You are limited in what Jesus can reveal about himself by how much like him you have become. The more like God you are, the more he can teach you about himself. The fact that Jesus reveals more of himself to those who already know more about and live more like him1 is no accident. Without living what you know about Jesus, you will be quite limited in what more you can learn about him. Endlessly talking about or even studying about Jesus will do you very little good unless you are identifying and making the changes necessary to live what you learn.
Perception and becoming are inseparably intertwined. Your understanding of God can only slightly exceed how much like God you have become.2 You can’t comprehend God much farther than you’ve become like him.3 What you notice, understand, and value are all progressive and sequential. You can only progress one step at a time in what you notice, understand, and value, and the next step is always limited by your present position. While you will always have access to the next step in the path, you cannot perceive, understand, or value what lies very far from who you presently are.
The more like God you become, the more you will notice, understand, and value additional demonstrations of his character.4 As you become more like God, you increase the breadth and accuracy which you can perceive,5 understand,6 and value7 his goodness. You become more like God iteratively, living up to what you already know while learning more about him.8 New knowledge about God incrementally ratchets you closer and closer to him as you live up to it,9 which allows you to see more and more of what he is really like.
Footnotes
- 1. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. (Matthew 13:12) ↩
- 2. For the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding.... (2 Nephi 31:3) ↩
- 3. Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (John 14:6) ↩
- 4. And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables? He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand. (Matthew 13:10-13) ↩
- 5. For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. (Psalms 36:9) ↩
- 6. And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings; (D&C 88:11) ↩
- 7. The light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not; nevertheless, the day shall come when you shall comprehend even God, being quickened in him and by him. (D&C 88:49) ↩
- 8. And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (2 Peter 1:5-9) ↩
- 9. And ye cannot bear all things now; nevertheless, be of good cheer, for I will lead you along. The kingdom is yours and the blessings thereof are yours, and the riches of eternity are yours. And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more. (D&C 78:18-19) ↩