but anyone who approaches it from this point of view will be disappointed. Rather, this book is like a necklace: a series of small studies on great topics; Most of these studies first appeared in “Evangelical Magazine” (“Evangelical Magazine”). They were conceived as independent sketches, but are now collected together because they form a single narrative about God and our lives. The choice of topics was determined by their practical orientation.

IN "Preface to Christian Theology" John Mackay showed two approaches to Christian themes. He depicted people sitting on the high balcony of a Spanish-style house and looking at travelers walking along the road. Those sitting on the balcony hear what travelers are talking about, sometimes they can enter into conversation with them, make critical remarks about them, discuss the road, wondering where it leads, what can be seen if you walk further along it, and so on. But they are just observers, and their questions are only theoretical. Travelers face problems that, although they have theoretical aspect, are essentially purely practical. Their problems require not just understanding, but also solutions and action. Those sitting on the balcony and the travelers are thinking about the same thing, but their problems are different. For example, thinking about evil, a person sitting on a balcony tries to theoretically explain how evil can be combined with God's omnipotence and goodness. The traveler must decide how to overcome evil and turn it into good. When it comes to the problem of sin, the person sitting on the balcony wonders whether racial sinfulness and personal perversity really exist, and the traveler, knowing sins from the inside, asks whether there is any hope of getting rid of them. Talking about God, the one sitting on the balcony asks how one God can exist in three persons, what this trinity means, and how these three hypostases, constituting one, can be personalities. The traveler wants to know how to show love and faith, how to give true honor to these three Persons, who in their trinity lead him from sin to glory. And so on. So, this book is for travelers and it deals with their problems.

The book is written with the conviction that at the root of many of the weaknesses of the modern church lies ignorance of God, ignorance of His ways and inability to remain in communion with Him. In my opinion, two sad trends have led to this situation.

First: Christian thinking has adapted to the spirit of modernity, which bred grandiose thoughts about man, leaving room only for thoughts about God. Modern man is accustomed to keeping God at a distance or ignoring Him altogether. The irony is that modern Christians, engaged in religious activities in a godless world, have themselves alienated themselves from Him. And so, people who clearly understand the situation are bitterly thinking about leaving the church and seeking God on their own. And one cannot blame only themselves for this. After all, church leaders who look at God, so to speak, with the telescope turned upside down, and who reduce Him to the size of a pygmy, cannot be anything other than pygmy Christians. Naturally, people with a clear vision want something more. Moreover, thoughts about death, eternity, about judgment and punishment, about the greatness of the soul and the eternal consequences of earthly decisions are not in fashion in modern world. And it's sad to see that Christian church Instead of raising her voice and reminding the world of the most important things that it is forgetting, she acquired the habit of avoiding these topics in the same way. But for Christian life, such capitulation to the world is tantamount to suicide.

The second reason: Christian thinking has failed to adequately confront modern skepticism. For more than three centuries, the naturalistic views of the Renaissance, like cancer tumor, corroded Western thought. The Arminians and deists of the seventeenth century, contrary to the theology of the Reformation, denied that God directly and sovereignly rules the world - and since then theology, philosophy and science have been unanimous in this denial. As a result, the Bible came under heavy fire, and with it many of the historical milestones of Christianity. The foundations of faith are called into question. Did God Really Speak to Israel on Mount Sinai? Wasn't Jesus just a very spiritual man? Did the miracles described in the Gospels really happen? Isn't Jesus a fictional character? - and so on. And that is not all. Skepticism towards God's revelation and the foundations of Christianity has given rise to an even broader skepticism, which rejects any thought of a single truth, and with it any hope of complete human knowledge. As a result, it is assumed that my religious beliefs have nothing to do with my scientific knowledge O outside world, since God is not “there” in the world, but “here”, inside, in the soul. The current uncertainty and confusion about God is worse than anything that has happened since Gnosticism, which tried to replace Christianity in the second century.

It is often said that theology is stronger than ever. And if we talk about academic research, about the quantity and quality of published books, this is probably true. But it has been a long time since theology has been so clumsy and weak in its primary task of making sure the church adheres to the gospel. Ninety years ago, C. Spurgeon, describing the vacillations he noticed among Baptists in the understanding of Scripture, redemption and human destiny, said that they were “going downhill.” If he had to describe modern Protestant thinking about God, he would probably say that we are “nose down”!

“Stand by your ways and consider, and ask about the ancient ways, where is the good way, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jer. 6:16). That's what this book invites you to do. This is not a critical analysis of new paths (except indirectly), but a direct call to the ancient paths, because the “good path” always remains the same as it was originally. I don't ask readers to think that I know very well what I'm talking about. “Men like myself,” wrote C.S. Lewis, “who have imagination far beyond obedience, are justly punished; we easily engage in wishful thinking. And by describing what we imagine, we can make others (and ourselves) believe that we have experienced what we are talking about” - And thus fool both them and ourselves.

