4. Who has ascended into heaven, or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name, If you know? Proverbs 30:4

God the Father is the one who has created all things! For it is by the Father, that all things were created. But it is also true that all things were created through God's Son, Jesus. All things were created by and for Jesus. It is as if all created things were a shared gift for Jesus.

15. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.
16. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. Colossians 1:15-17 NKJV

In the next verse, fellowship of the mystery could mean that it is a hidden thing of fellowship or association that is not obvious to our understanding.

9. and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; Ephesians 3:9

So, the work of God the Father and the Son of God is a hidden thing when they fellowship in close association that is not obvious to our understanding. The creation process is the result of a joint and a very personal participation of them both.

The creation process must be a very intense and fun thing to do. It should be clear that God's thoughts are above our thoughts and His ways are above our ways.

8. ". . . My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways," says the LORD.
9. "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9

At one time, Moses wanted to see God. He wanted to know God and to know more about Him probably in an act that could possibly allow Moses to become closer to God. So, Moses asked if he could see God's glory.

19. Then He [God] said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion."
20. But He said, ÒYou cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.ÓExodus 33:19-20

Much of the glory of God is in His name. His name describes His character and ways. God is gracious, merciful, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth!

6. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7. "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7

God is a God of mercy and forgiveness. Yet, because man fell into sin he must die and his guilt cannot be cleared.

But God has done something very special so that He can keep mercy for thousands, forgiving our iniquity, our transgression, and our sin. God loved us so much that He gave us His only begotten Son! This is the one that God has created all things with, His most prized possession. God gave us His only Son so that we can live and not die!

16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

God's answer to our suffering is to give us His own Son so that we can have everlasting life! There is a depth of God's love for us that we must explore.

But first, lets start with the basics and try to determine what the Bible says who God really is:

All throughout the Bible we read that there is one God:

4. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4

The Lord our God is one!

6. one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:6

19. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe--and tremble! James 2:19

There is only one God!

21. Tell and bring forth your case; Yes, let them take counsel together. Who has declared this from ancient time? Who has told it from that time? Have not I, the LORD? And there is no other God besides Me, A just God and a Savior; There is none besides Me.
22. "Look to Me, and be saved, All you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. Isaiah 45:21-22

There is only one God and there is no other God besides Him!

The Ten Commandment specifically says:

3. You shall have no other gods before Me. Exodus 20:3.

It also says:

5. You shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God Exodus 20:5 (first part).

Obviously, there is no other God, but there are impostors. Satan and his evil angels would want to be worshipped:

8. Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.
9. And he said to Him, "All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me."
10. Then Jesus said to him, "Away with you, Satan! For it is written, 'You shall worship the LORD your God, and Him only you shall serve.'" Mark 4:8-10

Satan is the one who wants to be worshiped as if he were God. That makes Satan the enemy of God, because Satan wants to take God's glory for himself!

Many Christians believe that God is a plural God and since the word for "God" in Hebrew is plural it gives them license to hold that position. So, when Scripture says: "our LORD is one God" they would take this to mean that there is only one Trinity God.

4. "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! Deuteronomy 6:4

However, there are two kinds of plural meanings to the word "God"

A true plural meaning to "el-o-heem" would be: rulers, judges, divine ones, angels, and gods. The word does not really specifically point to the God of all things, but rather, it points to more than one leader because it is a plural word.

Plural intensive gives a singular meaning, so there is only one God. But it also increases the idea of magisty and denotes more greatness. We are talking about the great God of all things! So, a plural intensive meaning to "el-o-heem would be: God, the (true) God, works or special possessions of God, godlike one, god, and goddess.

An interesting example is where Moses was made to be impressive so that he would be like God before Pharaoh:

1. So the LORD said to Moses: "See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. Exodus 7:1

The word: "God" is the plural of intensity "el-o-heem". It should be plain that Moses is not plural. So plurality must denote greatness. Moses was looked at as if he were a great god. So, the sentence in the text should say: "I have made you as a great God to Pharaoh". Confirmation is found in the verse below:

1. And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people. Exodus 11:3

So, what about God Himself. Is He really a plural God like a Trinity being (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) or is God truly a single very great God over all things?

In the next two sections we will see that it is only the Father who is God of all things. He is Jesus' God and Jesus is the Son of God.

So far we have found that there is only one God and there is no other God besides God Himself.

But now, the New Testament will help us narrow down who God really is. It is clear that Jesus is not included. Only the Father is called God.

5. For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

Jesus is here described as a Mediator between God and man rather than being God. So Jesus is our mediator to intercede for us.

25. Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25

Jesus is the one who intercedes for us when we come to God the Father. So, all those who come to God, Jesus is able to save to the uttermost since He is the Mediator or Intercessor.

3. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3

There is only one true God, and He has sent to us Jesus Christ.

