"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent"
-John 17:3
In Book VII of The Republic, Plato uses a vivid allegory to illustrate the challenge humankind faces in attempting to become acquainted with the Divine: He describes a group of men, chained down, facing a wall inside a cave dimly lit by a distant fire, watching passing shadows on the wall and taking them for reality. When one of those men leaves the cave, and sees the light of the sun, not only is he pained, dazzled, and disoriented, he is perplexed by the suggestion that this bright, blaring, confusing world is in fact more "real" than the shadows on the cave wall with which he is so familiar. Moreover, he will not even be able to look at the outside world for a time--it will be too bright, too foreign, to confusing. Rather, he will look at shadows, then reflections in water, then objects themselves. Later he will be able to contemplate the moon and the stars, and only eventually, growing by degrees, will he be able to look upon the sun itself, and appreciate it in all its brilliance.
The Greek philosopher's purpose in this allegory to highlight the metaphysical contrast between the intellectual "world of forms" and the physical world of perception in which we currently find ourselves--the prisoners in the cave representing the majority of humankind, whose thoughts never extend far beyond the mere shadows we think we see about is in the world of the senses. I bring up this story for another purpose, however--as an illustration of the path we must take out of these "shadowlands", as C.S. Lewis called them, and into the upper world if we are to gaze for ourselves upon the Divine, and to come acquainted with the true nature of God.
Why Try to Leave the Cave at all?
If leaving the cave in Plato's allegory brings such pain and disorientation, one is inclined to ask why any of the prisoners would be inclined to leave at all. Indeed, much of secular human history over the last several thousand years is essentially an account of humankind's attempt to make the cave more comfortable and to enjoy the moving shadows on the wall. As Plato himself observes, most efforts to remove individuals from their comfortable seats in the darkness are met with extreme dissatisfaction.
So why should we try to leave the cave? Why is a knowledge of the Nature of God of such value? As recorded in the Gospel of John, and quoted at the beginning of this post, the Savior of the World taught his Apostles just before his Crucifixion that knowing God is the essence of Eternal Life. Teaching the same principle in different words, the Prophet Joseph Smith told early Latter-day Saints that "if you wish to go where God is, you must be like God." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 223) Understanding the nature of God prepares us to live in His presence, because as the Apostle John taught in his first general epistle, "we know that when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is." (1 John 3:2) It appears, then, that the knowledge of God goes hand in hand with our progress towards becoming like Him, and our ability to dwell in His presence; as John continues in the same epistle, "every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (ibid., v.3) We want to know what God is like, so that we can become more like Him, and prepare to return to live with Him.
We must come to know God not only so that we can emulate His character, but also so that we can develop that kind of faith in Him that is necessary for our salvation. In the Lectures on Faith, we read that "three things are necessary in order that any rational intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation: First, the idea that he actually exist; Secondly, a correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes; Thirdly, an actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to His will." (Lectures on Faith, 3:2-5) If we are to place our full faith and confidence in a Divine Being, we must know just what sort of Being He is. If we hope to have access to God's mercy, we must first understand that He is a merciful Being. To rely on his unmatched power, we must first see that He is omnipotent. To feel His Divine Love, we must first know that He is Love. Thus, as we come to understand the nature of God, we are able to exercise greater faith in Him, and are enabled to become more like Him.