All readers and writers of Christian books would do well to consider Lewis's words. But, “having the same spirit of faith, as it is written: ‘I believed, and therefore I spoke,’ and we believe, and therefore we speak” (2 Cor. 4:13). And if this book helps at least someone in the same way that thinking while working on it helped me, then all my efforts will be more than justified.

Trinity College, Bristol J.I.P.

The idea that mortal man is capable of knowing the infinite God will seem presumptuous to many. Zophar the Naamite reproaches Job: “Can you find God by searching? Can you completely comprehend the Almighty? He is higher than the heavens - what can you do? Deeper than the underworld - what can you find out? (Job 11:7-8).

There is undoubtedly some truth in these words. An infinite and transcendent God could always remain beyond our knowledge (Cottrell, God the Creator, 306-312). But that was never His goal. God wants us to know Him, so He revealed Himself to us. Of course, a person cannot know God in all His fullness, but grace makes it possible true knowledge about God. As Isaiah prophesied, “…for the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (11:9).

This chapter will discuss the means by which man gains true knowledge of God. The process begins with revelation in which God reveals Himself, His truth and His will….

Knowing God

In addition to Bible study and prayer, Scripture has much to say about the need to know God. Knowing God is an opportunity to know our Creator and Savior better and closer. People are limited by time, space and matter. God is limitless, He is above our dimensions, more accurate measurements of our world are in God. However, God wants people to know Him. This becomes possible when a person is born again.

Knowing God is not some mystical process about which one can philosophize. Knowing God is something that is practically possible and necessary for every Christian. It consists of the following steps:

1. Knowing God's grace is salvation

Before a person can know God, they must recognize themselves as sinners in need of a Savior, Jesus Christ, who died for them on the cross, took away their sin, and gave them their righteousness.

Col 1:6 “which is among you, as it is in all the world...

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I. KNOW THE LORD

Studying God

“Someone said that “mankind must study man.” I will not refute this idea. However, I believe that it is equally true that the children of God should study God; a Christian needs to truly study God. The highest science, the most sublime thought, the most powerful philosophy in which God's chosen one can be interested is the name, nature, person, works and being of the great God, whom he calls his Father.

Meditating on the Divine somehow improves tremendously...

Omniscience is defined as “possession of the completeness of knowledge; quality of knowledge of everything." To be the sovereign ruler over His creation—whether visible or invisible—God must be omniscient. This omniscience is not limited to just one person of the Trinity - God the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit, they all have omniscience.

God knows everything (1 John 3:20). He knows not only the smallest details of our lives, but also about everything around us. He says He knows even when a sparrow falls or we lose one hair (Matthew 10:29–30). Not only does God know everything that will happen until the end of history (Isaiah 46:9–10), but He also knows our thoughts even before we speak (Psalm 139:4). He knows our hearts from the very beginning, He even saw us in the womb (Psalm 139:1-3, 15-16). Solomon expresses this truth beautifully when he says, “You alone know what is in a man’s heart” (1 Kings 8:39).

Despite the fact that the Son of God took on human nature, humiliated Himself and became nothing...

Will it really take a lifetime to know God? Author of the question: Anya N., Estonia Anya asked the following question: “Hello! I am 22 years old, I read Christian literature, go to church, pray, etc. I noticed that I have repeatedly heard the opinion that knowing God requires a whole life. Is it really possible that when I’m 30–40 years old, I still won’t fully understand God (his new sides will be revealed)? I've talked to pastors who are 50 and 60 years old and still re-read God's Word. I really hope that my question is clear to you. Thank you".
How more people gains knowledge in some area, the more he realizes that his knowledge is very limited. Rarely does anyone think that, having completed a decade or an institute, he has already acquired all the knowledge in a particular field of science. He still has to study and study to improve his knowledge in this area. In addition, a person has the ability to forget acquired knowledge. That's why we learn all our lives.
…

Chapter 5.
Knowledge of God, or Why I wrote this book.

When reading books that purport to prove the existence of God, I have always felt somewhat disappointed when, after many pages of abstruse reasoning, the author gleefully proclaims. “Therefore, God exists!” This conclusion, reached only as a result of a long and difficult consideration of the issue, seemed so dry and academic that it did not really move me. Perhaps you felt something like this after reading my book - which also ends something like this.

I'll try to explain this feeling to you. The point, in my opinion, is that knowing God is very different from knowing any other subject.

First, there is a huge difference between knowing about God and knowing God. There are many books from which we can learn a lot about God - about His goodness, power, wisdom, and so on - but they do not teach us a personal knowledge of God. And in this sense they suffer from incompleteness.

The Bible is clear...

