Growing in a Relationship With God

To Know God

Lesson #2 for April 11, 2026

Scriptures:Genesis 1:1; 2:7; 3:1-5; Leviticus 20:26; 1 Samuel 2:2; Matthew 1:23; 28:20; 1 John 4:7-19; John 17:3.

1. What does the phrase to know God mean? Does that mean to be introduced to God? Does it mean talking with Him in prayer? Does it mean knowing His character?

John 17:3-4: ³ “And eternal life means to know you, the only true God, and to know Jesus Christ, whom you sent. ⁴I [Jesus] have shown your glory on earth; I have finished the work you gave me to do.”—American Bible Society. (©1992). The Holy Bible: The Good News Translation^®* [GNT] (Today’s English Version) [TEV], Second Edition (John 17:3-4). Philadelphia: American Bible Society [abbreviated as Good News Bible-TEV* or GNB-TEV*].^†‡

[From the Adult Teachers Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=T-BSG:] We cannot fully fathom God in all His glory or majesty. God’s ways and thoughts are beyond our understanding (Isa. 55:9,Rom. 11:33). Indeed, they are as far from our finite comprehension as the heavens are from the earth. And yet, wonder of wonders, the Bible insists that we may, and should, know God (Jer. 9:23, 24).—T-BSG* 26.^‡§

2. How is it possible to know God?

Jeremiah 9:23-24: ²³ The Lord says:

“The wise should not boast of their wisdom,

nor the strong of their strength,

nor the rich of their wealth.

²⁴ If any want to boast,

they should boast that they know and understand me,

because my love is constant,

and I do what is just and right.

These are the things that please me.

I, the Lord, have spoken.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

A More Nearly Clear Picture of God and His Character—“Knowing” God

3. Having a clear understanding of God’s character is foundational to having a strong relationship with Him. That is why we will look at what the Bible says about the character of God. We will keep in mind that:

[From the writings of Ellen G. White=EGW:] It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth.—Ellen G. White, Christ’s Object Lessons* 415.3.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p15.1873&index=0]^‡

4. In what sense are humans “losing their knowledge of His character”? Was there ever a time when humans really had a knowledge of God’s character? If so, when? What are the main things that Satan is doing to cause this loss? Information about God’s character is more widely available now than at any time in the past!

[From the Adult Sabbath School Bible Study Guide=BSG:] It seems impossible to describe God adequately, and so the most we can do is point to what the Bible says about Him. Although we will never know, especially now, everything there is to know about God’s wonderful character, let’s pray that as we learn more about Him, our understanding of and love for Him will deepen, so that, ultimately, we will want to grow closer to Him in order to reflect His love and character to others.—BSG* for Sabbath Afternoon.^‡

[T-BSG:] To the Babylonian king [Nebuchadnezzar] who believed that the gods were unreachable because, as his wise men insisted, their “dwelling is not with flesh” (Dan. 2:11), Daniel responds to the contrary. Although God is in heaven, Daniel declares that God reveals secrets (Dan. 2:28). The Bible conveys, then, a paradoxical message about knowing God: God is both far and near (Jer. 23:23, 24). This dynamic tension is already present in the Creation story, which presents the simultaneity of God’s farness and nearness (compare the divine-human relations within Genesis 1 and 2). Furthermore, the Creator is also the Savior (Gen. 3:15). This basic truth, which we learn in the beginning of the Scriptures, contains an important lesson about our worship response to our powerful and great God: not only did He create us and the universe, He is also the approachable and loving God who came down in human flesh to be “with us” (Isa. 7:14, NLT).—T-BSG* 26.^†‡§

Isaiah 7:14: “All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin [young woman] will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).”—New Living Translation.*^‡ [The Hebrew ofIsaiah 7:14 does not say virgin; it indicates young woman. But, the New Testament follow-up says virgin. (Matthew 1:23)]^‡

[T-BSG:] “Knowing God.” Implicit in the Hebrew concept of “knowing” is a conjugal metaphor, as exemplified in the phrase “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived” (Gen. 4:1). To know God, essentially, refers to the conjugal, or covenant, relationship we entertain with God. This covenant language (Gen. 17:7, 8) is also reflected in the love language of the Song of Songs (Song ofSol. 2:16).—T-BSG* 26.^†‡§

Genesis 4:1: Then Adam had intercourse with [knew] his wife, and she became pregnant. She bore a son and said, “By the Lord’s help I have gotten a son.” So she named him Cain.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^‡

5. That is not the same as our knowing God!

[BSG:] The Bible gives the truest, clearest, and most consistent picture of God. The entire Bible seeks to peel back the unseen veil between our visible world and the invisible; to show us where we’ve come from and where we’re going; and, ultimately, to show us who is in control and what God is like.

