Blogpost #16

Chapter 5: The Self-Existence of God

The idea of "God" is not new. The idea that there is more than one God is the invention of man. Man has always been smart enough to realize that there are greater powers at work in this world than man himself. But, he has not been willing to submit himself to the One who said He was the source of it all. He rejected the God he could not control, then set out to find one he could. By refusing to allow for the right answer, he has been forced down one blind alley after another. As Scripture accurately puts it, "Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of God for an image...".

Men realized that they needed sun and rain to grow crops. Drought kills, but so do floods. Too much rain can be as bad as too little. Too much heat can be as deadly as freezing weather, to man and crops. Bugs are essential to the balance of life, but too many becomes a plague. And man found that he could not control any of it. Therefore, the one whom they thought controls was deemed a 'god'. His superior power was acknowledged and his value to man was essential. Being wise, man began to seek this "god" in order to get the blessing he needed to accomplish his goals and prosper. He concluded that if the gods were pleased, he would prosper. He only needed to figure out how to please the "god" of what he wanted. Thus, idolatry was born. It was just dumb! Idolatry is simply man's way of trying to get what he wants from God. He wants to make a deal...on his terms.

As we know from the Bible, this is not at all the way things started. The Bible reveals that there was one God behind everything...and, under God's authority, man did not have to do anything to secure blessings from Him. Blessing and prosperity were the planned, normal order of life "in the beginning". But, that all changed when man rebelled against the authority of God. Sadly, the further man got from that initial experience with the one, true God, the more the foolish thoughts of false gods who could provide "blessings" began to multiply.

But, there is only one God. And that changes everything.

The Apostle John writes these words as the culmination of his vision in the Book of the Revelation of Jesus Christ,

12 "Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man according to what he has done. 13 "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end." Rev 22:12-13 NASU

This is how the Bible ends. It begins in the beginning as God begins it and it ends with the end as God ends it. The Bible is God's history book. As most of us know, the end is not particularly pretty for most of mankind. For the redeemed, the "end" marks a new beginning, a return to a rule of righteousness on earth. We don't know all that this new "kingdom" will involve, but we do know the King and we know that He will be in total control of all of it and He has promised that we will be with Him and share His glory.

The Self-Existent One

As Tozer often reminds us, it's important to get the right perspective of what we know to be true of God. Why? So, we can know what is NOT true. This is not just an academic issue. The majority of the over 7 billion people on the planet do not worship one God, much less the one, true God. To God, this is the ultimate issue in every life: what god are you going to serve? This was at the heart of His dealings with His chosen people.

The first command which God gave to Israel was that they should have "no other gods before Him". Why? Israel had spent 400 hundred years in Egypt and had learned the ways of the Egyptians. The Egyptians had multitudes of gods, including Pharaoh himself believing that he was a god. While Israel didn't worship Pharaoh as a god, they did have a weakness for prosperity and were vulnerable to any "god" who could give it to them.

One of the fundamental reasons for the specific 10 plagues which God brought on Egypt was to confront the major "gods" which the Egyptians worshiped, destroy them totally and establish in the mind of the Israelites that HE alone was the one true God...greater than all the other so-called gods.

But, what is the great distinction between the God of Israel and the other gods? One answer is that He was before all the others. Yes, it's true, the others are really no gods at all. But, even God Himself acknowledges their supposed existence...at least in the minds of the people! That is why He says, "you shall have no other gods before Me."

In the simple, idolatrous minds of men, it makes sense to worship the sun and moon in order to get the blessings which the sun and moon offer. But, they fail to ask the obvious question, "Where did the god of the sun come from?". Once this question begins to surface, the issue of the ultimate beginnings and the origin of all things now has to be answered.

The only religion which offers the ultimate answer is the Judeo-Christian religion. What is their answer? "In the beginning, God...". That's it. In the beginning, God was already there. He is before the beginning and He will be after "the end". The Scriptures clearly declare that "in Him we live and move and have our being (i.e. our existence)"...we are totally dependent... on Him!

The fundamental Christian teaching is that God has no beginning. He exists because He must exist. He is the "uncaused cause" which causes all things. Being self-existent, He is self-sufficient. He needs nothing, so we can provide nothing for Him.