The New Testament carries ideas that came from God, as Jesus Christ himself said: “... My teaching is not Mine, but of Him who sent Me...” (Gospel of John Chapter 7 verse 16). These ideas were accepted by the first disciples of Christ - the Apostles and, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, wrote them in the books of the New Testament.

In those ancient times, books were of great value and there were a limited number of them in society, and people who were specially trained could read them. Therefore, in society there was mainly an oral transmission (tradition) of the doctrine of Christian faith. And just as it is natural for people to interpret this or that idea in their own way, traditions or legends have appeared in the Christian faith that have passed through the minds of people.

Naturally, the ideas of the Primary Source - the teachings of Jesus Christ - have undergone some transformation. To date, 20 centuries have passed and during this time a lot of human minds have in one way or another influenced the thought of God, which is set out in the Primary Source.

However, God took care of his idea or thought before us in...

“If you call on knowledge and appeal to reason; if you search for it like silver and search for it like treasure, you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God.”

Proverbs 2:3-5

What does the concept of “Christian Education” include?

The goal of Christian education is knowledge of God.

Knowledge of His essence. His love. His will. Likeness to Christ is the main objective throughout our life here on earth, although we know that only in eternity will we see Him as He is and become like Him in everything. 1John 3:2.

In this sense of purpose, we have the wonderful example of the life of Jesus Christ and are led by the Holy Spirit, who at this time takes a leading role in the Church and in personal Christian life. He instructs us, convicts us, opening our minds to the knowledge of Christ, and by knowing Christ we come to know God more.

In this regard, the basis of the concept of Christian Education, as well as any curriculum within the church...

Much of what we can know about God is revealed to us through creation and conscience, although this knowledge is far from complete without the Primary Revelation (the incarnation of Christ and the Word of God). The classic passage on this topic is Romans 1:20: “For His invisible things, His eternal power and Godhead, have been visible from the creation of the world by looking at what is made, so that they have no excuse.”

But the Holy Scriptures contain many passages that tell us that almost all the properties of God can be seen in Creation.

Self-existence (Jesus) (Rom. 1:19-20; Acts 17:23-29; Heb. 11:3)

“God, who created the world and all that is in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by hands and does not require the service of human hands, as if he needed anything, Himself giving to all things life and breath and everything.”

Self-Sufficiency (Isa. 66:1-2; Acts 17:24-25)

“Thus says the Lord: heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; where will you build a house for me, and where is my resting place?...

Re: The Bible about knowing God.

Discussion of the post “The Bible on knowing God” in the “Vector of Truth” group, which took place in 2016, which can only be done by copying the entire discussion into this commentary. If earlier I copied comments from the discussion directly into my comment, with all the accompanying unnecessary phrases and words transferred, now I have corrected the mistake and made the transfer through an intermediate Word document, in which I crossed out all the unnecessary words. The result was a completely acceptable picture.

Alexander Andreev 02/23/2016 17:40

As a theologian on duty, I will undertake to answer you.
I don’t know what “religious ideology” is, so I can’t say anything.
As for “knowing God,” it is impossible. That which is less cannot know that which is greater. The clay cannot know the potter. Therefore, according to...

One cannot cite the Bible as a primary source with too much bias. The Bible, the same Koran or Tripitaka were written by followers. Moreover, these books were subject to repeated changes. That is, they already reflect religious views, and not the primary Teaching that was given by the Great Ones.

Focusing your attention, I will repeat that literally in 600 years the Teaching of Christ was greatly distorted and it was necessary to give a new Teaching to Mohammed, but, in fact, the same thing that Christ carried. But over time, people turned this Teaching into a religion, leaving only the form, but changing the content.

If you had the opportunity to hear the Teaching from the lips of Jesus himself and compare it with what you read now in the Bible, you would discover huge gaps in the absence of much knowledge,” Sensei said with bitterness in his voice. – You claim that it was written by followers, but you don’t even think about how it happened. These were not the first followers, but followers of followers. After all, the Teachings of Jesus are long...

Holy Bible

What does Jesus Christ call the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament?

“Jesus said to them: Have you never read in the Scripture: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner: this is from the Lord, and is marvelous in our eyes”?” (Matt. 21:42).

What is another name for God's Revelation to man?

“He answered and said to them, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the Word of God and do it” (Luke 8:21).

Note. It is interesting to note that the word “Bible” does not appear in the Bible itself. The word originates from the Latin word biblia, which in turn comes from the ancient Greek word byblos, meaning “book.” The ancient Greek word byblos, in turn, originated from the word byblos, meaning “papyrus” - the name of the material on which ancient books were written. The ancient Greeks called this material byblos because it was shipped from the Phoenician port of Byblos.

The Bible consists of sixty-six books, it was written...

