My theology professor in seminary defined theology as “thinking about God.” That definition makes most of us theologians and is a good thing.
One Mexican man thought about God and came up with this illustration. He made a crude movie that envisioned a beekeeper who wanted his bees to know how much he loved them.
He gave the bees the best environment possible that would allow them to thrive, but that wasn’t enough.
He visited the bees every day, but they paid him no mind.
Finally, he discovered a way to become a bee himself. As a bee, he told other bees that they had a beekeeper who loved them and cared for them.
Because he was only a worker bee, the other bees ridiculed him and ultimately killed him for such insolent speech.
John not only thought about God, but he also spent three years with Jesus. This is how John described Jesus in his Gospel
And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a Father’s only son, full of grace and truth.
No one has ever seen God. It is the only Son, himself God, who is close to the Father’s heart, who has made him known (John 1.14 and 18).
John experienced God’s glory through Jesus. As in the movie about the beekeeper, it was Jesus who explained God’s nature to John.
Facts About God
What facts about God did John learn from Jesus? John wrote this about God.
See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God, and that is what we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed. What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is (1 John 3.1-2).
John knew many astounding facts about God because Jesus taught them to him. John illuminated several in three short verses.
We are God’s children.
A non-personal god does not have children. A god who is a clockmaker, who made the universe and steps back from it as an observer does not have children.
A god who is in all of creation and who must be found within each creature through meditation does not have children.
I am not aware of any world religion other than the Hebrew-Christian faith where there is a personal God.
The God of the Bible personally called Abraham to journey with him and formed his children into a nation. God personally interacted with Abraham, Moses, David, and the prophets.
Jesus explained the personal nature of God by living among his close followers and before the world.
Like the beekeeper who became a bee, Jesus entered the world to tell us that God loves us and wants us to be part of his family.
Jesus developed friendships with people and continues to do so through the presence of the Holy Spirit.
More to Come
Not only does God want us to be his children, but he also wants us to take on the character of his Son.
The entire program of discipleship is more than obedience to rules. It is the way God molds his children into the character of his Son.
Without a character like Jesus, we are unable to enter into the kind of love and friendship that the Father desires.
What has begun on earth will be finished when we see Jesus.
Verse two states a picture of our future. “What we do know is this: when he is revealed, we will be like him, for we will see him as he is.”
The Vision of God
In the Beatitudes, Jesus spoke of a vision of God. He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5.8).
Knowing that we are children of God and that one day we will see him, John picked up Jesus’ message of purity.
And all who have this hope in him purify themselves, just as he is pure (1 John 3.3).
We have an opportunity in the here and now to see a dim image of God, but one day “we will see face to face” (1 Corinthians 13.12).
God invites us into a personal relationship with him in this present time. There will come another time when this relationship will be magnified to an incredible degree.
Let’s follow John’s direction and live in single-minded devotion to Jesus.
YouTube Video
Rudy Ross and I continue our study of 1 John today. Our video can be found on the Bob Spradling YouTube channel.
Real Voices 