There are lots of concepts of what it means to “know” God, but there is only one way to truly know God and that is through His Son Jesus Christ. Since I have been studying in 1 and 2 Thessalonians and I have come across two passages that talk about not knowing God, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what it means to know or not to know God. Why is this important to examine? It is because there are serious consequences with our knowledge of God. Without truly knowing God through His Son Jesus Christ you will spend an eternity in suffering and separated from God in hell. This is why it is so important to have a TRUE knowledge of God.
I want to take a look at four ways I can know God. They are:
I know nothing about Him
I can have knowledge of Him
I can know things about Him
I can truly know Him
I know nothing about Him
Well unfortunately for people this is not a valid statement. We all know about God whether we want to admit it or not. It is impossible to make this claim whether you are born in the most populated city in the world with thousands of church’s or if you are buried deep within the Congo Jungle and have never even heard the name of Jesus. Paul tells us the following in Romans 1:18-20
18 For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness,
19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them.
20 For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
Paul tells us two things in this passage. First, God is known within all of us, it has been written upon the human heart and mind that there is a God. But what does sinful man do but try and repress the truth because they rather do acts of unrighteousness. Second, all I have to do is look at the creation around me and it tells me there is a God creator. There are only 4 possible solutions to the cosmological argument (where everything came from).
I am just an illusion (crazy talk)
Universe has always existed (no credible scientist in this day and age believes this)
Universe sprang out of nothing (beyond credulity)
God
No human can make the claim they know nothing about God. God did not leave that as a possibility.
I Can Have Knowledge of Him
I would guess most people in the world fall into this category of knowing God. It is a knowledge that their is a God and He does exist but that is as far as it goes. They are not interested in the things of God and what He desires for them. People rather just not deal with God because they would have to deal with His ways and no longer live the way they want too. Who else has this type of knowledge of God, the demons and the devil himself? What does the Bible say about demons knowing Christ?
Mark 1:34
34 And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.
Mark 8:28-29
28 When He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.
29 And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
So like the demons we can have a knowledge of God and even acknowledge who He is (Son of God) but still not know Him in a way that will save you from the torments of hell. The demons know what is going to happen to them one day, eternal torment. Their knowledge of God is not enough to save them nor is yours if you just acknowledge Him.
I Know Things About God
Here is the most dangerous situation to be in, it is knowing God in a way that causes self deception. These are people who say they have a saving knowledge of Christ but have twisted His truth to cause themselves to not be saved. There are millions of people who fit into this category. I have family and friends who say they are Christians but their lives don’t reflect a true knowledge of Christ. Just to be clear I would never judge anyone to hell or heaven because God is responsible for that, however He calls us to be fruit inspectors and watchman to warn those who are not in the faith.
People can have a said faith but unless their lives display the works that represent their saving faith then they are deceiving themselves. James tells us in James 2:17-19
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
Of course no one is ever saved by works but it is a represents the faith they have, we do works because we have a true knowledge of what Christ has done for us and He is our Lord. We desire to obey Him because we love Him.
Think about all the mormons, jehovah witnesses, muslims...etc they all have a knowledge of Christ but it is not the Christ of the Bible who they believe in. They have made up their own God in their own minds and denied Christ Jesus who is God.
There are many passages in the bible that address this issue. I would suggest reading Revelation chapter 3 and look at the apostate Laodicean Church who believes they are Christians but Christ is going to reject them (vomit them out). Here is another passage that should give us great concern and warning and this is from the mouth of Jesus himself saying in Matthew 7:21-23
21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter.
22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’
23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
There are people who believe they have a true knowledge of Christ but He is going to reject them because they are self deceived. Matthew 7:13
13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
14 “For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
True Knowledge of God
How do I get to enter the narrow gate? How do I get to have eternal life with the Creator of the universe? How do I get to spend eternity in heaven? How do I get to praise and worship God forever? How do I become a follower of Christ?
In one million years there is only one thing that will matter here on earth and that is whether you repented and turned from your ways to to a saving knowledge of Christ Jesus. Nothing else at the end of the day will take precedent over that event. Because you are going to either spend eternity with a perfect, holy, loving God or you are going to be in eternal torment for all of eternity separated from Him forever. He tells us that we can come to know God through the Son of God. 1 John 5:20
20 And we know that the Son of God has come, and has given us understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Jesus Himself tells us it is only through Him that we may come to the Father John 14:6
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
We then see what John writes about knowing God. He tells us in 1 John 4:7-8
7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.
8 The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love.
What does Jesus tell us about this kind of love? John 14:15
15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
What are Jesus commandments? Matthew 22:37-39
37 And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
38 “This is the great and foremost commandment.
39 “The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Matthew 16:24-27
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me.
25 “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
26 “For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?
27 “For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay every man according to his deeds.
Here it is the bottom line on knowing God.
If you want to know even more you can read the Roman’s Road of salvation.
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