Born in the East and dressed in Oriental uniforms and images, the Bible goes through the whole world with ordinary steps and enters country after country to find its own everywhere. She learned to speak to a person's heart in hundreds of languages. Children listen to her stories with surprise and pleasure, and wise men reflect on them as parables of life. The wicked and proud fear her warnings, but to the wounded in heart and the repentant she speaks in the language of a mother. She is woven into our most precious dreams so that Love, Friendship, Sympathy, Devotion, Remembrance and Hope are the ornaments on the robe of her precious speech. No one should consider himself poor and lonely who has enriched himself with this wealth.

When the sky begins to darken and the frightened wanderer approaches the Valley of the Shadow of Death, he is not afraid to enter it. He takes the rod and staff into his hands Holy Scripture and says to his friend and companion: “Goodbye, we will meet again.” Supported by this hope, he walks along a deserted path, making his way out of...

Cognition; cognize

Cognition; cognize
In ancient Jewish thinking (and in the New Testament thinking that was formed under its influence), the concept of “knowledge” [Hebrew yada] is determined primarily by man’s relationship to God.

I. MAN’S KNOWLEDGE OF THE WORLD CREATED BY GOD

1) God gave people the natural ability of P. “He made everything beautiful in its time, and put peace in their hearts, although man cannot comprehend the works that God does from beginning to end” (Eccl. 3:11). P.'s ability to perceive earthly phenomena does not yet give a person true and complete perfection. Ecclesiastes 1:13 says: “...and I gave my heart to search and try with wisdom all that is done under heaven: this difficult task God gave to the sons of men, that they might exercise themselves in it,” and in v. 18 says: “...for in much wisdom there is much sorrow; and whoever increases knowledge increases sorrow.” The true subject of P. is the works of God and His will (Col. 1:9), as well as the mysteries of His Kingdom (Matt. 13:11);
2)…

Throughout life, every person learns something. But there is something that not all people do in their lives, but which is very important for any person. This is the study of the word of God because man's eternity is connected with it. Let's try to point out some reasons why a person should study the Bible. Let this help us to be more conscious about the study of the holy word, and make it possible to better explain this need to non-believers, encouraging them to know God.

Because the Bible is the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16: “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” 2 Pet. 1:19-21: “And this we have more sure prophetic word; and you do well to take heed to it as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing first of all this, that no prophecy in Scripture can be answered by oneself. ….

omniscience means “all-knowing,” that is, awareness of everything. This term can rightfully be used only in relation to God. Only a limitless and eternal Being can know everything. Knowledge of a mortal creation is always limited to its finite essence.

God, being omnipotent, can know, realize and understand everything. He never learns anything new and does not acquire new knowledge. The future, like the past and present, is entirely under His control. Nothing can surprise him.

Because God's knowledge is so much greater than our knowledge (it is of a higher level), some Christians believe that His thinking is also radically different in nature from our thinking. For example, there is a widespread belief among Christians that God's logic is different from ours. This position is convenient when we are faced with something incomprehensible. Unable to reconcile contradictory points, we find a way out by appealing to the “higher” logic of God. We can be relieved...

In the Bible, knowledge, as mere information, is not given a key role in people's lives.

Knowledge in the Bible is usually considered a temporary tool for obtaining more perfect acquisitions (knowledge, love, etc.):

Book of 1 Corinthians > Chapter 13 > Verse 8:
Love never fails, although prophecy will cease, and tongues will be silent, and knowledge will be abolished.

For the first time in the Bible, knowledge is mentioned from the mouth of the serpent tempting Eve:

Genesis > Chapter 3:
4. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you will not die,
5. But God knows that in the day that you eat of them, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.

Genesis > Chapter 3 > Verse 6:
And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes and desirable because it gave knowledge; and she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave it also to her husband, and he ate.

As we see, it is the acquisition of knowledge unauthorized by God that is the Fall...

It all starts with the character of God

The Authority of the Bible

Based on this understanding of the authority of the Bible, we build our understanding of salvation and true life in Christ. We also view the world around us—rocks, fossils, and living things—through the lens of biblical authority, and interpret all our observations from that starting point (or at least we should). But how do we know that the text of the Bible itself is authentic? Where does this confidence come from?

We must begin with the character of God Himself.

Interesting thoughts out loud:

page 7, paragraph 6 - In second place after the Bible are quotes from Mao Zedong, about 800 million copies
— (correction) for example, by 1997 at least 4 billion Bibles were printed

page 8, paragraph 9 - Lincoln was influenced by the Bible (the period of his reign fell on 1861-1865); he is the founder of the abolition of slavery in America

Chapter 2, page 12, paragraph 1 - (quote during book study) “When you talk to people about the Bible, some people confuse it with a catechism, a prayer book, or something else.”

page 16, paragraph 7 - There is a 10-15 year difference between the events of Acts 5:27,28 and 18:5,6. The opponents didn’t even think about relaxing

p. 16, paragraph 8 - Nero, this is the same one who set fire to Rome (an assumption that some historians do not recognize) and blamed Christians for it (a fact)

— Diocletian supported the cult of the deification of the emperor. He arrested Christians, with the exception of those who agreed to serve the pagan gods. In 303 AD he opposed the Bible, in 305 he became seriously ill and renounced power...

