Embedded Files
Kind of a chunk of paragraphs today
Feels like 1,000 instead of 4
We are sticking with God the Father for the next 30 days or so
Then we move on to God the Son
Today we have some things to listen for
IN FACT…
There is a TON of Scripture
The Catechism has ABUNDANT footnotes which are replete with quotes from Scripture
IN FACT…
Almost all sentences today involve a quote from Scripture
WHICH IS REMARKABLE!!
It’s not remarkable in the sense that WOW IT’S UNBELIEVABLE THAT THE CATECHISM IS QUOTING SCRIPTURE
OF COURSE THE CATECHISM QUOTES SCRIPTURE!!
It is REMARKABLE to realize that when we talk about God today, we are going to talk about a couple of different DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
One is that GOD ALONE IS
GOD IS EXISTENCE
For some of us, it’s like DUH of COURSE God IS EXISTENCE
EVERYTHING that exists ONLY EXISTS IN RELATION TO GOD
OH MY GOSH!!
IT BLOWS THE MIND!!
Also, God IS truth and God IS love
Of course, God is OF truth and God OF love
BUT…
The Catechism states it like this: GOD IS TRUTH and GOD IS LOVE
We get this information from DIVINE REVELATION
So we will highlight these three attributes of God
What is it to say that God alone IS?
What is it to say that God IS truth?
What is it to say that God IS love?
SO EXCITING!!
IF God is, there are NO OTHER gods besides HIM
He TRANSCENDS the world
He TRANSCENDS history
He MADE Heaven and Earth
IF God IS truth then that means HE CAN NEVER DECEIVE US 🤯 🤯 🤯
IF God IS truth then that means His promises WILL ALWAYS COME TRUE 🤯 🤯 🤯
IF God IS love then not only does that mean we can TRUST HIM
BUT…
It reveals something CRITICAL about the very IDENTITY OF GOD
So today we will focus on these three DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
EXISTENCE
TRUTH
LOVE
So let's ask the God who IS
The God who is TRUTH
The God Who is LOVE
To be with us now…
Prayer by Fr. Mike: “Father in heaven, we know that you are. We affirm that you are. And we declare that you are Truth. And we believe that you are Love. Lord God, come and meet us, come sustain us, come guide us with your truth. Come lead us more deeply into your heart. Come lead us more deeply into your love. be with us this day and every day that we may never walk away from your truth, that we may never run away from your love. We make this prayer in the mighty name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord. Amen”
Here we go!
Fr. Mike is almost speechless!! (Who even knew such a thing would be possible 😉)
Let’s break it down
We have THREE ATTRIBUTES of God
GOD ALONE IS
GOD IS TRUTH
GOD IS LOVE
BUT…
There is this crescendo at the very end of today’s reading…
We are going to get there in a second
First, let’s highlight the fact that when we say GOD IS, He is EXISTENCE ITSELF
Paragraph 213 says, “The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the Church’s Tradition, understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end.”
When God says I AM WHO I AM it means that God is the FULLNESS OF BEING AND OF EVERY PERFECTION WITHOUT BEGINNING AND WITHOUT END
This is one those moments where the Revelation of Scripture and human reason has come TOGETHER
So if God IS and says I AM WHO AM then that means that He is the FULLNESS OF BEING
FULLNESS OF EXISTENCE ITSELF
FULLNESS OF BEING AND OF EVERY PERFECTION WITHOUT ORIGIN AND WITHOUT END
EVERYTHING
EVERY CREATURE
Paragraph 213 continues, “All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being.”
Does that make sense?
EVERYTHING that exists exists IN RELATION TO GOD
WHICH IS JUST INCREDIBLE!!
A number of weeks ago we talked about CONTINGENT BEING (Do you remember when? Go back and read Day 4: Our Capacity for God in The Catechism in a Year Study Guide for a refresher!! 😃)
WE are all CONTINGENT BEINGS
We are all CONTINGENT on something else
THE ONE ONLY NECESSARY BEING!!
THAT IS GOD HIMSELF!!
GOD IS FULLNESS OF BEING!!
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE!!
