“Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17:3)
In the New Covenant, God says: “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” (Jeremiah 31:34). Under the law God was completely unapproachable, but under grace we all know God personally and directly. “Knowing” is a relational concept in the Bible. To know God means more than just understanding or knowing about him. It is about a relationship of love, freely given and freely received.
The only way to know God is through Jesus. The world speculates about what God is like and how we relate to him, but it is blind to the truth of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4) and led astray by the devil (Revelation 12:9). The wisdom of the world does not lead to a knowledge of God; it is just foolishness in the end (1 Corinthians 1:20-21). Jesus said unequivocally, “No one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Matthew 11:27), and “No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).
As well as being the way to God, Jesus revealed exactly what God is like. “No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known” (John 1:18). He was God in the flesh, “the image of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15), “the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being” (Hebrews 1:3). Jesus could accurately say, “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). If we want to know what God is really like, we can just look at the life, words and actions of Jesus.
The Bible has different messages for different groups of people. About those who have trusted in him, Jesus says, “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand” (John 10:27-28). As believers we can have absolute security in his love and acceptance. But to those who never put their trust in him, he will say on the day of judgement, “I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). All who “do not know God ... will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord” (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
There are some verses in 1 John that give characteristics of people who know God. The context is that some people had infiltrated the church and claimed to have secret knowledge (Gnosticism), saying that they were the ones who really knew God and others didn’t. But they were not actually Christians, and John gave his readers some tests so they could tell who does and does not know God. It is important to understand this context, because otherwise some verses might sound threatening or condemning. Remember that our righteousness is a gift from God, and he has already saved us by his death, “not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9).
The clearest test is love. “Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8). Even if someone acts in a holy looking way and keeps strict rules about avoiding sin, if they do not have the love of God in their hearts – like the Jewish leaders who persecuted Jesus (John 5:42) – then they do not have new life inside them, and do not know God.
Another test is to do with sin. “No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him” (1 John 3:6). This can easily feel condemning for Christians with a tender conscience, but remember the context. John is exposing a group of Gnostics who have infiltrated the church and who claimed to be without sin (1 John 1:8, 10). But they actually do sin, and are comfortable with it. Even though Christians sin – “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2) – it is not our true heart to do that. We have been born again into new life, and given a “new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:24).
John goes on to say, “No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in them; they cannot go on sinning, because they have been born of God” (1 John 3:9). This is actually a wonderful promise to Christians, and is related to the New Covenant. God has planted a seed of new life inside us which constantly pulls us in the direction of the things of God. Even if we get entangled in sin for a time (Hebrews 12:1), we won’t stay there, since the new life inside us is ultimately more powerful than any kind of sin. Life overcomes death; light dispels darkness. What God has placed inside us always wins in the end.
For reflection
1. Paul prayed for the Ephesians, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:17). The Holy Spirit is our personal teacher (John 14:26), giving us revelation about God. Are there some ways in which you would like to know God better?
2. Even after walking with Jesus for many years, the cry of Paul’s heart was still, “I want to know Christ” (Philippians 3:10). What do you think provoked Paul to say this?
3. Something amazing will happen when we get to see Jesus face to face: “Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Reflect on the concept of being fully known by God, and what it might be like to know him fully.
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