13. "The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus, whom you delivered up and denied in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let Him go.
14. "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you,
15. "and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses. Acts 3:13-15

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob glorified His servant Jesus when He raised Jesus from the dead! Jesus, the servant of God is here called the Prince of Life.

6. yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6

There is one God, the Father, and one Lord, Jesus Christ!

3. Grace, mercy, and peace will be with you from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love. 2 John 1:3.

Grace mercy, and peace come from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ who just happens to be the Son of God the Father.

3. But I want you to know that the head of every man is Christ, the head of woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. 1 Corinthians 11:3

God the Father is also over His Son because He is head over Christ.

5. and from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
6. and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. Revelation 1:6

So, Jesus works to make us kings and priests to His God who is His Father.

Jesus told us much about God when He was on earth. Over and over again, He said that His Father is the only true God. He also said that His Father was His God as well.

So, God must not be a plural God since God does not include Jesus Himself. Only Jesus' Father is God.

As Jesus was finishing up His work on earth He asked God, His Father, to bless His work:

1. Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You,
2. "as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him.
3. "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
4. "I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do. John 17:1-4

In this request to be glorified, Jesus acknowledges that God, His Father, is the only true God! In fact, Jesus came to reveal to us who God really is:

18. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. John 1:18

When a scribe asked Jesus what was the greatest commandment, Jesus declared that there is only one God:

28. Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, "Which is the first commandment of all?"
29. Jesus answered him, "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one.
30. 'And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.
31. "And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."
32. So the scribe said to Him, "Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. Mark 12:28-32

After Jesus gave His answer, the scribe spoke honestly saying that Jesus said the truth. There is only one God and there is no other but He!

When Jesus saw how honest the scribe was and that he spoke wisely, Jesus then tells Him that he, the scribe, is not far from the kingdom.

So, again, the fact that Jesus' Father is the only true God is the main point of the story.

At another time when the Jews started arguing with Jesus, Jesus again tells us who God is:

52. Then the Jews said to Him, "Now we know that You have a demon! Abraham is dead, and the prophets; and You say, 'If anyone keeps My word he shall never taste death.'
53. "Are You greater than our father Abraham, who is dead? And the prophets are dead. Whom do You make Yourself out to be?"
54. Jesus answered, "If I honor Myself, My honor is nothing. It is My Father who honors Me, of whom you say that He is your God.
55. "Yet you have not known Him, but I know Him. And if I say, 'I do not know Him,' I shall be a liar like you; but I do know Him and keep His word. John 8:52-55

In this discussion, Jesus clearly identifies that it is His Father who is the God that the Jews said they were worshipping.

Yet, in spite of the fact that they did not know God, Jesus said that He knew His Father.

At yet another time, Jesus declares that His Father is the Lord of all heaven and the earth. And also, that His Father has delivered all things to Jesus:

25. At that time Jesus answered and said, "I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.
26. "Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight.
27. "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. Matthew 11:25-27

So, all things have been delivered to Jesus by His Father who is the Lord of all Heaven and earth.

The woman at the well in Samaria saw that she was speaking to someone special, she asked Jesus where God was to be worshipped. But, Jesus turned her question around to tell her who we are to worship:

Again Jesus said to worship God the Father:

21. Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22. "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23. "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24. "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
25. The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things."
26. Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." John 4:21-26

Now one time, the Disciples asked Jesus how to pray, so He gave us the Lord's prayer:

9. . . . Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
10. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.
11. Give us this day our daily bread.
12. And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.
13. And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. Matthew 6:9-13

In the Lord's prayer, Jesus tells us specifically to pray and worship the Father in heaven!

At one time, Jesus said that there is one who is your Teacher, that is Jesus. So don't you call yourselves teachers. And there is One who is your Father, in heaven.

9. "But you, do not be called 'Rabbi'; for One is your Teacher, the Christ, and you are all brethren.
10. "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.
11. "And do not be called teachers; for One is your Teacher, the Christ. Matthew 23:9

It is only the Father who knows the time:

31. "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.
32. "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Mark 13:31-32.

We are not looking at a single example where Jesus explains who His Father is, but we can see Jesus telling us who God really is over and over again.

Why is it that Satan cannot share in the things of God while Jesus is fully allowed to interact with His Father.

When Satan rebelled against God, The other angels of heaven must have been in danger of thinking that Satan could be right, that it was an injustice against Satan to be denied while Jesus was allowed to have the supremacy.

God and His Son must have created this new world of ours to help answer these kinds of questions.