From Genesis to Revelation, we read about the one true God, who makes Himself known to us through the Bible and through Jesus Christ, God incarnate. We can read about God’s omnipotence (Job 1:12), His omniscience, His all-knowing nature (Isa. 46:9, 10), His justice (Isa. 30:18), His mercy (Deut. 7:9), His loving-kindness and patience with us (Rom. 2:4), His wisdom (1 Cor. 2:7), His grace (2 Cor. 12:9), His forgiveness (Matt. 6:14), His will for our lives (Jer. 29:11), His power to defeat death (John 11:25), His kingship (Ps. 47:8), His eternal nature (Deut. 33:27), and many other characteristics that give us abundant reasons to love and have an abiding relationship with Him. The more we know about God and what He is like, the more we will love Him and desire a close and abiding relationship with Him. [Why is that? Is that automatic for everyone?]

It was Lucifer who first doubted God’s character. His doubts about who God is ultimately led to the greatest battle in the history of our universe.—BSG* for Sunday, April 5.^†‡§ [He wanted God’s power/place!]^‡

[EGW:] [Ever since the deception by Lucifer:] The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan’s deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God’s government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world’s dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, “with healing in His wings.”Malachi 4:2.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 22.1.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.35&index=0]^‡

[EGW:] …. The will, refined and sanctified, will find its highest delight in doing His service. When we know God as it is our privilege to know Him, our life will be a life of continual obedience. Through an appreciation of the character of Christ, through communion with God, sin will become hateful to us.—Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages* 668.3.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p130.3287&index=0]^‡

[EGW:] It is Satan’s constant study to keep the minds of men occupied with those things which will prevent them from obtaining the knowledge of God. He seeks to keep them dwelling upon what will darken the understanding and discourage the soul. We are in a world of sin and corruption, surrounded by influences that tend to allure or dishearten the followers of Christ. The Saviour [sic-British spelling] said: “Because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.” Many fix their eyes upon the terrible wickedness existing around them, the apostasy and weakness on every side, and they talk of these things until their hearts are filled with sadness and doubt. They keep uppermost before the mind the masterly working of the archdeceiver and dwell upon the discouraging features of their experience, while they seem to lose sight of the heavenly Father’s power and His matchless love. All this is as Satan would have it. It is a mistake to think of the enemy of righteousness as clothed with so great power, when we dwell so little upon the love of God and His might. We must talk of the mightiness of Christ. We are utterly powerless to rescue ourselves from the grasp of Satan; but God has appointed a way of escape. The Son of the Highest has strength to fight the battle for us, and “through Him that loved us” we may come off “more than conquerors.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church,* vol. 5, 740.2.^†‡ [Also see Ellen G. White’s prior paragraph in that chapter. It is quoted in Item #21 below.]^‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p113.3600&index=0]^‡

6. Satan does not care what kind of picture of God we have (pantheism, polytheism, deism, evolution, etc.) as long as it is not an accurate one. Would that include Roman Catholicism, apostate Protestantism, Hinduism, etc.? Think about Satan’s goals in working with Eve in the Garden of Eden. What did he say about God?

Genesis 3:1-5: ¹Now the snake was the most cunning animal that the Lord God had made. The snake asked the woman, “Did God really tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”

² “We may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden,” the woman answered, ³ “except the tree in the middle of it. God told us not to eat the fruit of that tree or even touch it; if we do, we will die.” [That is: Stay away from that tree!]

