“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”
John 17:3
Throughout Scripture, God reveals His desire for us to know Him. Knowing God is an extraordinary and transformative experience that every individual should have.
KNOWING GOD EXPERIENTIALLY
In John 17:3, the word “know” refers to experiential knowledge, it is beyond having intellectual knowledge, understanding, information, or familiarity. To know God is to have an intimate personal relationship with Him. While it is important to have knowledge about God, it is equally important to know God through a personal relationship.
When we truly know God, we have this deep conviction that keeps us rooted in Him. Just like the three Hebrew boys who adamantly refused to worship other gods (Dan 3), David who fearlessly faced Goliath (1 Sam 17), and Paul who endured many afflictions for the sake of Christ (2 Cor 11:23-33). These men were steadfast despite the challenges they faced because they truly knew God. Knowing God is a lifelong pursuit and in this pursuit the guidance of the Holy Spirit is essential. Without the Holy Spirit, there is a risk of falling into legalism and misinterpreting the true nature of God the Father and Jesus Christ.
THE NEED TO KNOW GOD
We are created to know God. All the activities we carry out on a daily basis or our passions and desires are all meaningless without the knowledge of God because God created man to know and worship Him, without this knowledge life becomes vanity and chasing after the wind (Eccl 1:2; 13-14). The quality of life is in knowing God. Paul says to the church in Philippi: “I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ” (Phil 3:8). Paul’s intention is not to deny the value of all things, but rather to emphasize that everything holds significantly less value in comparison to the knowledge of God.
HOW TO KNOW GOD
- Through Jesus Christ: Our sin separates us from God; we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The good news is that Jesus Christ reconciles us with God, and through him we come to know God (John 14:9-10). Once we repent from our sins, believe in our hearts, and confess with our mouths that indeed Jesus Christ is Lord, we have access to know both God the Father and Jesus.
- By studying and obeying His word: God reveals Himself through His word (John 1:1). He speaks to us through His word and we respond by obeying His Word. First John 2:4 says, “If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth”.
- Prayer: A personal relationship with God requires communication with Him (1 Thess 5:17). Jesus Christ would often withdraw from his disciples to pray, this shows us that we should also prioritise prayer.
- The Holy Spirit: God reveals His inmost heart and deepest mysteries through the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:10). He is essential in all the above aspects of knowing God and he helps us to function in alignment with God’s will.
We are created to know both God the Father and Jesus Christ through an endless intimate relationship. God desires that we may know Him and explore His limitless greatness. I pray that God may give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation to know Him through a deep relationship with Him.
Further study: Jeremiah 9:23-24
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