Be careful because Satan would fill your ear.
God’s enemy would have us believe things that blemish our Father’s character. Jesus came to show us the Father. He said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him.” (Matthew 11:27) That is the desire of the child, to know the Father and only Jesus can reveal Him. Not man.
Man will try to explain to you what God’s like. A simple man will tell you according to his understanding, and the learned scholar according to the understandings of other scholars. But the Son knows the Father and reveals the spiritual nature and perfect character of His Father. The Scriptures record God’s dealings with man in many ways. Starting with Adam and Eve, God has granted man choice.
Humans were created for communion with God. There was one requirement, obedience. Satan maligned the character of God. A choice was made, innocence was lost and along with it a close relationship. Not a good situation for mortal man to be separated from God who is Life. It wasn’t all bad, Adam still had personal knowledge of God and passed it on to his sons. One believed and rightly worshiped, the other did not.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” (Genesis 4:6-7) Able was not totally depraved, and Cain was capable of doing the right thing, but didn’t.
Secondhand knowledge of God did not last long and except for one man, depravity was total. “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil.”(Genesis 6:5) Thank God for Noah. “These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his time; Noah walked with God.” (Genesis 6:10)
I am sure he was not perfect, but he believed God when He spoke, and he obeyed. Same thing for Abram. God spoke (grace) and Abram obeyed (faith). Some would say man is incapable of believing God without God first giving a gift called “faith”. IT IS A POOR VIEW OF A LOVING FATHER WHO FINDS PLEASURE IN SOVEREIGNLY COMPELLING THE OBEDIENCE OF HIS CHILDREN. The gift of grace that is received, through faith, is salvation. Without God speaking there would be no opportunity to hear and obey.
Through the Gospel of the Kingdom, God would speak to all men. Jesus is the Light that came into the world to restore the knowledge of His Father, to save and not condemn. Man is already condemned without believing in Jesus. Some would say Jesus died to save some with others created for the purpose of condemnation. Jesus tells us otherwise.
Resistible Grace.
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed.” (John 3:16-20)
When the gospel is heard, some make the choice to flee from the truth to keep their evil ways from being exposed. “But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” (John 3:21) As much as it will often hurt our flesh to hear the truth, the one who believes God will still come into the light, repent, be cleansed by Christ’s blood and changed by the Spirit of God.
The apostle Paul has used the phrase “What if God” (Romans 9:22) to prove a point regarding God’s sovereignty. Of course God can do with His creation as he wills, but it will always be according to His holy and blameless character. He alone is righteous and His justice is not a respecter of persons.
Perhaps I have made it obvious that I hate teachings about my Father, whom Jesus has revealed, that cast dispersion on His character, or diminish man’s responsibilities to Him once they have heard Him speak. We share no glory for doing our duty, nor do we save ourselves through our obedience. Salvation is God’s gift of grace. Isn’t He beautiful?
His Family Table 