{"id":17034,"date":"2025-06-11T15:08:57","date_gmt":"2025-06-11T06:08:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/?post_type=manga&p=17034"},"modified":"2025-06-12T14:23:56","modified_gmt":"2025-06-12T05:23:56","slug":"my-uchi-soto-lesson-2-manga","status":"publish","type":"manga","link":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/manga\/my-uchi-soto-lesson-2-manga\/","title":{"rendered":"Part 2: The Eternal God"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Doc:<\/strong> Hey everyone! Iino, I\u2019m so glad you\u2019re back! Right, let\u2019s make a start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What has been the best human relationship you know?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> I\u2019m BFF with my older sister. We see eye-to-eye on everything!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> My brother\u2019s just started dating someone. They seem really happy together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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G\u014d:<\/strong> I guess my family is pretty close. And I\u2019m glad to have you as a friend, Yoshiya.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Was it perfect, or will it be perfect forever? If not, why not?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> Hmm. As long as it\u2019s a human relationship, I guess there will be fall-outs and so on, so it can\u2019t be perfect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> Yeah \u2013 plenty of people split up after dating. And in the end, everyone dies, so even the best relationship can\u2019t go on forever.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> That\u2019s true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you feel about the kind of relationship described in the booklet as one that we all long for?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> \u201cA relationship where we can be both fully known and fully accepted, a relationship that will never hurt or betray us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Iino:<\/strong> Well, that would be nice if there were such a relationship. The problem is that it doesn\u2019t exist in reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> Yeah, we agreed on that last time. But deep down, everyone wants this kind of relationship. I think people have that kind of deep desire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> I agree. It\u2019s an ideal relationship. The thing is, people know that this kind of relationship is just an ideal. And they\u2019re troubled by the gap between the ideal and the reality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> As you see, the booklet uses the word \u201ceternity\u201d. To understand what that means, let\u2019s read the beginning of the Old Testament. Iino, could you please read chapter 1, verse 1 of the Book of Genesis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. <\/p>\nOld Testament, Genesis 1:1<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> This expression \u201cthe heavens and the earth\u201d means \u201ceverything\u201d. So God created all things in the universe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When was this \u201cbeginning\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> When everything was created. The beginning of the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What or who was there before<\/em> the \u201cbeginning\u201d?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> Everything was created at that time, so there was nothing before that. Oh, wait a minute… God must have been there to create everything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s right. This \u201ceverything\u201d includes time and space. God created everything, and from that point on, time began and space came into existence. Before that, there was nothing except God. Only God is eternal, transcending both time and space.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Created things are called \u201ccreatures\u201d and God, who made everything, is called the \u201cCreator\u201d, and there\u2019s an eternal distinction between the Creator and his creatures. They\u2019re infinitely different.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> It\u2019s hard to imagine a God who existed apart from time and space, isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> For sure. If you try to express it in human terms, it\u2019s just impossible, right?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. It\u2019s a very important point. The God the Bible teaches us about is an eternal God. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> And the Bible also teaches that the eternal God is himself the perfect relationship. We might say that God has \u201cuchi<\/em> inner fellowship\u201d in himself. Let\u2019s read two verses about this God from the New Testament.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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There is one God. <\/p>\nNew Testament, 1 Timothy 2:5<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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God is love. <\/p>\nNew Testament, 1 John 4:16<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

How can God be both \u201cone\u201d and also \u201clove\u201d? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> You mean, how can God be said to be \u201clove\u201d when there was a time when there was nothing for him to love?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> Right! That\u2019s what I\u2019m driving at.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> Does it mean that he loved himself?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yoshiya:<\/strong> It means that the object of God\u2019s love was within himself. Because God is Trinity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> Mm-hmm. This may be a completely new idea to you, Iino, but the Bible reveals that God is Trinity. There is one God, but he exists eternally in three \u201cPersons\u201d: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. The word \u201cTrinity\u201d was coined to express who this God is. [Note: In Japanese, the word for Trinity is \u4e09\u4f4d\u4e00\u4f53 sanmi-ittai. <\/em>Although it was originally coined as a theological term, it\u2019s pretty common in Japan and is used in other contexts when three things are brought together to form one. Most people will therefore probably have heard the word before. Unfortunately, this kind of common use can lead to confusion about what the Trinity actually is, which is not<\/em> three (separate) Persons coming together to form one God, but one God who eternally exists as three Persons.]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> So there was a relationship of love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Yes. That\u2019s what the booklet calls the ultimate \u201cinner (uchi<\/em>) fellowship\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do you think uchi<\/em> inner fellowship in this God might be like?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> So this<\/em> was the eternal, ideal relationship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> The Bible says \u201cGod is love\u201d. This doesn\u2019t mean just that God acts lovingly, but that the essence of God is love. It also means that it is God alone who can define what love is. Without knowing this God, it is impossible to know what love is. This God wants to share his love. Not because he has to<\/em> share it, but out of total freedom and overflowing goodness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Yoshiya, could you read a verse from a letter written by a man named Paul in the first century A.D., when Christian churches were starting up all over the place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.<\/p>\nNew Testament, 2 Corinthians 13:14<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In this Bible verse, three \u201cPersons\u201d are named. Who are they?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> The Lord Jesus Christ, God and the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> Yes. The Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son<\/strong>, and God the Father<\/strong> is \u201cGod\u201d in this verse. And God the Holy Spirit<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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What is said to be the particular property of each Person here?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d: <\/strong>The love of God the Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya:<\/strong> The fellowship of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the author (Paul) says, \u201cbe with you all\u201d, what do you think he means?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> In other words, \u201cyou all\u201d can also have grace, love and fellowship?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc: <\/strong>Yes. By \u201cyou all\u201d he means the Christians he\u2019s writing to in a place called Corinth. Grace, love and fellowship are blessings that each Person brings. The blessings of God the Trinity are given to Christians. Christians can also enter the circle of God (uchi <\/em>inner fellowship), which is why Paul says, \u201cbe with you all\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s impossible for us really to get our heads around an \u201ceternal\u201d God! But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s impossible to know God at all. According to the Bible, we human beings are made with an attunement to eternity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d, would you read the next words from the Bible, please?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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He [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man\u2019s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.<\/p>\nOld Testament, Ecclesiastes 3:11<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

What can a human heart know about God? <\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> We can know what God does. And that it\u2019s beautiful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

G\u014d:<\/strong> We also know that God is eternal, even though we may not exactly \u201cunderstand\u201d it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And what can we not<\/em> know?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Yoshiya<\/strong>: We cannot know everything about God. We can\u2019t find out what God has done from the beginning to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Doc:<\/strong> Yes. This is the limitation we have as creatures. Man can know about the \u201cworks\u201d that God does in time and space. And thereby we can also know God\u2019s love. We can know, but we can\u2019t comprehend everything. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

What about you? Do you ever think about eternity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> I used to think about what happens when I die. I wonder if that means thinking about eternity?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Yoshiya:<\/strong> I think so. The only eternal existence is God, so thinking about eternity is also thinking about God.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do you feel about experiencing the grace, love, and fellowship of the eternal God\u2019s uchi<\/em> inner relationship?<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Iino:<\/strong> It\u2019s a bit scary, but I\u2019d like to try it out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Doc:<\/strong> Okay, thanks everyone. Next time, let\u2019s think a bit more about God and human beings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/div>\n\n\n\n
The ESV Bible<\/em>. Crossway, 2001, www.esv.org\/.<\/h5>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false},"class_list":["post-17034","manga","type-manga","status-publish","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga\/17034","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/manga"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/manga"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myuchisoto.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17034"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}