There is a big difference in knowing facts about God and actually knowing Him personally. People can have intellectual assent to certain facts about God, but do they possess the experimental knowledge that only comes from a relationship with Him?
A scripture that comes to mind is James 2:19- "You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!"
Consider that even the demons believe and give proof to believe that there is one God. Demons who have far more knowledge than we do. But that does not give them saving knowledge or mean that they have a relationship with Jesus.
People who say they have faith in God but have never experienced being born-again, are in a bad position. It's not enough in God's eyes to have mental knowledge about Him, they must be changed from within.
Many people know about certain movie stars and facts about them. But do they know them personally? Do they know what their favorite color is? What their personal life is like outside of the limelight? They same can be said about Jesus Christ. Many in our churches today claim to know Him. But the reality is they don't really "know" Him and have the day to day relationship with Him.
Matthew 7:22-23 says, " Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" The fact that people will claim to have done all these things for Jesus and to have Jesus say: "I never knew you...." is terrifying.
It should reinforce the fact that intellectual knowledge about God does not save people. It is a experimental/relational knowledge that secures us. Just as it takes time and effort to get to know people in order to build a deeper relationship with them, we need that same principle in our lives applied to Jesus. Get to know Him deeper and deeper, and so have the security of your salvation.
"But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins."
(2 Peter 1:5-9)
In Christ -Dustin
I agree with what you are saying. As Paul describes in Romans 8:16 "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are the children of God". Once He has forgiven us, He puts a new Spirit in us that we can sense and feel, and this is what can change our lives if we follow His lead. This requirement for the "Spirit Himself to bear witness with our spirit" is very often left out of evangelism. It has been replaced with an emphasis on us praying to best of our ability and hoping that this is good enough.
ReplyDeleteTodd
Exactly! Excellent Scripture!! This is the best way to authenticate your saving faith: The Spirit bearing witness with your spirit!! Thank you for commenting!
DeleteCertainly. I am always interested in finding other Christians that have experienced the fact that God really does reveal Himself to us, both when He first saves us, and for the rest of our lives. He manifest Himself with a living, present power that a person can know is real. Whenever I find others that share in this realization, and I find it very encouraging.
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