Paragraph 214 says, “God, ‘He who is,’ revealed himself to Israel as the one ‘abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.’ These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays not only his kindness, goodness, grace, and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness, and truth.”
When we talk about DIVINE ATTRIBUTES it can seem kind of boring
BUT IT IS NOT BORING!!
What it MEANS is that GOD IS ABSOLUTELY FAITHFUL!!
GOD’S PROMISES ALWAYS COME TRUE!!
Paragraph 215 says, “...God’s promises always come true.”
IF God IS truth, then His promises ALWAYS COME TRUE!!
Paragraph 215 continues, “This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things.”
We can ABANDON OURSELVES to the Lord because HE IS TRUTH
HE CAN NEITHER DECEIVE NOR BE DECEIVED!!
Of course we know the story in Genesis Ch 3
Paragraph 215 continues, “The beginning of sin and of man’s fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God’s word, kindness, and faithfulness.”
Remember what the serpent said?
“Did God REALLY say? No no, He doesn’t WANT you to be like Him.”
The tempter WANTED us to DOUBT God’s FAITHFULNESS
The tempter WANTED us to DOUBT God’s TRUTHFULNESS
AND YET…
Because God is TRUTH, we can ABANDON OURSELVES IN FULL TRUST to the TRUTH and FAITHFULNESS of His Word IN EVERYTHING!! 🤯 🤯 🤯
WHICH IS SO REMARKABLE!!
Not only is God TRUTH
GOD IS LOVE!!
People ask all the time, “Why is God such an egomaniac? He just wants us to worship him. He just wants us to glorify him. He just wants us to know who he is. Why does he want so much attention?”
Paragraph 218 says, “In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love.”
It was NOT because He was LONELY
It was NOT because he NEEDED ATTENTION
It was NOT because of ANY OF THOSE REASONS
THE REASON IS HIS SHEER GRATUITOUS LOVE!!
THAT’S ALL IT IS!!
Why does God call us to worship Him?
BECAUSE HE LOVES US!!
HE IS DRAWING US INTO RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM!!
Paragraphs 219 and 220 talk about how God’s LOVE is compared to a FATHER’S LOVE
His love is STRONGER THAN A MOTHER’S LOVE
God loves his people more than a BRIDEGROOM LOVES HIS BRIDE
Paragraph 219 says, “...his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift…”
Remember how Hosea married Gomer the prostitute?
She was unfaithful
He married her KNOWING she would be unfaithful
BUT…
He would have to be a SYMBOL
He would have to be a SIGN
He would have to be a REMINDER
He would have to be an IMAGE
OF GOD’S LOVE FOR HIS PEOPLE!!
Even though she ran away
Even though she turned to others
HOSEA WOULD BE FAITHFUL!!
JUST LIKE WHEN WE RUN AWAY!!
AND THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL RAN AWAY!!
GOD WAS AND IS ALWAYS FAITHFUL!!
Paragraph 221 is probably one of Fr. Mike’s favorite paragraphs in The Catechism
We will hear him say that a lot this year!!
Paragraph 221 says, “By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange.” 🤯 🤯 🤯
When Fr. Mike first read this he said, “WOW!! We need to know this!! What is the innermost secret of God?”
Wouldn’t you want to know the INNERMOST SECRET OF GOD??
OF COURSE YOU WOULD!!
HERE IT IS!!
God Himself is an ETERNAL EXCHANGE OF LOVE, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and he has DESTINED US to SHARE in that exchange
Does this disappoint you?
God’s INNERMOST SECRET is that He is an ETERNAL EXCHANGE OF LOVE
God’s INNERMOST SECRET is that HE IS LOVE
IN FACT…
Until Christianity, you could say that God LOVES and you would be right
That would be true
BUT…
Not until Jesus reveals that God is a COMMUNION OF PERSONS could you say that GOD IS LOVE
Why?
Because IF God is MONOLITHIC and ONE DIVINE BEING but also ONLY ONE DIVINE PERSON then GOD COULD NOT BE LOVE
Because there would be a time (before Creation) when there was NOTHING ELSE EXCEPT GOD
So He COULD NOT BE LOVE if He was JUST ONE DIVINE BEING AND ONE DIVINE PERSON
BECAUSE THERE WOULD BE NO ONE TO LOVE!!
