Scripture abounds with paradoxes. A paradox is a statement that seems to be contradictory or absurd, but in reality, expresses tremendous truth. For example, one constantly comes upon statements like the following: unknown, yet well-known; absent, yet present; on earth, yet in heaven; knowing, yet judging all things; possible, yet impossible. The future to us is unknown. On the other hand, it is well-known because of Biblical prophecy. Prophecy could be called “tomorrow.” No person has seen tomorrow at any time, and no person has seen God at any time. “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him” (John 1:18 NASB).

The amazing thing about all of these paradoxes is that no one denies “tomorrow,” although it has never been seen. It never will be seen. Furthermore, no one has ever experienced “tomorrow,” because it has not yet arrived. The wonder of it all is the fact that no one denies that “tomorrow” will come. Thus, its mysterious and elevating influence is felt. The farmer speaks of his next harvest, but he does not know what the yield will be. The merchant hopes the farmer will have a better harvest next year, but he does not know if the weather conditions will be favorable. The stock market hopes for better times, but no one can predict what God may send as catastrophic events.

Tomorrow is known and yet unknown. It is known as a broad fact, but it is unknown in all the minuteness of its details. Consider the grim certainty of death. Scripture records the fact that it is appointed for man to die, but it does not say how or when he will die (Heb. 9:27 NASB). Thus, we have the known and unknown about physical death. Scientific research may find out much about the human gene, but it will never be able to predict how or when a person will die.

Take a look at life. Who can explain it? Life is as mysterious as God. The person who can accept the fact of life should have no difficulty in accepting the fact of the Triune God. Who has seen the sanctuary of life? Now we come to the greatest mystery of all—God. God is known and yet unknown. This is true of both sinner and saint, but not in the same sense. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them, for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:18-20 NASB). Therefore, the sinner knows that God exists, but he does not know God as Savior. On the other hand, the saint knows God as Savior and Lord, but he does not know God in all His perfections. Therefore, the Christian knows the unknowable—“and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3:19 NASB). There is something fresh for the Christian each time he comes to worship the Lord in truth. The Christian can never know Christ as He is and will spend eternity and never know Him as He is. There will always be something about Jesus Christ to be revealed throughout eternity. Jeremiah said, “The LORD [the covenant God of the eternal covenant of grace] appeared to him from afar, saying, I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore, I have drawn you with lovingkindness” (Jer. 31:3 NASB). A person never comes to the Lord on his own. If he comes, he will be drawn by God Himself, and will know when he has been drawn. Christ Himself said, “No one can come to Me, unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:44 NASB).

The following two verses are to be studied in regard to the sinner knowing and not knowing God: (1) “and, although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them” (Rom. 1:32 NASB); (2) “dealing out retribution to those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (II Thess. 1:8 NASB). The imagination knows God and the heart knows God, but the conscience silences the whole person because of a mysterious presence—total depravity.

The man of God knows the heart of man is depraved. Therefore, he does not look to man for spiritual knowledge. He has observed how the most powerful schemer of men has failed. True knowledge is of God. Therefore, true knowledge of God is a revelation. “And Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 16:16-17 NASB).

Knowledge without feeling is nothing. Love is the highest form of knowledge. To know God is to love Him, and to love Him is to know Him. Love is intelligent, and knowledge is emotional. Knowledge which puffs up is not true knowledge. If a man is proud of his knowledge, he is ignorant. He does not apprehend the true nature of the objects which he pretends to know.

To love is to know and to be known. Paul said, “Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His, and, Let everyone who names the name of the Lord abstain from wickedness” (II Tim. 2:19 NASB). Love, unlike knowledge, does not terminate on itself. It goes out of itself and seeks to help others. Scripture says, “Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies” (I Cor. 8:1 NASB). Pride often accompanies knowledge, but it is the opposite of the genuine spirit of a Christian. Even Socrates said, “This one thing I know, that I know nothing.” Origen said, “I am not ignorant that I am ignorant.” Knowledge divorced from love puffs up a person. The love of Christ is an intriguing subject. It attracts attention by baffling one’s understanding concerning the many sources of reflection, but here we are observing one particular view—the incomprehensibility of love.

Where does God’s love begin? Only the instructed Christian can give the answer. If you are a Christian, there was never a time when God did not love you. He loved you and gave you to Christ before the foundation of the world. Even the finished work of Christ was completed in the mind of God before the foundation of the world (Rev. 13:8). Where does God’s love end? It does not end. It is manifested by sending His Son into the world. The Son bore our sins in His own body on the tree, making regeneration possible and making it a fact at a given point in time. That love, which was eternal with the Father, was poured out in regeneration by the Holy Spirit in the Christian’s heart (Rom. 5:5). Then, in worship by the Christian, it is goes back to God. Finally, the Christian will go back to Him. Love is just a cycle. It began in eternity, comes down, finds lodgment in the elect here, and then goes back to God. What God starts, He finishes.