⁴ The snake replied, “That’s not true; [i.e., God lied to you!] you will not die. ⁵God said that because he knows that when you eat it, you will be like God and know what is good and what is bad.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†‡

7. Ultimately, Satan’s message to Eve was this: God is keeping secrets from you. God does not want what is best for you. You cannot trust God. God is a liar. Ellen White expanded on this when she wrote:

[EGW:] From the opening of the great controversy it has been Satan’s purpose to misrepresent God’s character and to excite rebellion against His law, and this work appears to be crowned with success. The multitudes give ear to Satan’s deceptions and set themselves against God. But amid the working of evil, God’s purposes move steadily forward to their accomplishment; to all created intelligences He is making manifest His justice and benevolence. Through Satan’s temptations the whole human race have become transgressors of God’s law [i.e., sinners!], but by the sacrifice of His Son a way is opened whereby they may return to God. Through the grace of Christ they may be enabled to render obedience to the Father’s law. Thus in every age, from the midst of apostasy and rebellion, God gathers out a people that are true to Him—a people “in whose heart is His law.”Isaiah 51:7.—Ellen G. White, Patriarchs and Prophets* 338.2.^†‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p84.1516&index=0]^‡

8. Do we ever misrepresent God by anything we do? Is God’s character sometimes misrepresented by church members? Even by pastors? And others in our world?

God Is Holy

[BSG:] Holiness is not a word that most people use very often in their everyday language, perhaps because there are so few holy things around us and about us. The Sabbath is a holy day in time, and God is, of course, holy. Apart from God, our everyday lives lack holiness.—BSG* for April 6.^†‡§

9. So, what do we actually mean when we say that “God is holy”? SeeLeviticus 20:26; 1 Samuel 2:2; Isaiah 57:15; andEzekiel 38:23.
10. Holiness and the word holy in the Bible mean “separate and distinct.”

[BSG:] When the Bible describes God as the epitome of holiness, it means that He is completely void of and completely separated from evil and sin. God is 100 percent good from beginning to end. In this sense, God’s holiness is central to all His other attributes.—BSG* for Monday.^†‡

11. When describing God’s love and His holiness, what should we say? God’s love is pure, holy, and completely different from what we think of as “love” in this world.

[BSG:] God’s omnipotence (being all-powerful) is holy omnipotence. Imagine a God who is omnipotent but not holy. He could be a powerful, evil tyrant. Only God’s holiness allows and enables us to really love Him, because He is good from beginning to end. This is why holiness is perhaps the most important characteristic to understand about God’s character. Yet, perhaps, it is one of the most misunderstood, as well. [God is holy/good!]

Think about Bible characters such as Moses, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and John who came into God’s presence. What was their first response? They removed their shoes, hid their faces, or fell down as though dead. As human beings, we are sinful and so unholy that we can’t bear to stand in God’s presence. Any human who looks at God’s face will not live. [Exodus 33:20] Similarly, when Ellen G. White went into vision, she often cried “Glory . . . glory . . . glory” because it was the one word that seemed to most capture what she saw. And, of course, the four living creatures do not rest day or night without saying, “ ‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ ” (Rev. 4:8, NKJV).—BSG* for Monday, April 6.^†‡§

[See https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p12667.6012&index=0]^‡

Revelation 4:8: Each one of the four living creatures had six wings, and they were covered with eyes, inside and out. Day and night they never stop singing:

“Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty [in contrast to Satan!],

who was, who is, and who is to come.”—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†‡

God Is Love

[BSG:] Love is perhaps the most common word used by Christians to describe God’s character. This could be because of the identity statement about God in1 John 4:8,[16] which says, “God is love.” John doesn’t say, “God is loving,” but rather, “God is love.” Love is His character, the very essence of who He is.

For many people, their picture of God emerges from their human definition of love, which is always distorted and imperfect. Instead, our very definition of love should be shaped by who God is and what He reveals about Himself in His inspired Word.—BSG* for Tuesday, April 7.^†‡

12. What does1 John 4:7-19 teach us about God’s love?

1 John 4:7-19: ⁷ Dear friends, let us love one another, because love comes from God. Whoever loves is a child of God and knows God. ⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love. ⁹And God showed his love for us by sending his only Son into the world, so that we might have life through him. ¹⁰This is what love is: it is not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the means by which our sins are forgiven.