"I am"

When God spoke to Moses to tell him that He was going to deliver Israel from their bondage in Egypt, Moses asked God what he should tell the people; who should he say had sent him? What he was really saying was "how will they know that what I am saying is true? How will I distinguish You from any other god?".

God's answer was timeless. Tell them "I am" has sent you. Tell them the One who was before the beginning has sent you. Tell them the One who lives in the Eternal Present has sent you. Tell them the One who made the Covenant Promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has come to fulfill His promises. Tell them to watch what I will do to deliver them. Then they will know that I am the one, true and living God...and they are my people.

How do we understand the idea of "self-existence"? How do we understand that One exists because they must exist, that apart from Him there is no existence. The best we can do (since we are sorely handicapped by our limited human understanding) is to work from what we can know to what we can't comprehend. We can understand the logic of it. Everything is caused by something else, but, ultimately, there must be an "uncaused cause".

But, logic is not revelation. Our souls will only be satisfied by revelation. What God did for Israel in Egypt was more than logic. He revealed not only that He is the ever living One that inhabits eternity, He revealed that He cared about Israel. He cared about their suffering and affliction and He had determined to free them from their bondage and make them a people for Himself. We can't comprehend the idea of self-existence, but it helps greatly to think of a self-existent Person. The words of Isaiah seem to collect these thoughts well...

10 "You are My witnesses," declares the LORD,"And My servant whom I have chosen,

So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He.

Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me.

11 "I, even I, am the LORD,And there is no savior besides Me.

12 "It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed,

And there was no strange god among you;

So you are My witnesses," declares the LORD,"And I am God.

13 "Even from eternity I am He,And there is none who can deliver out of My hand;

I act and who can reverse it?" Isa 43:10-13 NASU

Moses might even be clearer in his prayer in Psalms 90:1-2...

"Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

2 Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world,

Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God." NASU

2/26/13

Blogpost #15

Chapter 4: The Holy Trinity

Ten years ago a book was published that took the world by storm. It also caused a storm all over the world of "religion". It was called the Da Vinci Code. Academics, pulpiteers of every stripe and anyone who acted as if they understood "the code" responded. Why the whirlwind of controversy? It appeared, under the guise of an ancient conspiracy, to attack the divinity of Jesus Christ. If Jesus isn't God, then there can, obviously, be no Trinity.

The sad reality to me was that it revealed that the vast number (majority?) of those who call themselves "Christians" really have no clue what they believe or why. Consequently, they are at the mercy of someone who really does believe something, even if it's so obviously false or grossly inaccurate.

The Da Vinci Code arrived in 2003 (it spent a year on the bestseller list and has sold over 80 million copies); the movie debuted in 2006 and continued to fan the flame ( it grossed over $750 million, putting it just ahead of "E.T." and "Shrek" on the all-time list). Since we have truly become a visual society, the movie appealed to broader classes of people (i.e., non-readers). But, there was one truly scary common denominator to all of it...multitudes of otherwise intelligent beings thought it was very possibly true!

The controversy elicited responses from all manner of "experts"...and from all varieties of religious persuasion. Almost all panned it as either inaccurate or dangerous or worse. Of course, there are lots of folks who love a conspiracy, so the lure of being one of the few who knew the secret of the scandal (were Jesus and Mary Magdalene secretly married?) kept the flame burning for at least 7-8 years. I read the book and later saw the movie. What was my opinion?

When I read the book, I thought it was okay entertainment. He wove in all manner of secrets and symbols, introduced some wild speculations and made a pretty good story out of it. Since I was raised Roman Catholic and was familiar with a lot of the secret conspiracy theory stuff (Illuminati, Holy Grail, etc.), I was comfortable with the whole context. But, it was still just entertainment, certainly not to be taken seriously.

The movie was okay, the book was better. But, it was after the movie came out that much of the furor came to the surface. It was then that I began to hear people talking like they thought the "conspiracy" might have some real truth to it. It was clear that this book was "disturbing the faith" of some people. This was very troubling to me. Why?