Christians know some realities by the power of love, not by the power of genius. “And though you have not seen Him [Christ], you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:8 NASB). Love may be evoked (called up) either by nature or by the Spirit of God. Natural love may be blind and impure. Spiritual love is altogether lovely and true. Man’s love for man is more or less instinctive. Man’s love for God is altogether spiritual. Man’s love for man is motivated by sentiment. Man’s love for God is motivated by principle—the principles of Holy Scripture. Man’s love for man is natural. Man’s love for God is supernatural. Paul said, “and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out [perfect passive indicative of the verb ekcheo, which means we have been permanently endowed with the Holy Spirit of love] within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us” (Rom. 5:5 NASB).

We must not judge love by one single act in a person’s life, but by the general behavior of a person. The love of the Christian for Christ is superlative. It exceeds the esteem which the soul has for all other things. Christ will accept nothing less. This love will lead us to “adorn” and not only make a show with the mouth “adoring” the doctrine of Christ. Apart from adorning Christ’s doctrine, adoring is nothing more than “…a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal” (I Cor. 13:1 NASB). Paul said, “Not pilfering [to keep back for oneself, embezzle, rob, or misappropriate], but showing all good faith that they may adorn [present active subjunctive of kosmeo, meaning to do credit, to honor or dignify] the doctrine [teaching] of God our Savior in every respect” (Titus 2:10 NASB). Christ gives us the test of love when He said, “If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” (John 14:15 NASB).

Men love unseen benefactors. Christians love the unseen Savior, the greatest Benefactor of all. Therefore, Peter said, “And though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory” (I Pet. 1:8 NASB). What is physical deliverance in comparison to spiritual liberation? Peter gives the prophetic, patient, propitiatory, practical, and the pastoral character of suffering in his first Epistle. No one has ever suffered as did the Liberator of the elect, Jesus Christ Himself.

Christians can love Jesus Christ better because He is unseen. If He were localized as the God-Man, He would seem less majestic than when He is understood from His eternally exalted position at the right hand of the Father making intercession for His own. The disciples never loved Him correctly until after His resurrection. The Savior we know is One whose sufferings are past, whose blessings are presently enjoyed, and whose glory shall be experienced. Paul said, “…Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer” (II Cor. 5:16 NASB). There were those who believed, because they saw the miracles that He performed. Christ would not entrust Himself to them, because He knew all men (John 2:23-25). Now we believe without seeing with our eyes, and Christ gives His blessing. “…Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (John 20:29 NASB). We know Christ now in the limitless dimensions of His resurrection glory, not in the weakness of the flesh during the days of His humiliation. However, this does not mean that the Christian gives up one jot or tittle of the historical Christ.

The love of Christ is an intriguing subject. Intriguing applies to something that attracts attention by arousing one’s curiosity. Christ’s love is a subject with many sources of reflection, but we are observing the fact that it is incomprehensible. Paul said Christ’s love surpasses knowledge (Eph. 3:19). Can we know that which is unknowable? We can know by grace what we cannot know by nature. We can know by faith what we cannot know by human reason. We can know the effects without comprehending the cause. We can know the reality of love’s existence without knowing its nature. Finally, we can know increasingly that which cannot be known perfectly. Solomon gives a statement that illustrates the beauty of God’s surpassing knowledge: “But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, That shines brighter and brighter until the full day” (Prov. 4:18 NASB).

We may know God’s love increasingly which cannot be known perfectly in time. Our ideas of Christ’s love may be more clear and consistent. Since there are many religious conceptions concerning Divine love, Christians need to be established. Those for whom Christ died become more confident. They say with Solomon who said, “My beloved is mine, and I am his; He pastures his flock among the lilies” (S. of Sol. 2:16 NASB).

The reasons for giving the whole counsel of God are love for Christ, love for the assembly, love for the truth, and love for the elect of God who have not yet come to the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ because they have not been regenerated. The people of God are not going to be offended if you state the truth. Our ambition should be that we live what we teach and we teach in order that we may live even better lives as a result of having grown in grace and knowledge of the Lord. Our beliefs should become more impressive and influential, but we all have to confess that our ideals, to some extent, exceed our actions.

 

Copyright ã   2003

This sermon has been written, preached and copyrighted by W. E. Best. While the author retains his copyright to this material, you are invited to copy the sermons or portions of them for your use. But you are specifically forbidden from changing any of the material and from selling it for any financial recompense.  We do not charge for getting out God's Word and we will not support others who do so.