¹¹ Dear friends, if this is how God loved us, then we should love one another. ¹² No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in union with us, and his love is made perfect in us.

¹³ We are sure that we live in union with God and that he lives in union with us, because he has given us his Spirit. ¹⁴And we have seen and tell others that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. ¹⁵If we declare that Jesus is the Son of God, we live in union with God and God lives in union with us. ¹⁶And we ourselves know and believe the love which God has for us.

God is love, and those who live in love live in union with God and God lives in union with them. ¹⁷Love is made perfect in us in order that we may have courage on Judgement Day; and we will have it because our life in this world is the same as Christ’s. ¹⁸There is no fear in love; perfect love drives out all fear. So then, love has not been made perfect in anyone who is afraid, because fear has to do with punishment.

¹⁹ We love because God first loved us.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

13. Remember that these words were penned by the human being who knew our God, Jesus, best during the time He was on this earth! John was the one God “kept on loving”!

[BSG:] God’s love is perfect, free, and deeply relational, as revealed in the repeated invitation to “abide” in Him in 1 John, because “we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16, NKJV). God is love, and He created us in His image (Gen. 1:27) to love and to desire love. In Hebrew, one major word for love is ḥesed. This describes God’s covenant love for humanity, which encompasses traits of loyalty, protectiveness, steadfastness, and tenderness.—BSG* for Tuesday.^†‡§

14. The Bible uses many different names for God. The usual name for gods, El, can be used to refer to pagan gods as well as to the true God. Two very common names for God include Adonai and Yahweh.

[BSG:] Adonai: The Lord of all, who reigns forever, in reference to the covenant (Gen. 15:2,Judg. 6:15,Mal. 1:6,Ps. 97:5).—BSG* for Tuesday.^†‡§

15. Another very common name for the Lord is Yahweh or Yhwh. Yahweh is the personal name of God.

[BSG:] Ultimately, the greatest expression of God’s love is revealed through the gift of His Son to this earth (John 3:16) who died for sinners (Rom. 5:8). God could have withheld this from humanity, yet because of His magnanimous, radical, supremely altruistic love, God sent Jesus to earth so that we might freely choose to respond to His love…. Not only did Jesus bridge the separation that sin has brought between us and God (Isa. 59:1, 2), He lived to show us God’s perfect character of love (John 14:9,Heb. 1:3) and to draw all people to Himself (John 12:32).—BSG* for Tuesday, April 7.^‡§ [Christ’s death was not payment of a penalty; it was a demonstration of the natural consequences of separation from God.]^‡

16. There are, of course, many passages in Scripture talking about God’s nature and His love. One of the best known isJohn 3:16. ReadJohn 3:16.

[BSG:] Many of God’s names capture His holiness and love at their core. Read1 Corinthians 13:4–8 (NKJV), and in every case, replace the word “love” with “God.” How does this expand your understanding of God’s character? If you were to place your name where it says “love,” how well would that fit you?—BSG* for Tuesday, April 7.^‡§

1 Corinthians 13:4-8: ⁴ Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; ⁵love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; ⁶love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth. ⁷Love never gives up; and its faith, hope, and patience never fail.

⁸ Love is eternal. There are inspired messages, but they are temporary; there are gifts of speaking in strange tongues, but they will cease; there is knowledge, but it will pass.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

God in Creation

[BSG:] You probably know from memory the first words in the Bible: “In the beginning God.” In Hebrew, the word for God here is Elohim [sic]. Although this word can be used when talking about false “gods,” when it refers to the one true God, it describes an almighty, all-powerful Creator in connection with the whole of creation; the transcendent God who is beyond our understanding but in control of everything. He is so powerful that when He speaks, something is created just from His voice.—BSG* for Wednesday, April 8.^†‡

17. Imagine God Himself bending over a pile of soil and “kissing” Adam into life!

[BSG:] But in the next chapter, Genesis 2, there appears a different name for God: Yahweh [sic]. This name connects to Elohim [sic] (Yahweh [sic] ’Elohim), the same all-powerful, almighty God; but the name Yahweh [sic] is the more personal name of the one true God, often used to emphasize that God is the covenant God, in loving relation with His created people.—BSG* for Wednesday, April 8.^†‡§

