How to Know God

The General Message of the Lecture

The lecture focuses on presenting a true and correct knowledge of God, a knowledge that flows from love and a living relationship, not from fear, distortion, or blaming God for human mistakes. This knowledge leads to spiritual stability, growth in holiness, and union with God as a loving Father.

First: Correcting the Image of God

His Holiness Pope Shenouda III emphasizes that many people do not truly know God because they:

• Place their personal mistakes, failures, and negligence on God.
• Imagine God as a source of punishment or as One who prevents joy and desires.
• Present God in a harsh and frightening image, especially in upbringing and teaching.

God is not a hanger on which we place our mistakes. Good comes from God, while evil has other causes, and if God permits it, there must be a good that will be revealed later.

Second: God Is a Loving Father, Not a Source of Fear

True knowledge of God begins with knowing Him as a loving heavenly Father:

• He loves humanity and does not want anyone to perish.
• He does not rejoice in human failure but is pained for their sake.
• His commandments are not heavy but beneficial and sanctifying, and He grants grace to help fulfill them.

Teaching based on love brings people closer to God than teaching based on fear.

Third: Ways to Know God

His Holiness explains several ways to know God in a living way:

1. Through Christ, who revealed the Father to us as a loving and holy Father.
2. Through abiding in God, like the vine and the branches, living by His life and bearing His fruit.
3. Through the lives of the saints, walking in their footsteps leads to knowing the Good Shepherd.
4. Through contemplating nature, as the beauty of creation leads to the beauty of the Creator.
5. Through prayer and meditation on God’s attributes, not as theoretical knowledge but as lived life.

Fourth: Knowledge That Transforms Life

True knowledge of God is not merely theoretical or intellectual, but:

• A personal relationship lived through prayer.
• A life of inner purity and sanctification.
• A spiritual fulfillment where God becomes present in one’s life.

Those who are not purified inwardly see God in a blurred way, but the pure in heart see God and know Him.

Conclusion

True knowledge of God is attractive and joyful, rooted in love and union. It leads a person to abide in God and grow spiritually, not to fear Him or flee from Him.

For better translation support, please contact the center.