INTERPRETATION OF THE BIBLE:

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Preface

Just as jesters dream of playing Hamlet, so I dreamed of writing a treatise on God. However, the book in front of you is not a treatise. Judging by its size, it can be mistaken for a scientific work, but anyone who approaches it from this point of view will be disappointed. Rather, this book is like a necklace: a series of small studies on great topics; Most of these studies first appeared in Evangelical Magazine. They were conceived as independent sketches, but are now collected together because they form a single narrative about God and our lives. The choice of topics was determined by their practical orientation.

In his Preface to Christian Theology, John Mackay showed two approaches to Christian topics. He depicted people sitting on the high balcony of a Spanish-style house and looking at travelers walking along the road. Those sitting on the balcony can hear what they are talking about...

Of all the advantages over other earthly creatures with which man is obviously endowed with the all-creating creative Wisdom, the highest is that he has received the ability to know his Creator, worship Him and love Him.

God is the highest supreme Being with infinite perfections, by whom we “live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28) and on whom all things depend. The truth of the existence of God is the first and fundamental truth of Christian doctrine and all Christian theology; it should constitute the main subject of knowledge of the human mind. “He who comes to God must believe that He exists” (Heb. 11:6), says the Apostle Paul. A Christian striving for salvation must know Him to the best of his strength and abilities. This is his first and most sacred duty. The desire for knowledge of God should be the goal and meaning of a person’s life. Knowledge of Divine truth serves as the basis for saving life.

The nature of God is all-perfect and indefinable. In His Essence, He is for us a depth and a mystery that is impossible to fully comprehend. What God is in Himself, outside of His manifestations in the world, is incomprehensible to the human mind. This cannot be known by any creature, not only visible, but also invisible, that is, not even the angels themselves: since there is absolutely no comparison between the Creator and creation.

The revelation of the Old and New Testaments clearly teaches about the incomprehensibility of God for us, indicating the reason for this in the incommensurable greatness of the being of God in comparison with the being of man. According to the Apostle, God “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see” (1 Tim. 6:16).

God cannot be seen or touched by our external senses, just as we see and touch objects of the sensory world and thus know them. Everything in God is invisible, both His Divine nature and His Divine properties as they are, not only for us, but also for the higher spirits.

Even the holy saints of God, who received revelations on earth, could not have perfect knowledge of God and expected His knowledge, higher than the present, only in eternity. But, although God is incomprehensible in His Being, He has not left us completely ignorant of Himself. Everything that is useful and necessary for us to know about God and that we can accommodate. He revealed it to us in the works of His creation and providence, through the Law and the Prophets and through His Only Begotten Son.

Incomprehensible in Himself, in His nature and Being, He is knowable to us by that side of His Being, which He Himself reveals in His actions and discoveries in the world. All Divine knowledge is immense. God revealed the smallest part of it, the most necessary part, to us about Himself and His works.

On the basis of tangible revelations of God, a person can form some concept about Him, or rather, come closer to understanding the incomprehensible Being of God. The Truth of God walks on earth and has true testimonies about itself. Anyone who wants it sincerely will always find it.

There are two main and essential ways of knowing God: natural and supernatural.

The natural way of knowing God is knowing God from everything that God reveals about Himself, about His properties and actions, both in surrounding a person visible nature, and in the god-like nature of man himself and in his historical destinies.

Visible nature eloquently preaches to all people about the omnipotence, wisdom, and goodness of the Creator and Provider. God opened the book of nature, which one cannot help but read, for it is always before one’s eyes, and in which He wrote Himself and revealed Himself to the gaze of all. Observing and studying the world, its diversity, beauty, harmony and expediency, a person naturally comes to know God, just as when studying a work he comes to know the author.

Delving into various creations, a person sees in them the imprint of the incomprehensible wisdom of God and the boundless goodness of the Creator. When we think about creatures, where they come from, why they are so perfectly constructed and why they appeared in such a wondrous order, we inevitably see One who is invisible in Himself.

The human soul itself, created in the image of God, endowed with immortality and the ability for limitless perfection, with an innate desire for Divinity, truth, goodness and beauty, can testify to man even more clearly about the existence and perfections of the Creator.

You can see the finger of God and His ways in the history of kingdoms and nations and in the lives of individual people, for the history of mankind, like the life of an individual person, is not a chain of simple accidents, it is the scene of the action of God’s Providence, leading the world to a specific goal (Acts 17 :26; Ps. 67:4-5; Deut. 4:34-35).