[BSG:] Compare the descriptions of God inGenesis 1:1 andGenesis 2:7.—BSG* for Wednesday, April 8.^‡

Genesis 1:1: In the beginning, when God created the universe….—GNB-TEV.*

Genesis 2:7: Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

18. God bent over and breathed into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life!

[BSG:] InGenesis 2:7, we can imagine God kneeling to form the first human being out of the ground with His own hands. “And the Lord God formed man of the dust [soil] of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.” This is a God who gets close—so close that He breathes into Adam’s nostrils the breath of life. This name, Yahweh [sic], presents a more intimate picture of God, but Moses uses both names in the first two chapters of the Bible to describe these two characteristics of God to us.—BSG* for April 8.^†‡

[T-BSG:] The contrast between the two parallel accounts of Creation is intended to highlight the glorious paradox of God: the powerful God of Creation who created the universe is simultaneously the personal God of salvation who relates with humans.—T-BSG* 27.^†‡ [Notice that God’s omnipotence and superiority to all other things is linked with the fact that He wants to treat each one of us as His own child.]^‡

[BSG:] How astonishing!... How good for us to think of both of these aspects of God’s character: His overall control of everything and His nearness to us.—BSG* for Wednesday, April 8.^†‡

Acts 17:27-28: ²⁷ “He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any one of us; ²⁸as someone has said,

‘In him we live and move and exist.’

It is as some of your poets have said,

‘We too are his children.’”—Good News Bible-TEV.*

[From the SDA Bible Commentary:] The words “for in him we live, and move, and have our being” are an almost exact quotation from a stanza that appears to have been written by Epimenides the Cretan (6th century b.c.), and is recorded by the 9^th century commentator Isho’dad:

“They fashioned a tomb for thee, O holy and high one—….

But thou art not dead; thou livest and abidest for ever;

For in thee we live and move and have our being” (quoted in F. F. Bruce, The Book of the Acts [The New International Commentary on the New Testament [sic]], p. 359).—[as quoted in: Article onActs 17:28. In F. D. Nichol (Ed.), The SDA Bible Commentary, vol. 6, (1957) 353-354].^†‡Ω§

[BSG:] It’s important that we continue to seek a clear, balanced picture of God based on what the Bible tells us about God’s character in order to grow in a relationship with Him. This is why it’s important to read all parts of the Bible rather than focusing on only one portion. Truly, the more we learn about the character of God, the more we will learn to love Him.—BSG* for Wednesday, April 8.^†‡

Immanuel, God With Us—The God Who Hides His Face

[T-BSG:] The God Who Hides His Face. In the book of Isaiah, the theme of God’s hiding His face (hester panim) is an important motif. But it is in the context of the Suffering Servant that this theme takes on its most poignant significance. The image of the hidden face, used in Isaiah 53, does not mean God’s death or ours and, hence, our separation from Him…. Significantly, this particular divine feature is contrasted to the idols. The idols are seen, unlike God, who is hidden (Isa. 45:15).—T-BSG* 28.^†‡§

[BSG:] If you were looking to share with a non-Christian a description from the Bible about God’s character, where would you turn?

The best answer, of course, would be to Jesus. The Bible says that Jesus not only reflects God but reveals God. There are many Bible passages that explain this, but the one that does so most simply isJohn 14:9. Here, Jesus says, “ ‘He who has seen Me has seen the Father’ ” (NKJV). In order to know more about what God the Father is like, we should look to Jesus—His words, His actions, His manner, and His great love toward humanity as displayed in His death and resurrection.—BSG* for Thursday, April 9.^†‡§

John 14:9: Jesus answered, “For a long time I have been with you all; yet you do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. Why, then, do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?”—Good News Bible-TEV.*^†

