Stages of a Person s Formation with God

The plan of God in the creation of humans is interesting, and it can be traced and understood by reading the Bible. Unlike angels, whom God created before humans and who were intended to govern life on earth, humans were meant to be children of God, having kinship with God through being created in God's image and likeness. However, this kinship was not to be according to the likeness of the flesh, but according to the Spirit of God. The Spirit of God is His love, and it is always directed toward someone. The dream of a loving one is to have mutual love, which always brings mutual happiness and joy to the life of both the lover and the beloved. This applies both to God and to humans.

Yes, God could have immediately made humans obedient to Him in everything, that is, robots, but robots cannot love, cannot love each other or God, and without love, everything is meaningless. Love cannot be forced; it is born from the desire to be with those with whom we have much in common, whose ideas and aspirations coincide with ours, that is, whose spirit is the same as ours and God's. We strive to be with those in whom we seek ourselves. Through the life of Christ on earth, His preaching, and deeds, many people not only became believers but also understood that all human aspirations in life are to become like Him in everything, united with God in His love forever. Therefore, life in paradise without Christ has no meaning for believers.

After birth, a person begins to go through the school of life on earth, overcoming temptations and the delusions that come from them. Delusions in people's lives arise because of temptations, causing doubts under the influence of the spirit of temptation, which all people inherited from Adam and Eve during their stay in the Garden of Eden. Yes, God gave the right of choice but allowed temptations from the devil, and the first people did not withstand this temptation. The whole reason for this is their egoism, when people put themselves first in choosing an action. Egoism is the source of sin and unbelief in God; egoism is the opposite of love.

The Bible is unique in its narrative of the greatness of God's love for people. The Bible reveals to us the concept of what LOVE is and its significance for people, including at least these two verses: "God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16); "Love is from God, and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God" (1 John 4:7). As we see from these statements of the beloved disciple of the Lord, the Apostle John, the presence of love in a person plays a paramount role. The Apostle Paul confirms this, explaining it in other words: "If I speak in the tongues of men and angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing" (1 Corinthians 13). And here the Apostle makes an important remark in verse 13: "And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love; but the greatest of these is love."

The word "now" tells us that faith is needed only on earth. When we love God, we believe that He exists; otherwise, whom do we love? But when we are with God in eternity, faith will remain on earth. We will no longer need it. On the other hand, without faith in God, love for Him will not appear. First, one must understand that God exists, understand that He is the Creator and saved me by enduring great suffering on the Golgotha Cross, understand all His spiritual heritage for people, and much more that leads us to the love of God. How can one love God if one does not believe He exists? Also, without renouncing one's egoism and without love for people, it is impossible to become a sincere believer. A person who loves people cannot remain an unbeliever in life because God dwells in him. Everything seems correct, but one must clearly define the stages (sequence) of the emergence of faith in God and love in a person for people and for God. Here is this sequence:

1st stage: The emergence of love for people. Love for people is the result of destroying egoism in oneself. The first stage leads a person to acquire faith in God — this is the 2nd stage. Faith in God generates in us the knowledge of God and reverence for His love for people (for me and you). The greatness of Golgotha and the Blood of Jesus Christ, which destroyed our (mine and yours) sins in our life and the original sin of Adam and Eve, is revealed to a person. Then a person begins to understand their unbelief as their sin before God, and conscience accuses them of this. The emergence of guilt before God gives birth to repentance in a person — this is the 3rd stage. All this is done in a person by faith in God, which ultimately gives birth to love for God — the 4th stage: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love" (Galatians 5:6). Thus, "He who abides in love abides in God, and God in him" (1 John 4:16).