“…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenlies…” (Ephesians 1:17-20)
“For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, ‘The man who does those things shall live by them.’ But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?” (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, “Who will descend into the abyss?” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).’ But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:3-9)
Knowing God's will is part of knowing Him, but knowing God is so much bigger than just knowing His will (Bob Hoekstra, Counseling God’s Way). This is why we can rest in not always having all the answers we desire of God. Obedience to God is not trying to be good enough to make Him happy with us. That is the old covenant, the old way, and we can never be good enough to match His perfect righteousness. The primary obedience God is looking for is the obedience to the call to believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, the God-Man. He has always been God. He became a Man, related to our mortal weakness, and now will always remain the God-Man in power and invincibility in His Father’s house, which is now our Father’s house. Furthermore, through faith in Christ, God works in us to will and to do His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13).
The word is near you, even in your heart and in your mouth. It is not about sending someone to go retrieve God’s word or will from heaven or across many oceans for us to hear it and do it where we are. Christ prayed the Father would sanctify believers by His word which is Truth (John 17:17-19). God’s Word, specifically the Person and works of Christ Jesus, sets us apart, keeps us, and protects us. The word of faith, the word of Christ, is a shield so close that it is around your heart and your mouth. You don’t have to wait around for Christ to come to your rescue or to reveal something of God’s mysterious will to you. You don’t have to wait for Christ to come down from heaven. He already has. You don’t have to wait for Christ to be risen from the dead. He already is. Confessing Jesus as Lord involves acknowledging that Jesus is the Lord that came down from heaven. Believing in the heart involves believing that Christ came back from the dead, ascended back to the Father and sent His Spirit into all believers. He’s already here with you! He is the word right there with you, there in your heart and in your mouth. He is closer than the next thing you’re going to say or the next thing you’re going to feel. Take a deep breath. He is closer to you than your breath!
God has loved you all HIS life (Jeremiah 31:3). He has no beginning and no end. Think of it. Before He created you, He knew you and loved you! More than that, before forever began He had you in mind for a special place in Himself. When He was thinking of you, He wasn't just considering all the choices you would make or the time and place you would be born into. He knew you intimately, as He intended to create you, with the view that He would fit you uniquely into a special, carefully selected, personal place in relation to some aspect of His Infinite Self. This is the white stone Christ has promised to the overcomers with the special, secret name written on it that God and you alone will know (Revelation 2:17). It’s a special connection into the Father for you and you alone (John 14:1-6)! He had you in Him in mind. You will arrive there one day and wonderfully discover that the Father has for you a unique, customized place in Himself that will fit you perfectly. He will affirm that He created you with this connection to His Eternal Person in mind.
Every believer in God through faith in Jesus Christ has a special connection to the Father, one with Him in a unique, individualized way. It is this special, unique, individualized connection that makes all believers one with each other. Our oneness with the Father creates oneness with each other. If only we could always see each other in the church this way as we pass each other by.
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