[BSG:] The love and care of the Father is most clearly expressed in His Son, Jesus. The beauty of the Bible is that God has given us four rich perspectives on the life of Jesus so that we can have a fuller picture of who He is. In Matthew (written by a Jew, for Jews), we see Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah who fulfilled what was promised. In Mark, we see Jesus living an active life of service and sacrifice. He was always thinking of others and always responsive to the will of His Father. In Luke, we can read about how Jesus felt, with His humanity and compassion, and we can read this account to have assurance that what we read is true (Luke 1:3, 4). In John, we see the incarnate Son of God and are invited to believe that Jesus is who He says He is, so that our spiritual lives can be revived. … [The] four Gospels explore the same ground.—BSG* for Thursday.^†‡§

[EGW:] In our Bible, we might ask, why need Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, in the Gospels, why need the writer of the Acts of the Apostles, and the various writers of the Epistles so largely go over the same ground? The Lord gave his Word in just the way he wanted it to come. He gave it through different writers, each having his own individuality, though going over the same history. The different testimonies are brought together in one book, and are like the testimonies in a social meeting. They do not represent things in just the same style. Each writer has an experience of his own, and this diversity broadens and deepens the knowledge that is brought out to meet the necessities of varied minds. The thoughts expressed have not a set uniformity, as if cast in an iron mould [sic-British spelling], making the very hearing monotonous. In such a uniformity there would be a loss of grace and distinctive beauty.—Ellen G. White, Letters and Manuscripts,* vol. 15, Manuscript 105, 1900,* par. 2.^†‡

[https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p14065.13820008&index=0]^‡

19. Why did Luke say what he did to introduce his Gospel? Where did Luke learn all the things that he said in his Gospel? He was not a disciple, and his closest Christian associate was Paul who also was not a disciple! It is possible that during the time when Paul was in prison in Caesarea Maritima (Acts 23-24) on the Mediterranean coast near Galilee, Luke took that opportunity to travel around Galilee and Judea and ask everyone he could find what s/he knew about Jesus.

Luke 1:3-4: ³And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it would be good to write an orderly account for you. ⁴I do this so that you will know the full truth about everything which you have been taught.—Good News Bible-TEV.*

20. What has God done in my life and your life? What is He doing in our lives today?
21. If we are to represent God to others, we need to get to know Him better and better.

[EGW:] All the paternal love which has come down from generation to generation through the channel of human hearts, all the springs of tenderness which have opened in the souls of men, are but as a tiny rill [tiny stream] to the boundless ocean when compared with the infinite, exhaustless love of God. Tongue cannot utter it; pen cannot portray it. You may meditate upon it every day of your life; you may search the Scriptures diligently in order to understand it; you may summon every power and capability that God has given you, in the endeavor to comprehend the love and compassion of the heavenly Father; and yet there is an infinity beyond. You may study that love for ages; yet you can never fully comprehend the length and the breadth, the depth and the height, of the love of God in giving His Son to die for the world. Eternity itself can never fully reveal it. Yet as we study the Bible and meditate upon the life of Christ and the plan of redemption, these great themes will open to our understanding more and more. And it will be ours to realize the blessing which Paul desired for the Ephesian church when he prayed “that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him; the eyes of your understanding being enlightened, that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power to usward who believe.”—Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church,* vol. 5, 740.1.^†‡§ [See some recent pictures from the James Webb Telescope.]^‡ [https://egwwritings.org/read?panels=p113.3599&index=0]^‡

22. An excellent way to get a good view of God is to read the first chapter from Ellen G. White’s book, Steps to Christ. Try reading it with a friend.

[BSG:] Summary: From the beginning of Creation, God has desired to be in a close relationship with us. Although our understanding of His character is the target of Satan’s attacks, God reveals Himself to us most clearly through His Word and through the life of His Son, Jesus. Ultimately, having a clear, beautiful picture of God is essential if we want to deepen our relationship with Him.—BSG* for Friday, April 10.^†‡

©2026, Kenneth Hart, MD, MA, MPH. Permission is hereby granted for any noncommercial use of these materials. Free distribution of all or of a portion of this material such as to a Bible study class is encouraged. *Electronic version. ^†Bold type is added. ^‡Brackets and content in brackets are added. ^ΩBrackets and the content in brackets within the paragraph are in the source. ^§Italic type is in the source.

Last Modified: March 7, 2026                                                                                    Email: Info@theox.org