What Is It That the All Lacked, If Not the Knowledge of the Father

**What Is It That the All Lacked, If Not the Knowledge of the Father?**

In the Gospel of Truth, a powerful revelation is given concerning the human condition and the divine purpose. It states:

> *“And as for him, them he found in himself, and him they found in themselves, that illimitable, inconceivable one, that perfect Father who made the all, in whom the All is, and whom the All lacks, since he retained in himself their perfection, which he had not given to the all. The Father was not jealous. What jealousy, indeed, is there between him and his members? For, even if the Aeon had received their perfection, they would not have been able to approach the perfection of the Father, because he retained their perfection in himself, giving it to them as a way to return to him and as a knowledge unique in perfection. He is the one who set the All in order and in whom the All existed and whom the All lacked. As one of whom some have no knowledge, he desires that they know him and that they love him. For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?”* — *Gospel of Truth*

This passage strikes at the very heart of human deficiency: it is not moral weakness, physical limitation, or earthly suffering that defines humanity’s lack—it is the absence of the *knowledge of the Father*. The All—meaning the totality of creation—exists in Him, and yet it *lacks* Him, because His perfection remains hidden unless revealed.

This is echoed in the Scriptures. Hosea 4:6 declares:

> *“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”* — *Hosea 4:6, NKJV*

Here, the consequences of ignorance are dire. A people who reject knowledge of God—His law, His nature, His truth—become estranged from His purpose and blessing. This parallels the Gospel of Truth's vision of the Father who withholds perfection, not out of jealousy, but as a path for humanity to *seek* and *return* to Him.

The Gospel of Truth speaks of a Father who is *“illimitable, inconceivable… in whom the All is, and whom the All lacks.”* It reveals a paradox: the very source of all being is also the one most misunderstood or forgotten. This condition is not due to divine neglect but to human forgetfulness. Thus, Jesus comes as the revelation of the Father, the one who restores the lost knowledge.

Jesus says in John 17:3:

> *“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”* — *John 17:3, NKJV*

Eternal life is not described here as unending time but as *knowing the Father*. This aligns with the Gospel of Truth: the missing element in the All is not duration or matter, but understanding—relational knowledge of the one who gives meaning to all things.

The Gospel of Truth continues:

> *“He is the one who set the All in order and in whom the All existed and whom the All lacked.”*

This identifies the Father as both the source and sustainer of creation, yet still unknown by many. Paul echoes this in Colossians 3:10:

> *“And have put on the new self who is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.”* — *Colossians 3:10, NASB*

The new self is not defined merely by external behavior, but by *knowledge*—a restoration of the true image of the Creator. Knowledge is transformative. It is not speculation but a relational encounter that brings restoration.

Ignorance, on the other hand, is destructive. The Gospel of Philip affirms:

> *“Ignorance is the mother of \[all evil]. Ignorance leads to \[death, because] those who come from \[ignorance] neither were nor \[are] nor will be. \[But those in the truth] will be perfect when all truth is revealed… The word says, ‘If you know the truth, the truth will make you free.’”* — *Gospel of Philip*

Jesus echoes this in John 8:32:

> *“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”* — *John 8:32, NKJV*

Freedom is not merely physical liberation but the removal of ignorance through revealed truth. This truth comes from the Father through Jesus, who is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).

So why does the All lack the Father, even though it exists in Him? The answer lies in human forgetfulness and the concealment of divine perfection. The Father retained perfection “in himself,” not to withhold it in malice, but *“as a way to return to him and as a knowledge unique in perfection.”* Knowledge is the bridge; truth is the path.

Paul writes in Ephesians 1:17:

> *“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.”* — *Ephesians 1:17, NKJV*

This prayer expresses the divine will: that believers not remain in ignorance but receive the wisdom and revelation needed to know the Father.

The final words of the Gospel of Truth passage resonate with urgency and hope:

> *“As one of whom some have no knowledge, he desires that they know him and that they love him.”*

God is not content to remain hidden. He desires to be known and loved. The lack is not in Him, but in us—and He has given Jesus as the path of restoration. As the Gospel of Truth concludes: *“For what is it that the All lacked, if not the knowledge of the Father?”* That question must be asked by every generation and answered by every seeker of truth.

To know the Father is to be made whole. To know Him is to find in Him the perfection that He held from the beginning—not to deny us, but to give us something worth returning to: knowledge that leads to life, freedom, and love.