Faith & Spirit Quote by George A. Smith

The line points to a way of knowing God that begins with the noblest things we already recognize within ourselves. When Jesus teaches about mercy, forgiveness, truthfulness, and love of enemy, he invites people to trust their awakened conscience and to see in their highest impulses a true clue to the character of God. To argue toward God from what is best in oneself is to let the beatitudes, compassion, integrity, and sacrificial love supply the premises from which we infer what divine goodness must be like.

That approach reflects the biblical conviction that humans bear the image of God. If even flawed people know how to give good gifts, Jesus says, how much more will the Father give good things. Extrapolating from the best in us, rather than from our resentments, fears, or cravings for power, guards against creating a deity who merely mirrors our vices. When people project their worst selves upward, they end with a harsh, tribal god. When they extend their best selves, they move toward the God who makes the sun rise on the evil and the good.

There is also a practical safeguard here. The inner argument must be tested by the standard Jesus sets. Not every impulse we admire is the best; the best is what, under the light of his teaching, produces the fruits he names: peace, justice, purity of heart, care for the least. Personal experience, shaped by scripture, community, and humility, becomes a trustworthy compass.

Placed in the context of modern Christian thought, the statement bridges revelation and moral experience. It suggests that faith need not reject reason or inward knowledge. Begin with what is highest in you and you will not stray far from the truth of God. The kingdom of God is within you, Jesus says, and those who attend to that inner witness, purified by love, move in the right direction.