My reaction was immediate. If the Da Vinci Code is able to shake your faith, then you've got bigger problems than a book. You don't have much of a faith to begin with. What is clear is that, in spite of a virtual cornucopia of Bible teaching in the church today, many folks don't really know what they believe! That should concern us greatly.

If so many "sheep" can be so easily distracted by this, what's going on in the church?

This is the real question. For the last 40+ years this country has experienced a virtual tsunami of Bible teaching options, especially in the evangelical circles. Yet, when faced with a practical challenge to the truth of Scripture, the result is many (most?) folks have no answer and are thus fully vulnerable to the deception. Are we really this shallow? this gullible? I hope not, but I wouldn't risk anything on it either. Let's try to address one of the key issues in the mystery of the Trinity: the divinity of Jesus Christ. This is not the first time the issue had caused a hotbed of controversy.

The Lakeside Council

In 325 A.D., the Roman Emperor Constantine assembled over 300 of the most highly respected church dignitaries (bishops) to his lakeside summer home in Nicea (Bithynia in Paul's day, modern day Turkey). Their task was to settle an issue that had dogged the church leaders for over a century. Was Jesus divine? Was He really God?

There are large and growing modern day cults that have the same problems. They are viewed as cults primarily because of their belief that Jesus is something less than God. But, this is the central issue in a whole host of Biblical doctrines. Think about this.

If Jesus is not God, then how can His death on the cross be of sufficient value to pay for the sins of the whole world? It can't. If He is just a man, at best His life could ransom one other man's life, but it wouldn't be enough for all mankind. The whole doctrine of our salvation and redemption would get very murky, very quickly.

If Jesus is not God, then there can be no Trinity. The basis for this teaching is that all three persons are co-equal, co-existent and co-eternal. Three persons in one God, a Triune God. But, without the Son being considered equal and of the same essence, the concept of the Trinity falls apart.

Likewise, if Jesus is not God in human form, then we have to toss out the Bible because there is no question this is exactly what it teaches. Jesus clearly claimed to be God and we know that is what He said because that's exactly why the Jews wanted Him executed! He was a "blasphemer", "He made Himself out to be God". If this is not true, then the Bible is immediately reduced to a book of moral philosophy, of no more importance than the teachings of Buddha or Confucius. It's clearly what is taught in scripture.

It is crucial to understand that the deity of Christ and the resurrection of Christ are the cornerstone of the Christian faith. Take away either and Christianity falls apart. This is the challenge which faced those gathered at the bishop's council at Nicea in 325 A.D.

The Conclusion: The Nicene Creed

In the early church, one of the primary centers of ecclesiastical learning was not in Rome or even in Jerusalem, it was in Alexandria, in Northern Egypt. It was here that the theological controversy over the deity of Christ reached its tipping point and moved the Emperor to call the Council at Nicea.

The leading antagonist was an elder/bishop from the church in Alexandria named Arius. Arius believed that Jesus was special, but he also believed that he was God's creation. The idea of His "Sonship" was like that of any other son, namely, the Father existed first, then the Son was "created" later. Much of his argument was based on the Lord's words from John 14 where He said, "If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I". In another text, Paul describes the Lord as "the firstborn of all creation" (Col.1:15). The idea, according to Arius, was that the Father created Jesus/the Son and then He created everything else. In the Arian teaching, the Son is clearly an exalted being, but He was not God and not equal with God.

The protagonists in this drama were led by Alexander who was the leader of the Church in Alexandria and all of N. Africa (which was a vibrantly Christian church in those early days). His main argument for the deity of Christ also came from John's gospel. He drew his proof from the Lord's words in John 10:30 ("I and the Father are one"). Later, in John 17:21, He says, "That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me".

Alexander's main point, as we have outlined here, is that IF Jesus is not God, then the unity of the Godhead is destroyed. This was not just a point of theological contention, the entire future of the church rested on getting this issue right.

"And the winner is...the Truth!"

In the end, the Council determined that the deity of Christ should be confirmed. It was resolved and a formal declaration was made (which we know today as The Nicene Creed). It's a matter of debate whether or not Constantine even understood the issues or just saw that to deny the deity of Christ would lead to unending, unwanted turmoil all over his empire. To us, it doesn't really matter, the truth was preserved...and still stands.

