Is it necessary to believe in God?

St. John proclaims that “ God is love ” (1 John 4:8). God wants to be very near to humanity, that He might make us one with Him, dwell within our souls, and grant us the power to partake of His glory. In other words, God declares Himself to humanity — not to engage in abstract philosophical disputes, nor to impose His authority over them — but to attract them to Himself, as a human father attracts his children. In our heavenly Father we find the fountain of life, eternity, eternal joy, and glory. In his paschal letters, St. Athanasius wrote, “the contemplation of God, and the word (Logos) which is from Him, are enough to nourish those who hear, and be for them in place of all food. For the angels are not sustained except by beholding at all times the face of the Father, and of the Saviour who is in heaven.”³⁴⁰