God has bound our hearts to Him by unnumbered tokens in heaven and in earth. Through the things of nature, and the deepest and tenderest earthly ties that human hearts can know, He has sought to reveal Himself to us. Yet these but imperfectly represent His love. Though all these evidences have been given, the enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice, – one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them. It was to remove this dark shadow, by revealing to the world the infinite love of God, that Jesus came to live among men.

Go on to Jesus came to show the Father...

White, Ellen Gould: Steps to Christ. Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1892; 2002, (SC 10.3)

Questions answered:

• How does God reveal himself to mankind?
• Does nature perfectly represent God?
• How has Satan blinded man's mind to God's love?
• Who causes man to think that God is terrible and strict?
• Who causes man to think that God delights in punishment?