The Council worded it this way in the Nicene Creed

Jesus Christ is described as "God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God," proclaiming his divinity.

• Jesus Christ is said to be "begotten, not made", asserting that he was not a mere creature, brought in to being out of nothing, but the true Son of God, brought in to being 'from the substance of the Father'.

• He is said to be "one in being with The Father". The meaning here is that He is of the same substance or essence as the 'Fatherhood

The teaching of the church has always been and continues to be that God exists in three person (Father, Son and Holy Spirit). That they are one in essence, co-equal, co-eternal and co-existent.

How can human minds understand this truth? We have no clue. All the illustrations we dream up to help us try to understand...they all fall short at some point because they are human analogies. It is simply beyond our ability to understand. The truth is that God is God..which means He is unique. We are better served to join those who "gaze in wonder, love and praise"...and just give thanks that He is God...and that He loves us.

Blogpost #14

Chapter 3: The Attributes of God

In the mid-15th century, there was a mad rush by all the major European countries to extend their dominion over what was rapidly becoming a "new world" land grab. As it almost always is, the motive was money. Money and power ruled the world then; things haven't changed much.

While most of Europe was focused on going south towards the African cape in search of a route to India for trade purposes, one Portuguese explorer wanted to take a western route, directly across the Atlantic Ocean. The only problem with this plan was that no one had any idea how far it was across the Atlantic! At least if you sailed south, you could keep pretty close to land the whole way.

Christopher Columbus finally found a patron in Queen Isabella of Spain. Spain needed a 'win' in the race for riches and Columbus' bold plan might be it. Once outfitted for the voyage, the ships launched on August 3, 1492. They arrived in the "new world" on October 12, 1492. For those who like to see the hand of divine providence in world-changing events, that voyage lasted exactly 70 days. The world has never been the same since.

We attribute the discovery of America to Christopher Columbus. By that we mean that he gets credit for it. But, discovering the "new world", is not an attribute of Columbus.It doesn't tell us who the person really is.

The word we are thinking about is spelled exactly the same, but has an entirely different meaning. Actions and/or accomplishments may be attributed to you, but they don't necessarily define you. Some actions may be intentional, others accidental. Some may be premeditated, others just dumb luck. Likewise, some actions may be purposeful on your part, others the reaction to or the result of circumstances that are totally beyond your control.

Attributes do define you. They make up the foundation of the character which is who you really are. The actions you initiate, the goals and purposes you determine to pursue, the principles that guide the choices and decisions you make will largely be determined by the attributes which make up the character which is "you". This is true of God as well...only in a perfect way.

Distinguishing between God's Essence and His Attributes

We define God by His attributes when we say "God is..." or "God is like...". It's the closest we can come to understanding who He is. Then the question that often comes is, "How many attributes does God have?" The honest answer is that we don't really know. There's actually a lot we don't know about God; after all, He is an infinite God, right? So, we can only work with what He has revealed about Himself...which, fortunately, is a lot!

In trying to understand the attributes of God, I separate them into two main categories. I distinguish what He is in Himself (in His essence) from what He does (our experience of Him). His essence makes His attributes possible. To give a practical illustration, think of it like perfume. Perfume has an essence (an inner core of elements) which make the fragrance possible. We may not understand all the inner workings of the essence, but we enjoy the benefit of the fragrance.

Those attributes which make up God's "essence" (things which He is in Himself) would seem to include things like the 3 "Omni's", plus His Goodness, His Righteousness and His Love. Good arguments could be made that other things should be included, but let's limit it to these for now.

We can't actually experience the attributes which make up His essence. But, we do see the impact, the fragrance. Romans 1 says, "...His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made...". The whole operation of the universe, day after day, night after night, season after season, not to mention the sustaining of all life on earth, all testify to the truth of this verse. Common sense would conclude it, even if evolution argues it's not real.

By contrast, there are attributes which we do experience. What would be an example? Let's take God's "goodness". We know that God is good; Jesus revealed that specifically in Luke 17 in His conversation with the rich young ruler. But, how do we experience that "goodness"? We experience that "goodness" in the form of grace (God giving us blessings instead of what we deserve, namely, judgment). We experience it in the form of kindness, mercy and compassion (He sees our sufferings and need and instead of ignoring them He is moved to relieve them). We also experience His love (because of His essential goodness, He was moved to give Himself to us and sacrifice Himself for us...most vividly revealed in the gift of His Son to die for our sins. This is Biblical love).

