To Know God

[Meadowchik]

I gave a talk Sunday, prompted to answer the question, "Why does God's plan allow progression?"

I prepared and pondered, but was driving through rain at night when a thought came to me like an epiphany. Rather than the answers about needing to be tested, and even a bit beyond the point that God's entire plan is for our progression, I realized that it can be simplified down to one thing:

Progression allows us to better know God.

Now there are other simplifications or what I'd consider overarching themes of the order of the Cosmos from a "God perspective," like Love, for example.

What's cool to me about this is that knowing God equates nicely to knowing Love. It's like a proof for another way to think of all this Life stuff, entirely consistent with the other way I've thought of it.

I know it may seem simple, but I think it is neat.

Christ said that life eternal is knowing the only true God. Joseph Smith explained that a basic gospel tenet is learning the character of God.

So how can we know God of we exist on a plane so radically different than His own? This is why each of us needed a spirit created by a Father and Mother in Heaven. This is why we each needed a body.

One imagery of progression is that of climbing a mountain. How much can we see from the mountain's foot? How much halfway up? From the top? When we progress, we become more like God and thus become able to see Him.

And THIS, as the Son said, is eternal life.

Thoughts?

[Meadowchik]

This explains to me why sometimes in the hardest times I experience the most joy, because (sometimes) I feel like I have learned more of God. Even it's in pain, the learning and closeness are a balm.

[Ahab]

Kinda along the line of "it takes one to know one", eh?

It's just that in this case we already are one of the same kind of being he is and the task/ challenge/ mission is to become as perfect as our Father in heaven since that is the only way we can know him in all his perfection. 

[Meadowchik]

14 minutes ago, Ahab said:

Kinda along the line of "it takes one to know one", eh?

It's just that in this case we already are one of the same kind of being he is and the task/ challenge/ mission is to become as perfect as our Father in heaven since that is the only way we can know him in all his perfection. 

Yup. There's  been times in my life I wanted to be able to spy on, for examples, that mom, or that wife and see how she does what she does. I wanted to be like them. But sometimes, it takes a while to even know what to look for, to even recognise a skill when I see it. I could be staring at a masterpiece of a person without noticing because I'm not even close enough to that myself to appreciate it. I can only glean a bit at a time. Then I may become nature enough to glean something else.

And so it is with the Most High, I think.

[RevTestament]

9 hours ago, Meadowchik said:

I gave a talk Sunday, prompted to answer the question, "Why does God's plan allow progression?"

I prepared and pondered, but was driving through rain at night when a thought came to me like an epiphany. Rather than the answers about needing to be tested, and even a bit beyond the point that God's entire plan is for our progression, I realized that it can be simplified down to one thing:

Progression allows us to better know God.

Now there are other simplifications or what I'd consider overarching themes of the order of the Cosmos from a "God perspective," like Love, for example.

What's cool to me about this is that knowing God equates nicely to knowing Love. It's like a proof for another way to think of all this Life stuff, entirely consistent with the other way I've thought of it.

I know it may seem simple, but I think it is neat.

Christ said that life eternal is knowing the only true God. Joseph Smith explained that a basic gospel tenet is learning the character of God.

So how can we know God of we exist on a plane so radically different than His own? This is why each of us needed a spirit created by a Father and Mother in Heaven. This is why we each needed a body.

One imagery of progression is that of climbing a mountain. How much can we see from the mountain's foot? How much halfway up? From the top? When we progress, we become more like God and thus become able to see Him.

And THIS, as the Son said, is eternal life.

Thoughts?

I put it fairly simply this way. To know the Son is to know the Father. He is the Way. Once we fully understand Jesus, then we will be able to see the Father, and know the true character of "God." Once we know Christ, we can progress to understand the hidden things of God.

[Meadowchik]

5 minutes ago, RevTestament said:

I put it fairly simply this way. To know the Son is to know the Father. He is the Way. Once we fully understand Jesus, then we will be able to see the Father, and know the true character of "God." Once we know Christ, we can progress to understand the hidden things of God.

I think that is valid. Jesus points a great deal to His Father, too, which, by extension, reveals more about them both.  

For example,  one of my favourite scriptures is John 4:34, "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to dothe will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

 

 

 

[RevTestament]

6 minutes ago, Meadowchik said:

I think that is valid. Jesus points a great deal to His Father, too, which, by extension, reveals more about them both.  

For example,  one of my favourite scriptures is John 4:34, "Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to dothe will of him that sent me, and to finish his work."

It is totally true. And yes I love the gospel of John! It is definitely my favorite book in all scripture.