The Unapproachable God<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall <\/i>no man see me, and live<\/u><\/i>.<\/i> Exodus 33:20<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Who only hath immortality, <\/i>dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see<\/u><\/i>: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.<\/i> 1 Timothy 6:16<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n For our <\/i>God is a consuming fire<\/u><\/i>.<\/i> Hebrews 12:29<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n God has isolated Himself from His creation by a shield that cannot be penetrated, not because He doesn’t want contact with us, but for our protection, because His divine glory and nature would destroy any sinful human that approached. This is similar to the way that radioactive elements are isolated behind a protective shield so those working with them are not exposed to the danger of the radiation. Jesus has the same Divine nature but has veiled it and come forth to be in contact with us. He stepped out from the impenetrable (and dangerous to us) Divine glory in a visible human form that we could tolerate and comprehend.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Approachable God<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.<\/i> John 1:18<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.<\/i> Philippians 2:5-8<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. <\/i> John 14:8-10<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I and my Father are one. <\/i> John 10:30<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:<\/i> Colossians 1:15<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;<\/i> Hebrews 1:3<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n This verse is describing Jesus as a small sample of God, like a small static spark compared to the lightning bolt of God’s true glory, or a beam of light that shines through a small aperture that allows a glimpse of the intense brilliance that is on the other side. He is a visible, engraved object, a sculpture, that displays the essence of an invisible God.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Son of God<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Jesus is in the role of a “Son” as He gives all glory to the Father, obeys in everything, is in submission, etc. God is the Father, Jesus is the Son; God is the King, Jesus is the Prince.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Father and the Son are “one” like a husband and wife are one. They are not a singularity but a unity. In a sinful system and from a human perspective, only one can be supreme. In the heavenly order, that Supreme One at this time is the Father. “Theos” (the Greek word for God in the New Testament) means “Supreme One.” Jesus is the same as the Father, one with the Father, equal in every way with the Father, truly Divine as much as the Father is Divine, but He accepted a submissive and subservient role in order to bring us to the Father.<\/span><\/p>\n Jesus is called the “Son of God,” but He is also called the “Shepherd,” the “Rock,” the “Bread,” etc. He is not literally those things but the metaphors are necessary to reveal to finite humans some important aspects of His essence and character that will allow us to comprehend Him.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The Only Begotten Son<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n We are told that Jesus, the Son of God, was begotten. Does that mean that, for a period of time in past eternity, God the Father existed alone, and then decided to give birth to a Son?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I <\/i>begotten<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> thee.<\/i> Psalm 2:7<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n from Strong’s Hebrew Dictionary–<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n H3205 <\/b><\/span><\/span>\u05d9\u05dc\u05d3 <\/span><\/span>ya\u0302lad <\/span>yaw-lad’ <\/i><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n A primitive root; to <\/span>bear<\/i><\/span> young; causatively to <\/span>beget<\/i><\/span>; medically to <\/span>act<\/i><\/span> as<\/i><\/span> midwife<\/i><\/span>; specifically to <\/span>show<\/i><\/span> lineage: – <\/i><\/span>bear, beget, birth ([-day]), born, (make to) bring forth (children, young), bring up, calve, child, come, be delivered (of a child), time of delivery, gender, hatch, labour, (do the office of a) midwife, declare pedigrees, be the son of, (woman in, woman that) travail (-eth, -ing woman).<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Here are some other verses that use the same Hebrew word (H3205) to describe other things that are “brought forth” or “begotten.”<\/span><\/p>\n They conceive mischief, <\/i>and <\/i>bring forth<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205 <\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> <\/i>vanity<\/u><\/i>, and their belly prepareth deceit<\/i>. Job 15:35<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Hath the rain a father? or who <\/i>hath <\/i>begotten<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205 <\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> the drops of <\/i>dew<\/u><\/i>?<\/i> Out of whose womb came the ice? and the <\/i>hoary frost<\/u><\/i> of heaven, who <\/i>hath <\/i>gendered<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> it?<\/i> Job 38:, 2929<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, <\/i>and <\/i>brought forth<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205 <\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> <\/i>falsehood<\/u><\/i>.<\/i> Psalm 7:14<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Before <\/i>the <\/i>mountains<\/u><\/i> were <\/i>brought forth,<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God<\/i>. Psalm 90:2<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and <\/i>bring forth<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205 <\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> <\/i>iniquity<\/u><\/i>.<\/i> Isaiah 59:4<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Are vanity, dew, frost, falsehood, mountains, or iniquity actually born from a womb as a child is born?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n B<\/i>oast not thyself of to morrow; for thou knowest not what <\/i>a day<\/u><\/i> <\/i>may <\/i>bring forth.<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> Proverbs 27:1<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall <\/i>a nation<\/u><\/i> <\/i>be <\/i>born<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> at <\/i>once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she <\/i>brought forth<\/b><\/u><\/i>H3205 <\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup> her children.<\/i> Isaiah 66:8<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Does a day give birth to something as a mother gives birth to a child? Did Zion give birth to babies?<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In the New Testament, Jesus is called the “only-begotten” Son of God.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of <\/i>the <\/b><\/u><\/i>only begotten<\/b><\/u><\/i>G3439<\/b><\/u><\/i><\/sup>