What they did was to make the earth a microcosm of the universe. I think it very, very interesting that God did things the way He did:

1. In this world, Adam was made in the image of God and he was put in the same position on earth that God has in heaven. Adam was to rule over all the earth just as God rules over the universe.
2. God directed Adam's attention to the fact, when God was creating the animals before his eyes, that each animal had a mate. Each animal was created as a pair, a male and female. Yet Adam was alone. There was no mate for him. Adam was made to realize his need for someone before God provided him a helpmate. I think that the concept of being lonely was introduced to Adam and also to the Universe. Because of the way God did it, it is obviously a planed introduction that made the answer to loneliness understandable and good.
18. Then the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable helper who is like him."
19. From the ground God formed all the animals of the field and all the birds of the sky, and He brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that became its name.
20. And the man gave names to all the tame animals, and to the birds of the sky, and to all the wild animals, But Adam noticed that there was no helper that was like him.
21. So the Lord God caused the man to sleep very deeply, and while he slept, God removed one of his ribs, then closed up the place with flesh.
22. The Lord God then used the rib from the man and built and formed it into a woman, and then he brought her to the man.
23. And the man said: "finally, this is someone whose bones came from my bones, whose body came from my body. I will call her 'woman', because she was taken out of man," Genesis 2:18-23 Brown Bible
3. In addition to the idea of loneliness, God had Adam realize that the presence of the animals did not solve the absence of an equal companion for him. Adam would be lonely even in the presence of all the animals. This relates to the situation in heaven; Even in the presence of all the angels and the beings of other worlds; Could God the Father have been lonely without the presence of the Son of God?

30. Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Proverbs 8:30
4. The Two had to have the very same nature in order to fully appreciate each other. Without companionship, what does it matter if you are surrounded by beautiful scenes and delightful work. The garden of eden would not have provided any happiness to either Adam nor Eve without the other. There would be no one to love and be loved!

Is it possible that the Universe might not provide any happiness to God nor His Son without the other? When God expresses Himself concerning His Son in this way: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 3:17 Does it show from God a special love or devotion?

22. "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.
23. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26. While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primeval dust of the world.
27. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28. When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29. When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30. Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Proverbs 8:22-30
5. God made Eve from a part of Adam, representing the non-created "begotten-ness" aspect of Christ. So Just as Eve came from Adam, The Son of God came from God the Father without being created. Jesus is not a created being, very different from us created beings. Eve is also special since she is made from the rib of Adam. She is made from the stuff that made Adam just as the Son of God is of the same nature as the Father. They are both divine.
1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was in the beginning with God.
3. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. John 1:1-4.
6. Eve was equal to Adam in every respect, except for patriarchy, thus Adam and Eve are a model or an example of what the Father and the Son are in the Universe.

The Son is equal to the Father in every respect, except for the fact that the Father alone is God.

15. . . . He who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords,
16. who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:15-16
7. God made two of them, Adam and Eve. Not three. We do not have a three-fold union like a Trinity. We have a two-fold union, husband and wife. This represents God the Father and His Son.
6. yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live. 1 Corinthians 8:6

God revealed something about Himself when He created mankind. The fact that animals can not share with us the complex ideas we have concerning love, feelings, and creative acts, taking part in human-level activities; show us that Adam needed Eve to fully experience the type of interactions he needed. The same can be said for Eve. Eve needed Adam and Adam needed Eve. Eve was was the only one that was able to fully interact with Adam.

In the same way, it seems that God the Father needs His only begotten Son so that they can fully share in each other's company: Jesus the Son of God, was and is the only one who can fully take part in the creative process of making worlds with that of God the Father.

22. "The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way, Before His works of old.
23. I have been established from everlasting, From the beginning, before there was ever an earth.
24. When there were no depths I was brought forth, When there were no fountains abounding with water.
25. Before the mountains were settled, Before the hills, I was brought forth;
26. While as yet He had not made the earth or the fields, Or the primeval dust of the world.
27. When He prepared the heavens, I was there, When He drew a circle on the face of the deep,
28. When He established the clouds above, When He strengthened the fountains of the deep,
29. When He assigned to the sea its limit, So that the waters would not transgress His command, When He marked out the foundations of the earth,
30. Then I was beside Him as a master craftsman; And I was daily His delight, Rejoicing always before Him, Proverbs 8:22-30

Fellowship of the mystery could mean that it is a hidden thing of fellowship or association that is not obvious to our understanding. In Proverbs 8, it is easy to see that this very personal joint participation between God the Father and the Son of God, in the creative process, is a delightful association that causes a rejoicing between the Two.

9. and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; Ephesians 3:9

So, the work of God the Father and the Son of God is a hidden thing when they fellowship in close association that is not obvious to our understanding. The creation process is the result of a very personal joint participation of them both.

On the other hand, Satan is not able to do the work at the same level as divine beings. Satan is only a created being. He is completely unable to take part in the Divine activities of the Father and Son just like animals who are unable to completely take part in the human activities on earth.

Let's repeat some of the things learned from Scripture on this page to help us understand, at least in part, the love that God has for us.

