Creator, Father, King #193

My Father has entrusted everything to me. No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

ON A SCALE OF 1 to 100, how well do you know God?

(Hint: Nobody should say 100—or anywhere close. God is far too holy and majestic to be fully known. So don’t be too presumptuous!)

But the beautiful thing is, God can be known in many ways! However, none of that knowledge of, or relationship with, him that you possess is possible without the redemptive work of his Son, Jesus Christ.

Look at today’s verse. Does this sound like a great mystery to you? Let’s unpack its truth.

What’s It Mean?

God is our Creator. We wouldn’t exist without him. But he didn’t just create us and leave us, like a clockmaker winding up timepieces and letting them endlessly ticktock away with no other interaction. No, he is a loving, personal God of revelation. He wants his creation to know him.

If you search the whole Bible, you’ll notice that the great saints of Scripture didn’t get their start by actively searching for God. As humans, our desire to know God never inherently comes from within our corrupt, sinful nature. Rather, any true believer—in Scripture or in modern times—starts desiring God when God takes the initiative. He does this through his Spirit’s work in our hearts—calling our hearts to himself. Then God’s Spirit graciously regenerates, justifies, and sanctifies us as we grow in our faith.

The linchpin, though, is Jesus. You cannot know the Father unless you truly know the Son through faith and repentance. That’s because, as the incarnate second Person of the Trinity, Jesus is God! “For God in all his fullness was pleased to live in Christ” (Colossians 1:19).

Perhaps you’re thinking to yourself, I’m not sure if the Son has ever revealed God the Father to me. Guess what? He’s doing it right now! Through this devotional, you are learning about God’s character, his dealings with humanity, truths from his Word, and his great love for you through Christ.

The Son is revealing the Father to you today. Worship him!

Now What?

In today’s verse, Jesus said the Father “has entrusted everything to me.” Look up Matthew 28:18 to find out what he means by “everything.”

Did You Know?

In today’s verse, Jesus implies that he “chooses” to reveal the Father to some, but not all. This speaks to God’s sovereign election, which we’ll discuss more in the October 17–20 devotions.