Being close and getting closer — to God as He really is

“We know that we are of God, and the whole world lies under the sway of the wicked one. And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.” It was with this Bible passage from 1 John 5: 20 that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider served the brethren in Wartenberg, Western Germany on 22 December 2019.

Jesus shows us that God is close to us

“The primary purpose for which God, the Son, came down to this earth was to show mankind: ‘God is with you!’” said the Chief Apostle, before going on to list some very specific examples from the life of Jesus:

• “As a newly born baby, Jesus had to flee to Egypt with His parents: ‘God is with you! He too was a refugee!’”
• As a twelve-year-old already He went to the temple—where people thought He was rather peculiar—and not for the last time! “God is with us! Even with those who are not understood because they are different from everyone else.”
• “Jesus once stated that He didn’t have any possessions, not even a place to rest His head: God is with us! Jesus was a poor person.”
• “Jesus had to suffer terribly. He was lied to, He was betrayed, and He was abandoned. God is with us! That was a sign to show us: ‘I am on the side of those who have to suffer because of the wickedness or weakness of man.’”
• Jesus even suffered in His flesh. The pains He had to endure are beyond our ability to imagine. Jesus experienced how painful it was when He realised: “Now I will have to die. — God is with us, even in the greatest pain and suffering.”

Jesus shows us the nature of God

“This is the second reason for which the Son of God came to this earth: He wanted to show mankind who God actually is,” added the Church leader, before going on to explain:

• “Jesus Christ said: ‘I am the fulfilment of all prophecies, promises, and assurances of God. He fulfils that which He foretells! He keeps His promises! God is true!’”
• “God is love. He is not there to straighten out everything that is wrong with the world. His love consists of redeeming human beings from the power of sin, and leading them into His kingdom, where peace, freedom, and bliss prevail.”
• “God is not a ruler who reigns and exercises power. God serves mankind. He has achieved the greatest accomplishment, and has brought the sacrifice. And all those who so desire can enjoy this service and be redeemed!”

Jesus shows the way to God

“Jesus is the example: He is the true Man, the Man who lives completely in accordance with the will of God. That is how man is supposed to be,” emphasised the Chief Apostle. He then went on to explain further:

• “Jesus always sought fellowship with the Father because He knew that the most important thing in His life was: ‘I am a Son of God. God is My Father!’ That is a human being who lives in accordance with the will of God. Such a person knows: “I am a child of God—and that is the most important thing in the world to me.”
• “The word and the will of the Father were more important to Jesus Christ than anything else. This naturally helped Him to resist temptation. — Our relationship with God must always be more important than everything else!”
• “There was a time when He did not understand God, but He trusted in Him. — A human being who lives in accordance with the will of God will not necessarily understand every aspect of God. There we can only say one thing: ‘All I know is that God loves us. He has told us this! We trust Him!’”
• Jesus was a Man. He did not know everything. He did not know how many loaves of bread the disciples had, He did not know where Lazarus was entombed, nor did He know the point in time of His return. However: “God told Him everything He needed to know as a Man in order to fulfil His mission. — We too must have that much trust in God: You know whatever it is that you need to know.”
• “Jesus was certainly on the side of the poor, but He did not exclude the wealthy. He was there for men, but He was also there for women and children. He was there for the devout, but also for the sinners. He was there for the Jews, for His people. The Greeks, the Romans, the Samaritans—they were not of His culture. Yet He knew: I am there for all!”

“We are thankful to Jesus Christ for showing us God as He truly is, and for setting an example for us,” said Chief Apostle Schneider in conclusion. “And we have this striving: that is how I want to become so that I can be with Him for all eternity.”