We have seen that Jesus existed before anything was ever made. We have seen that Jesus is the master craftsman, who was daily God's delight, rejoicing always before His Father. Creation, we saw, is a very close and personal joint participation between God the Father and the Son of God. This creative process caused a rejoicing between the Two because it is such a delight between them.

We saw that God's ways and thoughts are higher than our own human ways of thinking. It is no wonder that the work of God the Father and the Son of God is hidden from our view because the process is not obvious to our understanding.

The Son of God is not created but He came out of God. He was brought fourth! Eve, being made from Adam's rib represents in a small way the non-created "begotten-ness" aspect of the Son of God. The Son of God literally came out of the Father!

So, the Son of God is different from all the created beings. We are made out of created matter, the atoms that God has created. Angels are made out of created matter as well. But the Son of God came out of God. He was brought fourth. So He was not made out of created matter at all but is composed of the "stuff" of God. The Son of God is fully Divine like His Father.

We also saw that the closeness of Adam and Eve was a suggestion of the much higher level of closeness that God the Father has with His only begotten Son of God.

In addition, there is no other one that can fully interact with God the Father other than the Son of God. God would be lonely without His Son.

So, the Son of God has the very same nature as God the Father. This is how They can fully appreciate each other.

Even in the new world, the garden of eden would not have provided any happiness to either Adam nor Eve without the other. There would be no one to love and be loved! The beautiful scenes and delightful work would mean nothing without one to share it with, Adam and Eve could not be happy.

In the same way, God the Father and the Son of God are tied together in the things that they have made. It is this special fellowship of the mystery that gives them happiness. If the example of Adam and Eve relates of God's experience at all, then God the Father is intimately tied to His Son. We are talking about the deepest relationship there is in the universe!

Now if God loves His Son so much, how could He give Him up to us so that His Son could die for our sins?

1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1

The depth of God's love for us becomes a central issue when we contemplate who the Father and Son really are:

16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. John 3:16

If God really so loves us to the level that He is willing to give us His only begotten Son that we might live; the level of unselfish love is without parallel. Remember, this is the Son of His bosom, the Son that He has created everything with!

The answer is right in the Bible. It turns out that there is no God like our God!

18. Who is a God like You, Pardoning iniquity And passing over the transgression of the remnant of His heritage? He does not retain His anger forever, Because He delights in mercy. Micah 7:18

God is willing to pardon iniquity and to pass over the sins of His people. He delights in mercy!

Jonah actually complained that God is gracious and merciful:

2. So he prayed to the LORD, and said, "Ah, LORD, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm. Jonah 4:2

God is slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness! God is a God who does not want to do harm.

When God proclaimed who He was to Moses, He said this:

19. Then He said, "I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the LORD before you. I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." Exodus 33:19

6. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, "The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth,
7. "keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7

Because the Lord is gracious, merciful, and He wants to have compassion for us; He would like to forgive the iniquity of those who have fallen into sin.

However, did you see the last part of verse seven above?

7. . . . by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children's children to the third and the fourth generation." Exodus 34:6-7

God has a problem. He will not clear the guilty of their sins. Yet He wants to be compassionate toward us! How can God be both just and compassionate?

The answer is in His only begotten Son. The Son of God had to die so that God could be both just and compassionate. The forgiveness of our sins actually required the blood of His dear Son who has been His companion from before creation.

16. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.
18. "He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. John 3:16-18

Only those who believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God will be saved. Because the Son came to our world and lived a perfect life. He became our substitute and now He has become our good shepherd:

14. "I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own.
15. "As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. John 10:14-15

Jesus laid down His life for us so that we might live. Because of this the Father now loves His Son even more than He did before:

17. "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. John 10:17

Because the Son surrendered His life to die for us, He is endeared to His Father because He can now be just and also the justifier of all who believes in Jesus!

The Father then placed special honor to the Son:

6. And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.

It is because the Son hated iniquity but loved righteousness by dying on the cross, that allowed God to save the human race; Those who choose to believe in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

8. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
9. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. Hebrews 1:6, 8-9

The story that comes out of the Bible is a God who loves us even when we have fallen into sin. He does not want to destroy us so He sends us His only begotten Son to die on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven if we believe on Him.

Now God can destroy all sin and wickedness while saving those who truly want to follow Him by believing in the only begotten Son of God. Thus, God is still able to hold up His law, the law of God and yet be compassionate.

1. Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him. 1 John 3:1

Imagine that we may be called the children of God after we have done the things we have done. God is truly compassionate and merciful. He is truly slow to anger.

What kind of value will this place on us? We have been slaves and subjects of Satan, yet we can become the children of God because of His compassion.

It is through the grace of God that we can be saved. Jesus took on human nature so that He could elevate humanity. Only faith through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus can save us now.

Imagine being a child of the heavenly King! This is precious promise that we must think about.

This promise helps to describe the God and His Son that we serve.