Love would be something that God DOES
BUT…
BECAUSE God is a TRINITY
BECAUSE God is ONE DIVINE BEING and THREE DIVINE PERSONS FOR ALL ETERNITY
It is THE FATHER pouring Himself out in love to THE SON
It is THE SON receiving that love and pouring it back to THE FATHER
That love between them being SO REAL that is ANOTHER PERSON
THE THIRD PERSON OF THE TRINITY!!
THE HOLY SPIRIT!!
Because God is a COMMUNION OF PERSONS
Because God is a TRINITY
THAT IS THE ONLY REASON THAT GOD IS LOVE!! 🤯 🤯 🤯
This is the INNERMOST SECRET OF GOD
Here’s the crazy thing…
If God is LOVE
HIS DEEPEST IDENTITY!!
If His INNERMOST SECRET is that He IS LOVE
YOU ARE MADE IN GOD’S IMAGE AND LIKENESS!!
So what does that mean about YOU??
That means that YOUR DEEPEST IDENTITY is realized when you ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE LOVED!!
And when you ALLOW YOURSELF TO BE A GIFT OF LOVE!!
THIS IS INCREDIBLE!!
God has DESTINED US to share in this exchange
God wants us to be PART OF THIS LOVE!!
That is why until now The Catechism may have been a bit dry for you
BUT…
FROM NOW ON…
When we get to talk about GOD HIMSELF…
And the life that He has DESTINED FOR ALL OF US…
IT IS ANYTHING BUT DRY!!
GOD HIMSELF IS LOVE!!
YOU ARE MADE FOR LOVE!!
YOU ARE MADE FROM LOVE!!
GOD HAS DESTINED YOU AND I TO SHARE IN THAT EXCHANGE OF LOVE!!
That is a HIGH CALL
So we need PRAYERS
We need GRACE
We need EACH OTHER
Fr. Mike is praying FOR YOU!!
Please pray for Fr. Mike and for each other!!
I cannot WAIT to see you tomorrow!!
Scripture References & Reflections
- compiled by Andrew Adamany
Bible Translation - RSVCE
CCC 212 "Over the centuries, Israel's faith was able to manifest and deepen realization of the riches contained in the revelation of the divine name. God is unique; there are no other gods besides him.
Isaiah 44:6–7
"Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel
and his Redeemer, the Lord of hosts:
“I am the first and I am the last;
besides me there is no god.
Who is like me? Let him proclaim it,
let him declare and set it forth before me."
"He transcends the world and history. He made heaven and earth"
Psalm 102:24–27
"O my God,” I say, “take me not hence
in the midst of my days,
thou whose years endure
throughout all generations!”
Of old thou didst lay the foundation of the earth,
and the heavens are the work of thy hands.
They will perish, but thou dost endure;
they will all wear out like a garment.
Thou changest them like raiment, and they pass away;
but thou art the same, and thy years have no end."
"In God "there is no variation or shadow due to change." God is "HE WHO IS", from everlasting to everlasting, and as such remains ever faithful to himself and to his promises."
James 1:16–18
"Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good endowment and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures."
Psalm 90:1–2
"Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place
in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth,
or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world,
from everlasting to everlasting thou art God."
CCC 213 "The revelation of the ineffable name "I AM WHO AM" contains then the truth that God alone IS. The Greek Septuagint translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, and following it the Church's Tradition, understood the divine name in this sense: God is the fullness of Being and of every perfection, without origin and without end. All creatures receive all that they are and have from him; but he alone is his very being, and he is of himself everything that he is."
Matthew 5:48
"You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Judith 16:14
"Let all thy creatures serve thee,
for thou didst speak, and they were made.
Thou didst send forth thy Spirit, and it formed them;
there is none that can resist thy voice."
Revelation 5:13
"And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all therein, saying, “To him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might for ever and ever!”
CCC 214 "God, "HE WHO IS", revealed himself to Israel as the one "abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness"
Exodus 34:5–7
"And the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord. The Lord passed before him, and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
"These two terms express summarily the riches of the divine name. In all his works God displays, not only his kindness, goodness, grace and steadfast love, but also his trustworthiness, constancy, faithfulness and truth."