By observing and reflecting on the works of creation and God's providence, a person can discover imprints of Divine perfections in the world. God clearly imprinted the trace of His existence, His Divine properties and His ever-essential power on His creation. Just don’t close the eyes of your mind and you will see. Just as a trace left on the snow shows who passed by, a man or an animal, so clearly the trace of God is imprinted on creation, whether you give it a general overview or delve into each creature specifically.

Although God reveals Himself in the works of His creation and providence and is not far from each of us, true knowledge of God from natural Revelation is possible only through the mysterious and incomprehensible illumination of the human spirit by the Spirit of God, Who “breathes where He will” ( John 3:8). For true knowledge of God, natural Revelation alone is not enough. main reason This lies in the deep damage to human nature as a result of the Fall.

The supernatural Revelation of God as a method of knowledge of God has undoubted advantages over in a natural way. It conveys the completeness of knowledge about God that is necessary and accessible to us in earthly life. This fullness of knowledge of God is given to man by the incarnate Son of God Himself. “The Savior says that He was taught by the Father. The apostles were taught by the Lord Savior, all believers were taught by the apostles.”

Knowledge of objects of faith is of three kinds: rational, or scientific, experimental, formed through labors to purify the heart, and living, taught directly to those who have entered the region of light.

The human spirit has an innate ability to perceive God as the highest and most perfect Being; it has an inherent desire for Him, a desire to touch and directly feel Him (Acts 17:2-28). Divine truth is generally akin to our spirit. But this innermost truth can only be known through the power of the Divine property. This power in us is spirit, and in spirit is reason.

The fullness of Divine truth is found in God, who is the source of all knowledge and wisdom. The Spirit of God introduced the minds of the apostles and prophets into the treasury of the wisdom of God; they drew from there and announced to us - they announced wisdom that none of the princes of this century - the geniuses - knew and could not know. God created the human mind capable of recognizing the truth, but the human mind itself is not its source, for by its purpose it is only a means of perceiving this truth and only a vessel that can contain it.

A Christian must improve in the knowledge of revealed truths and at the same time free the mind from “self-indulgence.” If a person tries to cognize the truth only with his own mind, then he inevitably falls into mistakes and distorts its essence, for the revealed truth cannot naturally be understood and interpreted. People of many abilities, who have acquired a lot of knowledge about created things, who have studied history, physical sciences, mathematics, medicine, jurisprudence, philology, often come to the false conviction that for them the objects of faith are comprehensible, and begin to interpret them in such a way that it is reasonable, so that Their faith was reasonable, that is, it did not contain anything unreasonable, and everything in it was understandable naturally.

The purpose of the human mind is to accept and deeply assimilate divinely revealed truths, so that they are co-dissolved with its nature, as its natural principles. Having dissolved with the mind of God, the human mind is gradually introduced by God into the mysteries of existence and phenomena.

The Christian receives wisdom from God, “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 1:19-23), enlightened by grace. “Let them not think that in the area of ​​faith there is no philosophy. No, the totality of the truths of faith is the most harmonious, sublime, comforting and inspired philosophy, a real system, which no other system of philosophy represents.

Every Christian should strive for a clear knowledge of Christian teaching, to become a theologian, well-versed in Divine things. To achieve this goal, you need to study throughout your life and consider the day lost in which no lessons of wisdom are learned. Having improved and succeeded in mastering divinely revealed truths, a person must then guard the acquired treasure like the apple of his eye.

The human mind is the power that allows him to perceive the spiritual world, but this ability must be exercised by entering into communication with God and the spiritual world. As a Christian succeeds in spiritual life, the knowledge acquired by the mind begins to turn into living convictions. Without living communication with God, spiritual knowledge will forever remain in our spirit in the form of a presumptive requirement and will never rise to the level of clear, real, definitely convincing knowledge, just like a blind man with eyes closed, whose power of vision is not damaged, however, will only know that, indeed, there are luminous and illuminated things, but it will definitely not be possible to know them until his eyes are opened. The reason for this is the fall into sin and remaining in this fall.

But not only the human mind participates in the work of knowledge of God. The heart is also endowed with the gift of knowledge and Christian knowledge, in which the “eyes to see” are opened by the grace of God. Until theological truth has entered the heart, it is the same as “dust on a polished board: the wind will blow and blow everything away.” The life and works of ascetics of piety testify that the heart in the knowledge of God is like the eye in the knowledge of visible objects. The eye, damaged and clogged, is unable to see objects in their best light. In the same way, a heart darkened by sin and passions is incapable of knowing God. God's truth is pure. She will not enter a dirty soul, and when she enters, she demands the eruption of all uncleanness.

