God Transcendent and God our Father

Scripture has two truths repeated frequently. God is transcendent; he is totally other. He is high and lifted up and he is not like us. His ways are not our ways and there is no one like him.

The other truth is that God is our Father who condescends to us. He is near to us and loves us. He beckons us to draw near without fright.

We must always see these two elements in scripture and accept both. Both are true. You see the fatherhood of God is dependent on our union with Jesus in his death.

If we have not become brother with Jesus through saving faith in Jesus than we are still enemies with God and God beckons us to draw near through Jesus' work of perfect life, substitutionary death and resurrection from the dead.

Knowing the Nature of God

Personal Relationship

Our relationship with God must always be a personal one. It is interesting to hear people who consider themselves Christian knock the personal aspect of relation to God.

The bible is not their friend on this topic. God is our father, we are God's children, and we are brothers and sisters in Christ and co-heir's with Christ.

What is shocking about scripture is how easily and often it uses familial terms in relation to the Christian and God. The Christian God is high and lifted up and set apart and yet infinitely close to man.

In the church we often pick this truth or that truth. God is very high and other and distinct or God is close and familial.

You see it is both and not either/or. We often wish to simplify things too much. You see we wish to view our righteousness as our righteousness rather than accept that Jesus is our righteousness.