The real question for us would seem to be: Why did He bother? Why does He still do it? After all, when you read the whole story, it doesn't seem like He gets much benefit, does it?

The answer is because God is different. He is simply not like us. He wanted us to know Him, to experience Him, because He knew it would be a blessing to us.. It was His goodness and love which moved Him to reveal Himself, especially after our rebellion.

"Behold, this is your God..."

Let's try to sum this up. The glory of God is the sum of all His attributes. It is all that He is and He does not change. He is all that He is all the time. He doesn't suspend one of His attributes in order to accommodate another. He doesn't suspend His justice in order to demonstrate mercy. He doesn't stop loving even when He must discipline. He is all that He is...all the time...and always will be.

But, there is a problem. Man is so deeply damaged by his sinful, rebellious nature that he couldn't get the message of who God is simply by His works or His words. So, God sent a final message...one that would be impossible not to understand. He sent His Son.

In one of those spellbinding, life-changing moments that occur when we least expect it, the writer of Hebrews opens the letter with "God". He simply begins with "God"...and that stops everything. You have to listen, God is speaking. This moment has 'finality' stamped all over it. It's only happened a few times in all of history...and the author makes it clear this is one of those moments. There's no more He can say. It's a final word. But, what a statement!

"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers...in many ways...

in these last days has spoken to us in the person of His Son. 

And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature,

 and upholds all things by the word of His power. 

When He had made purification of sins, 

He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." 

 Heb 1:1-3

If we want an unmistakeable picture of what God is like, what His attributes look like in human form, what we were intended to be like when we were created in His image, we need only look on the Lord Jesus Christ. That's why He could say to Philip, "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." The image of God has been perfectly revealed in the character of a man...a sinless man...the Lord Jesus Christ.

What's really amazing is that God is working in us now and won't be finished until we are "conformed to that same image". When you look in the mirror, you may be tempted to wonder if that can really be true... If He hadn't said it, I couldn't believe it. But, isn't that what faith is all about, trusting Him to do what only He can do...even make us like Himself?

"Behold, this is our God!"

Blogpost #13

Chapter 2: The Incomprehensibility of God

Tozer makes good points as he starts this chapter. He says, “God is not exactly like any one or any thing.” He is unique. So when we ask the question, “What is God like?” what are we really asking?

What we are really asking is “What can we know about God that is like something we already know...and understand?” Tozer calls them “bridges,” things which can help us understand things that, at this point anyway, we can't or don't understand.

So, is the knowledge of God above our understanding? That's an important question. How well do you think you know God? Why do you think you can know Him at all? Here's a question that can reveal a lot about your potential for a relationship with God. How often do you stop and ask yourself, “Lord, do I really know you? Do I really know what you are like? How often do we have an intimate moment together?” Of course, you have to take time to stop and really ask those questions to get an answer.

The truth is the scriptures make an undeniable argument for the idea that God has revealed Himself in order to be known. Ps. 19 says, ”..the heavens declare the glory of God; their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.” Declaring it to whom? To us. There isn't anyone else. “E.T.” wasn't real. But, it does show how deeply the idea that “someone is out there” is engrained in our culture.

If you believe the Bible, the plan for men to know God has always been fundamental. The whole idea of creation makes no sense apart from the goal of man knowing God... and knowing Him intimately. The history of the nation of Israel testifies to it. The great distinction for Israel was that they “knew God,” but the other Gentile nations did not. That's what set them apart...at least until they lost all their privileges through national disobedience.

The ultimate privilege Israel had was that God “chose them” above all the other nations and determined to live in their midst. They would be His people and he would be their God. This would result in unlimited blessings. But, the greatest blessing would be God Himself dwelling with them. Sadly, Israel forfeited these blessings.