Like is known by like. God is holy and all-perfect, and knowledge of Him is possible only through the achievement of holiness, through liberation from passions and vicious inclinations. For true knowledge of God, it is necessary to cleanse a person from sin and eradicate sinful passions and habits from the heart. internal struggle and spiritual achievement. To establish truth within yourself, you must drive away lies and delusion. In order to educate yourself according to the good dispositions of the Gospel, you must overcome passions. The fight against passions as an expression of attachment to the sensory world is a necessary stage on the path to spiritual knowledge.

For true knowledge of God, positive success in virtue is necessary. The more a person cleanses his heart from sin, the more he tries to reveal and strengthen his moral strength, especially to acquire and increase love in his heart, the more he becomes like God, the more capable he is of knowing Him. Then what is inaccessible to his mind becomes accessible to his heart.

Knowledge of God's will is initially acquired theoretically. God at that time is kept in the mind as an idea. Fulfillment of the Gospel commandments introduces a person into true knowledge of God and self-knowledge, which develops the more strongly the more diligently and accurately the Gospel commandments are fulfilled.

The experience of spiritual life introduces real knowledge of God. A Christian must try to make knowledge become action and the newly received information also immediately enters life. Although the Christian teaching proceeds from theoretical dogmas, everything is primarily aimed at establishing a good, holy and righteous life. Moral purity and a good life, disposing a person to accept revealed truth and making him capable of understanding it, are of great importance for the knowledge of God, opening access to his heart to the Holy Spirit - the spirit of “wisdom and understanding” (Is. 11:2).

As a person succeeds in spiritual life, he becomes more and more enlightened by spiritual knowledge and is imbued with divinely revealed teaching, for spiritual knowledge always follows spiritual renewal. Truth is not grafted into the soul by itself, but is implanted by the practical fulfillment of its requirements and conditions. Only through fulfilling God's commandments does a person begin to assimilate Christianity and begin to know its power. You need to get used to Christianity in action and life, for the more it turns into action and life, the more deeply and broadly it is comprehended.

As the revealed teachings are assimilated, all the secrets of Christian knowledge are revealed to the consciousness. The Christian life is like climbing a mountain. The one who climbs the mountain actually works to ascend; but at the same time, as he ascends, more and more objects are revealed to him, for his horizons become wider and wider. So it is in Christianity: the more one succeeds in living according to it, the larger and larger range of spiritual objects becomes known to his mind and consciousness."

To assimilate the revealed truth, human efforts alone are not enough; Divine help is needed here, for only God opens the mind to understand Scripture. The Lord is the source of spiritual wisdom, which is communicated to people by the Holy Spirit; God-revealed truths are written by the finger of God in the heart of man. A person without the assistance of Divine grace cannot bear worthy fruits to the Lord. You can know the truths of faith with your own mind, especially now that they are not only contained in the word of God, but are also extensively interpreted in the scriptures of the fathers and theological systems. But such self-made knowledge is only an external study, similar to the study of other sciences. It accepts only a bare sketch of the truths in the aggregate and of each truth separately. And all this is understood by the mind and stored in memory, in the head. But real knowledge of the Lord and revealed truths takes place in the mystery of the spirit.

For true knowledge of God, prayer is necessary. It is in prayer that the comprehension or vision of spiritual things occurs. Research and deepening into the revealed truths only prepare, and grace, in the hour of prayer, accomplishes knowledge, illuminating the mind with contemplation and imprinting what it sees in the heart. From the influence of grace and illumination, the knowledge of God becomes purer and more perfect. Strong faith, fervent prayer and sincere devotion to God make the human soul receptive and capable of knowing the mysteries of God.

A heart devoted to the Lord and purified for the Spirit of God becomes a charter on which He writes the secrets of God.

From a Christian who has acquired personal experience in spiritual life, the same thing happens that happens to someone who, having read a description, for example, of Jerusalem, and having sufficiently assimilated what was described, then sees Jerusalem itself. He sees the same thing in the same places, as he had previously imagined, but only in a different force.

Believers are called to be the light of the world “according to the lightness of their knowledge, which embraces everything that exists and happens, beginningless and endless, time and eternity.”

A Christian, assimilating Divine truths, gradually drives away lies and the darkness of ignorance from his mind and enters the realm of light. Just as the rising sun illuminates everything on earth and makes the entire atmosphere bright, so the knowledge of Divine truth illuminates the entire area of ​​the mind and makes everything clear and bright. The mind of such a person is transformed from human to “Divine” and, clothed in light, it shines within itself and enlightens everyone around.

Knowledge of God, in turn, contributes to the development of spiritual life. In Christianity, the path of life is illuminated by truths that, being acceptable, direct our entire being to heaven and everything heavenly. These heavenly truths pass through the entire structure of spiritual life and enliven everything in it. This life originates from them, is guided by them, and sees its end in them.

The assimilation of God-revealed teaching strengthens spiritual zeal, gives one a taste of the joy of life, drives away laziness and motivates one to do something. Receiving lessons in spiritual wisdom by deepening in the commandments of the Lord, a Christian gradually reaches a clear understanding of the order of life in God and becomes capable of teaching other people the truth.