To Grow in the Knowledge of God
Seeing that it is essential for our ultimate happiness and eternal salvation to come to comprehend the nature of God, how shall we proceed? As the prisoners in Plato's allegory, we cannot simply step out of the shadows and look directly into the sun; we would not be able to comprehend God's nature if He were to reveal himself to us in our unprepared state. Rather, we must grow in our knowledge of God, receiving knowledge as the Prophet Isaiah taught, line upon line, precept upon precept, for "he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more lightl and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day" (Doctrine and Covenants 50:23) I submit that there are four primary ways in which we can become better acquainted with the nature of God: Study of the scriptures, the teachings of living prophets and Apostles, personal revelation, and a personal knowledge of and relationship with Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Study of the Scriptures
As I have discussed in an earlier post, God is quite interested in revealing Himself to us, His children. However, as we are all in different stages of preparation, He has established a pattern for revealing Himself to us by increasing degrees as we grow more an more prepared to know Him. One step in that pattern is that He commands those who already know Him to keep a record of His dealings with humankind. From the Ancient Near East, many of those records were compiled into what we know now as the Holy Bible--literally, a sacred library, or collection of books. From the Ancient Americas, those records were compiled and abridged by the Prophet Mormon, and translated and published in English by Joseph Smith, as The Book of Mormon. In modern times, God has again revealed himself to prophets and Apostles, beginning with Joseph Smith, and we read modern prophetic words in The Doctrine and Covenants and The Pearl of Great Price. From these four sacred books, together known as the "Standard Works". Through these books, we see God's dealings with man, and thus can grow to better understand His nature. We learn, for example, that "the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend," (Exodus 33:11), that "[God] created all things both in heaven and in earth...that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and earth..." (Mosiah 4:9), and that "God is Love" (1 John 4:8). Thus through the writings of those with first-hand knowledge of God, we can gain a basic understanding of His nature. This, however, is only a first step, like beginning to see shapes, shadows, and reflections in water, as we ascend toward a more sure knowledge of our God.
The Words of Living Prophets and Apostles
As I mentioned, God's method of revealing Himself to us follows a pattern--thus, it has not ended, but continues. As God called Moses to teach the ancient Israelites, or Isaiah to preach to the Kingdoms of Judah and Israel, as God chose Jeremiah, Joel, Amos, and Lehi to warn the people of Jerusalem of impending destruction, as He called Alma, Helaman, Nephi, and Lehi to prepare the Nephites for the coming of Christ, as He called Joseph Smith to restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and with it a more correct understanding of God's nature and attributes, so today He sends messengers, called as prophets and ordained as Apostles, to teach the human race of their origin and destiny, and the nature of the Being who created us. Perhaps that sounds a bit fantastical to the modern ear, but is there any reason to believe that God spoke to Abraham, to Moses, to Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah, but that He cannot or does not speak today? The skeptic is invited to listen for himself or herself, and judge--can these truly be messengers of the Living God? As Jesus said when teaching his disciples to distinguish between true and false prophets, we know them by their fruits. Twice each year, these fifteen prophets and apostles, along with other men and women called and chosen to preach His word, address the world in a General Conference, yet another avenue for insight into the will and nature of God. The next opportunity to hear such a conference comes in one week, October 4-5, 2014.
Personal Revelation
The final chapter of The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ invites the reader to pray and ask God for verification of the book's authenticity as holy scripture, including the promise that "By the power of the Holy Ghost, ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5). This same promise applies to our quest to understand the nature of God. As we read the words of ancient prophets, or hear the words of modern prophets, we receive some idea of what God may be like, but we will not know what He is like, for ourselves, until we seek Him for ourselves, and He reveals himself to us, through the power of His Spirit. "Draw near unto me," He invites, "and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive, knock and it shall be opened unto you." (Doctrine and Covenants 88:63). As we seek to know God, He will reveal Himself to us. Indeed, this is the only way we can actually claim to know Him--through His revelations to us, as Brigham Young taught, "without the revelations of God, we know not who we are, whence we came, nor who formed the earth on which we live, move, and have our being," (Teachings of the Presidents of the Church: Brigham Young, p.43)
A Relationship with Jesus Christ
After growing accustomed to the shadows and reflections, looking upon the moon and the stars, there is only one power, one individual, who can prepare us to look upon the face of our Eternal Father--His Son, Jesus Christ. The Apostle Peter taught that it is through the Divine Power of Jesus Christ that we are given "great and precious promises, that by these [we] might be partakers of the Divine nature." (2 Peter 1:4). Not only can we learn about the nature of God the Father through observing His Divine Son, but as we receive the Grace of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, we are enabled, as Peter says, to partake of the Divine Nature, so that as John says in his first epistle (cited earlier) when we see Him, we will see Him as He is, understanding His nature because through the miraculous power of Christ's atoning blood and our obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel, our natures will have become His Nature. Our sanctification, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, repentance of sins, and obedience to the ordinances of salvation, give us "boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh," (Hebrews 10:19-20) Thus through the flesh of Christ, bruised and broken for us, we are able to pass into the presence of God the Eternal Father, to look upon His face, to see as we are seen, and know as we are known.