However, the theme continues in the New Testament. One of the great blessings of the New Covenant between the Father and the Son through the Cross was that God would do something unique that would completely change us, and through that change, we would again have the ability to “know the Lord.” It was promised in Jeremiah 31:33-34 and testified to in its fulfillment in Hebrews 8:11. 

 

"They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying,

'Know the LORD,' for they will all know Me,

 from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the LORD,

 "for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." 

Jer 31:34 NASU

What does 'knowing God' mean?

The challenge we face is the same one that the Bible faces. We say that the Bible is the “revelation of God”...and that is true. It reveals God. It reveals a lot about God. But, that does not mean that it reveals all that there is to know about God. It doesn't even mean that we can understand and comprehend all that is revealed about God.

What can we know? We can know what the Bible reveals. It reveals that God is all-wise and that He is all-powerful. We can understand this. We do so using Tozer's “bridges” idea. We know smart people, even super-smart people. We also know people who really know how to apply that knowledge in the best way (wisdom). We know strong people; we even imagine “super-human” strength. But, this only gets us part way.

We understand the concept of infinity, at least intellectually. We understand the idea of “without end.” We can visualize a road that “goes on forever,” but the truth is, in our mind's eye we lose sight of the road at the horizon and from that point on, we just believe the road continues. It's simply as far as we can go. We understand the concept of infinity, but we really can't comprehend it. We can't completely get our mind around it. But, it's a good start. Faith takes us the rest of the way.

When we apply the concept of infinity to things revealed about God, we are able to build a “bridge” from a concept-like strength as we know it to “all”-strength or, in biblical terms, “Almighty God.” Theologically, we call it omnipotence. We can use the same “bridge” idea when we think of wisdom and knowledge. Infinite knowledge and wisdom can lie only in one person, at least theoretically. The logic is impeccable. But, is it true of God?

After all, at least theoretically, you can't have two persons who are at the same time omnipotent (which means they alone are sovereign and impose their absolute will over their dominion). Isn't it impossible to have two unlimited, independently sovereign wills operating at the same time without conflict?

Here is where we face the constant danger which Tozer describes when he says, “...left to ourselves we immediately tend to reduce God to manageable terms.” Sometimes we do it selfishly, in order to create a god more to our liking. Other times we are just trying to get a grasp on something which is simply beyond our comprehension. But, we do this at great loss to ourselves...and great injustice to God.

The Mystery of the Trinity

Try this instead. From an earthly perspective, it would be unthinkable that two totally sovereign, omnipotent wills could coexist...adding a third would seem to be madness. One would have to dominate...and that would mean conflict at some point, probably a major conflict. Yet, this is fundamental Christian theology. Three persons, one God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit...that's how the creed goes.

We've come up with all sorts of illustrations and metaphors to build “bridges” to help us understand the concept of the Trinity and of course, they all fall short. My guess is that most folks believe in the Trinity, but function practically with the idea of three separate beings (i.e., when they pray). It's about the best human beings can do. I'm not sure it makes any difference to God.

Here's what I find most challenging. We have a Triune God (three persons) who all have omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent sovereign dominion over the universe and all mankind. And, these beings live in a state of love and harmony so profoundly real that conflict never occurs. Yet, for the sake of one, the other is willing to sacrifice Himself, laying aside all His divine privileges in order that relatively meaningless human beings might be spared from an eternal judgment that they totally deserve.

Then, the One who offers Himself actually becomes one of these lowly creatures in order to not only give Himself for their sake, but also to provide an undeniable revelation and proof of who God is and what He is like...a revelation that reveals a humility which, from an earthly perspective, seems totally contrary to the glory that belongs to God. There seems to be no limit to which He will lower Himself to make this revelation possible...even to the washing of the dirty feet of His rather slow-minded followers.

Then, we find that this One who has sacrificed Himself and “become flesh,” this One who is raised from the dead is still “flesh and bone” and ascended into heaven, accepted into heaven as the “God-man” and seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Forevermore He has joined Himself to man that man might be joined to God...forever. Jesus said it plainly,

"The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, 

that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me,

 that they may be perfected in unity,

so that the world may know that You sent Me, 

and loved them, even as You have loved Me."

John 17:22-24 NASU

Now that is what I find incomprehensible! Thankfully, it is gloriously true.