Divinely revealed truths are revealed gradually even to God’s chosen ones, according to the need for them and readiness to accept them. Moses ascends to the very top of the mountain and hides in a cloud, others stand halfway, and others at the foot. This is an image of the three states of people, rising to the comprehension and awareness of the incomprehensibility of the Christian doctrine.

The Lord sometimes communicates divine truths to Christian ascetics in the form of explicit revelation, when God Himself or an angel appears to a person and reveals divinely revealed truths.

Often the secrets of Divine wisdom are communicated to saints in images that require new revelation in the mind.

In some cases, the Lord instantly and completely reveals heavenly things to everyone whom he considers worthy. Then God opens the mind and puts into it the treasures of knowledge or takes the spirit of a person and leads him into direct contemplation of the things revealed to him. And all this can happen instantly, and the measure of what is revealed and contemplated can be so great that no human word can contain it. In such a revelation, the holy Apostle Paul saw the heavenly abodes, raptured to the third heaven; this is how the apostles saw the truth when the Lord, appearing after His Resurrection and communicating the Spirit with a breath, “opened their minds to understand the Scriptures” (Luke 24:45).

One of the signs and consequences of true knowledge of God is praise and glorification of God emanating from the heart. When a Christian enters the field of knowledge of God, his spiritual eyes receive the ability to see the brilliance of the glory of God. His mind begins to comprehend the immensity of God’s love and good deeds towards the human race, and, contemplating this, he moves from amazement to amazement and with each object of contemplation, he cannot utter anything except praise: glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee! .

As a Christian grows spiritually, his mind will more and more begin to see God and become established in the vision of God; he will learn to stand with his mind in the vision of God, with His infinite perfections. Seeing God is the highest spiritual perfection of a person, which is achieved after cleansing the heart from passions, for the Lord says: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8).

Simultaneously with God-vision there is also reverent worship of God in spirit, the consequence of which is a person’s uncontrollable attraction to Communion with God and contemplation of God in spirit. The Holy Fathers call it ecstasy, that is, a departure from the ordinary order of life and immersion in God, in Greek “ecstasis”.

The state of contemplation is the fullness of Christian perfection. This is the limit of ascension, but one that has no end, for God is infinite. A Christian who has achieved contemplation is immediately introduced into a certain Divine darkness, in which nothing can be seen except for an immense, filled with essential infinity, striking deeply and imposing silence on word and thought. This is the most sublime state to which an earthly creature can reach. Man is then admired to the state of the Seraphim! . The ability and desire for perfection in the knowledge of God is preserved among the holy inhabitants of heaven. And in the Kingdom of Heaven there will be degrees of mental enlightenment, for the scope of God’s knowledge is limitless.

Literature

Bishop Feofan. Brief thoughts for each day of the year, arranged by month, 2nd ed. M., 1894.

Bishop Feofan. About Orthodoxy with warnings against sins against it. 2nd ed. No.. 1902.

Orthodox Confession of the Catholic and Apostolic Church Eastern, 16th ed. M., 186v.

Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the first eight chapters of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans. 2nd ed. M., 1890.

Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Ephesians. 2nd ed. M., 1893.

Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the letters of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Colossians and Philemon. 2nd ed. M., 1892.

Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the Pastoral Epistles of St. Paul, 2nd ed. M" 1894.

Bishop Feofan. Letters to various persons on various subjects of faith and life, 2nd ed. M., 1892.

Bishop Feofan. Outline of Christian moral teaching. M., 1891.

Bishop Feofan. Words for the Lord's, Mother of God and solemn days. M" 1883.

Letter from His Grace Theophan to a former comrade at the Academy in response to congratulations on the New Year. - Kyiv Diocesan Gazette, 1894, issue. eleven.

Bishop Theophan, Letters on Christian Life, 3rd ed. M" 1908.

Collection of letters of St. Theophan. Vol. 5. M" 1899.

Bishop Feofan. Words to the Tambov flock. M., 1867.

Bishop Feofan. Words to the Vladimir flock. Vladimir, 1869.

Letters from Bishop Theophan to the “unknown” Bishop. - A helpful interlocutor. 1905, August issue. 8, p. 231-238: sect., p. 268-270.

Bishop Feofan. Psalm one hundred and eighteen. 2nd ed. M" 1891.

Bishop Feofan. Interpretation of the Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians, 2nd ed. M" 1894.

Bishop Feofan. An appeal to yourself. - Home conversation, 1872, Dec" issue 49. pp. 1028-1030.

Bishop Feofan. The Path to Salvation: A Brief Essay on Asceticism. 7th ed. M" 1894,

Bishop Feofan. Thoughts for each day of the year according to church readings from the word of God. M" 1881.