Psalm 138:1–3
"I give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart;
before the gods I sing thy praise;
I bow down toward thy holy temple
and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness;
for thou hast exalted above everything
thy name and thy word.
On the day I called, thou didst answer me,
my strength of soul thou didst increase."
Psalm 85:9–13
"Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him,
that glory may dwell in our land.
Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet;
righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
Faithfulness will spring up from the ground,
and righteousness will look down from the sky.
Yea, the Lord will give what is good,
and our land will yield its increase.
Righteousness will go before him,
and make his footsteps a way."
"He is the Truth, for "God is light and in him there is no darkness"; "God is love", as the apostle John teaches."
Tobit 3:1–2
"Then in my grief I wept, and I prayed in anguish, saying, “Righteous art thou, O Lord; all thy deeds and all thy ways are mercy and truth, and thou dost render true and righteous judgment for ever."
1 John 1:5
"This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him is no darkness at all."
1 John 4:8–9
"He who does not love does not know God; for God is love. In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him."
CCC 215 "This is why God's promises always come true. God is Truth itself, whose words cannot deceive. This is why one can abandon oneself in full trust to the truth and faithfulness of his word in all things."
Psalm 119:160
"Consider how I love thy precepts!
Preserve my life according to thy steadfast love.
The sum of thy word is truth;
and every one of thy righteous ordinances endures for ever."
2 Samuel 7:28–29
"And now, O Lord GOD, thou art God, and thy words are true, and thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant; now therefore may it please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever before thee; for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken, and with thy blessing shall the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.”
Deuteronomy 7:9
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations"
"The beginning of sin and of man's fall was due to a lie of the tempter who induced doubt of God's word, kindness and faithfulness."
Genesis 3:1–13
"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.
And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.”
CCC 216 "God's truth is his wisdom, which commands the whole created order and governs the world."
Wisdom of Solomon 13:1–9
"For all men who were ignorant of God were foolish by nature;
and they were unable from the good things that are seen to know him who exists,
nor did they recognize the craftsman while paying heed to his works;
but they supposed that either fire or wind or swift air,
or the circle of the stars, or turbulent water,
or the luminaries of heaven were the gods that rule the world.
If through delight in the beauty of these things men assumed them to be gods,
let them know how much better than these is their Lord,
for the author of beauty created them.
And if men were amazed at their power and working,
let them perceive from them
how much more powerful is he who formed them.
For from the greatness and beauty of created things
comes a corresponding perception of their Creator.
Yet these men are little to be blamed,
for perhaps they go astray
while seeking God and desiring to find him.
For as they live among his works they keep searching,
and they trust in what they see, because the things that are seen are beautiful.
Yet again, not even they are to be excused;
for if they had the power to know so much
that they could investigate the world,
how did they fail to find sooner the Lord of these things?"
"God, who alone made heaven and earth, can alone impart true knowledge of every created thing in relation to himself."
Psalm 115:15
"May you be blessed by the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!"
Wisdom of Solomon 7:17–22
"For it is he who gave me unerring knowledge of what exists,
to know the structure of the world and the activity of the elements;
the beginning and end and middle of times,
the alternations of the solstices and the changes of the seasons,
the cycles of the year and the constellations of the stars,
the natures of animals and the tempers of wild beasts,
the powers of spirits and the reasonings of men,
the varieties of plants and the virtues of roots;
I learned both what is secret and what is manifest,
for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me."
CCC 217 "God is also truthful when he reveals himself - the teaching that comes from God is "true instruction". When he sends his Son into the world it will be "to bear witness to the truth"
Malachi 2:6–7
"True instruction was in his mouth, and no wrong was found on his lips. He walked with me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many from iniquity. For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts."
John 18:37–38
"Pilate said to him, “So you are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is truth?”
1 John 5:20
"And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, to 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."
John 17:1–3
"When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."
CCC 218 "In the course of its history, Israel was able to discover that God had only one reason to reveal himself to them, a single motive for choosing them from among all peoples as his special possession: his sheer gratuitous love."
Deuteronomy 4:37–38
"And because he loved your fathers and chose their descendants after them, and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power, driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as at this day."
