epignosis2-5

PARTAKERS OF THE DIVINE NATURE: In the beginning, {*40} "God created man in His own image." {*41) "And as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly Man." {*42} "For whom He foreknew He also predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son..."

                                           THE DIVINE NATURE

{*43} �Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips,... for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Host.� Well might the lament of Isaiah be repeated by any who would turn to gaze upon the {*44} �Majesty in the heaven,� let alone attempt to delineate His Nature. Yet, God is gracious, to the extent we have been invited to {*45} �taste and see that the Lord is good.� And as we could never apprehend God by our own efforts, He has taken the initiative and revealed Himself through a progressive divulgence. Here we shall but highlight three peaks.

1) IN NATURE:

{*46} �Since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead.� And though {*47} �The fool hath said in his heart, �there is no God,�� yet ancient man has said, {*48} �the heavens declare the glory of God; and the sky shows His handiwork.�
Man also expresses himself in creative endeavors. Our art and architecture, literature and laws, reveal much about man. So also, of course, do our wars, but that expresses deviance, not conformity.

2)   THE WRITTEN WORD:

{49*} �All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine...� Here is God revealing God, and we shall set forth only a few of the many scriptures on �the divine nature,� and attempt to evidence man �in His image.�

        �God Is Spirit,� (John 4:24) Man has a spirit.

�The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.� Romans 8:16

�Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless...�   I Thessalonians 5:23

�And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, �Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.��   Acts 7:59

       What Is spirit? We do not know, but, if spirit seems too tenuous to accomplish much, consider for a moment the nature, as far as we know it, of the atomic world. Atoms are underlaid by exotic particles with names like electrons, quarks and photons. An individual photon is scarcely measureable, but a large, steady stream of them illuminates the page you read, and a focused beam (a laser) can cut through steel. An electron is, in itself, infinitesimally small, yet grouped in their trillion they power motors and control computers.

Is God like light, or gravity? No, they only declare His glory, His underlying, all pervasive Being; and as they underlay and power the physical universe, so the spirit of God moves upon the facade of our existence. God is spirit, wonderfully removed from our scrutiny, yet {*50} �in Him all things consist.�

How do we, born of the spirit, impact the physical or spirit world?
{*51} �The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.�
Jesus is {*52} �upholding all things by the word (expression) of His Power;� He tells us {*53} �If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, (i.e. �through the knowledge of Him,�) you shall ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.�

"THE WRITTEN WORD" continued under
   God is Light
   God is Love and
   God is Holy on page six.