Knowing and Being Known

Knowing and being known are something Christians, in opposition to the current existential and deconstructionist worldview, take for granted. There is a fundamental assumption every Christian makes: God is knowable; He has revealed Himself both by revelation, as recorded in the sacred Biblical text, and in the flesh of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

There is a problem, however, with that religious assumption. Rarely do Christians make the required effort to really know the God who has made Himself known. There are many reasons for this, not the least of which is the effort involved. Couple that with the awesome responsibility of coming that close to the creator of not just the universe, but of one’s self, the One who knows even the number of hairs on my head (a constantly diminishing number in my case…) and you can understand at least some of the reticence. However, since God has always demanded that His people love Him with their whole heart, mind, and soul, failure to “know” Him is in essence a failure to love Him, since how can one truly love what one does not know.

One book in the history of Christian writings has successfully addressed this problem, so much so that after 38 years it is still a best seller for Inter Varsity Press. That book is Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I have created study materials to help you work your way through this book. They can be found at the Knowing God Study Center and are free and many users say they are very helpful.

I would challenge any Christian reading this to make an honest effort to “know” their God. If not, why are you a Christian in the first place?

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