Deuteronomy 7:8
"but it is because the Lord loves you, and is keeping the oath which he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you from the house of bondage, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt."
"And thanks to the prophets Israel understood that it was again out of love that God never stopped saving them and pardoning their unfaithfulness and sins.39"
Isaiah 43:1–7
"But now thus says the Lord, he who created you, O Jacob,
he who formed you, O Israel:
“Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name, you are mine.
When you pass through the waters I will be with you;
and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you;
when you walk through fire you shall not be burned,
and the flame shall not consume you.
For I am the Lord your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
I give Egypt as your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in exchange for you.
Because you are precious in my eyes,
and honored, and I love you,
I give men in return for you,
peoples in exchange for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your offspring from the east,
and from the west I will gather you;
I will say to the north, Give up,
and to the south, Do not withhold;
bring my sons from afar
and my daughters from the end of the earth,
every one who is called by my name,
whom I created for my glory,
whom I formed and made.”
Hosea 2:13–16
"And I will punish her for the feast days of the Baals
when she burned incense to them
and decked herself with her ring and jewelry,
and went after her lovers,
and forgot me, says the Lord.
“Therefore, behold, I will allure her,
and bring her into the wilderness,
and speak tenderly to her.
And there I will give her her vineyards,
and make the Valley of Achor a door of hope.
And there she shall answer as in the days of her youth,
as at the time when she came out of the land of Egypt.
“And in that day, says the Lord, you will call me, ‘My husband,’ and no longer will you call me, ‘My Baal.’"
CCC 219 "God's love for Israel is compared to a father's love for his son. His love for his people is stronger than a mother's for her children. God loves his people more than a bridegroom his beloved; his love will be victorious over even the worst infidelities and will extend to his most precious gift"
John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."
Hosea 11:1
"When Israel was a child, I loved him,
and out of Egypt I called my son."
Isaiah 49:14–15
"But Zion said, “The Lord has forsaken me,
my Lord has forgotten me.”
“Can a woman forget her sucking child,
that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb?
Even these may forget,
yet I will not forget you."
Isaiah 62:4–5
"You shall no more be termed Forsaken,
and your land shall no more be termed Desolate;
but you shall be called My delight is in her,
and your land Married;
for the Lord delights in you,
and your land shall be married.
For as a young man marries a virgin,
so shall your sons marry you,
and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride,
so shall your God rejoice over you."
CCC 220 "God's love is "everlasting"
Isaiah 54:7–10
"For a brief moment I forsook you,
but with great compassion I will gather you.
In overflowing wrath for a moment
I hid my face from you,
but with everlasting love I will have compassion on you,
says the Lord, your Redeemer.
“For this is like the days of Noah to me:
as I swore that the waters of Noah
should no more go over the earth,
so I have sworn that I will not be angry with you
and will not rebuke you.
For the mountains may depart
and the hills be removed,
but my steadfast love shall not depart from you,
and my covenant of peace shall not be removed,
says the Lord, who has compassion on you."
Jeremiah 31:2–3
"Thus says the Lord:
“The people who survived the sword
found grace in the wilderness;
when Israel sought for rest,
the Lord appeared to him from afar.
I have loved you with an everlasting love;
therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you."
CCC 221 "But St. John goes even further when he affirms that "God is love": God's very being is love. By sending his only Son and the Spirit of Love in the fullness of time, God has revealed his innermost secret: God himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and he has destined us to share in that exchange."
1 John 4:7–8
"Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and he who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God; for God is love."
1 John 4:16
"So we know and believe the love God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in him."
1 Corinthians 2:7–16
"But we impart a secret and hidden wisdom of God, which God decreed before the ages for our glorification. None of the rulers of this age understood this; for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him,”
God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For what person knows a man’s thoughts except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that we might understand the gifts bestowed on us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who possess the Spirit.
The unspiritual man does not receive the gifts of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man judges all things, but is himself to be judged by no one. “For who has known the mind of the Lord so as to instruct him?” But we have the mind of Christ."
Ephesians 3:7–13
"Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given me by the working of his power. To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose which he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confidence of access through our faith in him. So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory."
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