“Knowing God” ~ ✨
The apostle Paul, who preached the gospel to the Gentiles, begins all 13 of his epistles with this salutation: “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” In his letters to Timothy (1 & 2 Timothy), he adds “mercy.”
The apostle Peter, a chief disciple who walked with the Lord Jesus Christ for three years, begins his second epistle with this statement (2 Peter 1:2): “Grace and peace be multiplied to you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” The difference in Peter’s statement, compared to Paul’s, is that it is conditional.
“May… through…” implies that if you know God and our Lord Jesus, then you can hope for grace and peace to be multiplied to you! Therefore, the prerequisite for receiving grace and peace is to know God. The phrase “knowing God” is often on the lips of believers; but how many truly know God?
First, “knowledge” is not the same as “knowing” (in a relational sense). People with biblical knowledge do not necessarily know God. I have observed that in Western countries, there are so-called “theologians” who do not know God because they do not believe in God. For them, studying the Bible is merely one of many academic pursuits, or a tool for making a living. The false teachers mentioned in the Bible perhaps refer to some of those who assume that knowing the Bible equates to knowing God. Not only do they not know God, but they also do not fear God, and they offend Him. Among believers, some know God; others have serious deficiencies in their knowledge, leading them to continue living in sin (1 John 3:6). The Bible also mentions those who choose not to know God (Romans 1:28-32).
Those who think they know but are actually ignorant are acting out of pride. Satan’s fall (Luke 10:18); Adam and Eve’s disobedience (Genesis 3:1-6); and the people in post-Noah times who united to build a city and a tower reaching to the heavens to make a name for themselves (Genesis 11:1-4) – all were ruined by pride. The fruit of pride is rebellion against the truth; those who rebel against the truth will destroy themselves. “Pride” is sin; when pride comes, shame follows; but with the humble is wisdom (Proverbs 11:2).
Peter urges believers to clothe themselves with humility (1 Peter 5:5); humility is part of the belt of Truth (Ephesians 6:14); Truth is the Lord Jesus Christ. Knowing the Truth is knowing the Father and the Son, which is knowing God (John 14:6-7). Peter says that knowing the virtues of Jesus Christ is knowing God’s divine nature. The virtues of Jesus Christ are the essential elements for human life; emulating Jesus’ virtues allows us to partake in the divine nature. Therefore, believers must make every effort to supplement their faith with virtue, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly affection, and love (2 Peter 1:3-7). If one is diligent in these qualities, they will not be ineffective or unfruitful! Even if diligent in these, one must not be proud, for pride is of the flesh; fleshly pride conceives and gives birth to sin, and sin, when fully grown, brings forth death (James 1:15).
Peter repeatedly reminds believers to be humble in virtue because pride is detestable to God (Proverbs 6:17; 1 Peter 5:5); and pride causes one to fall into the devil’s trap (1 Timothy 3:6-7). Among believers, there are indeed many proud people – some overtly so, others inwardly. God accomplished salvation through Jesus’ humility and obedience, teaching believers to know Him by emulating Jesus. Jesus Himself said: “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matthew 11:29). Now, through the Spirit-inspired Peter, He teaches believers to conduct themselves according to God’s nature.
Beyond verbal exhortation, the transformation in Peter’s own character is a powerful testimony. When he first followed the Lord, he was outspoken, impulsive, and proud. For example, at night, seeing Jesus walking on the water while he and the other disciples were in a boat, he immediately jumped out and went towards Jesus; yet, he quickly became afraid of drowning due to the strong wind (Matthew 14:28-30). When Jesus told the disciples He must go to Jerusalem to be killed, Peter blurted out, telling Jesus this must not happen, and was sternly rebuked (Matthew 16:21-23). Again, after the Last Supper with Jesus, the disciples were not sorrowful but arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 22:24). Satan demanded to sift Peter like wheat (Luke 22:31) because he was still following the law of the flesh.
Jesus’ appearance to the disciples after His resurrection and His charge to Peter before ascending to heaven changed the rest of Peter’s life. During his over thirty years of ministry, Peter came to know God by living out God’s Word. Before his death, with a fervent and humble heart, he left precious teachings of truth and a loyal, courageous testimony as an example for end-time believers.
Christ’s virtue is humility; humility led the Son to obey the Father. The humility of believers towards God and others is a crucial element in building up the church. Proverbs 6:16-19 lists seven things the Lord hates, with “haughty eyes” ranking first among them. Why does God hate pride? The Bible contains many teachings against pride; here are a few examples:
1. If one becomes proud, they will forget the Lord (Deuteronomy 8:14) and are prone to turn aside from the commandment, to the right or to the left (Deuteronomy 17:20).
2. Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18, 18:12). As Proverbs 16:5 states, the Lord detests all the proud of heart, which includes the church corporately. If a church tolerates sin among its members, disregarding God’s statutes, rules, and laws, it is also considered arrogant (1 Corinthians 5:6-8).
3. A person’s pride will bring him low… (Proverbs 29:23; Psalm 18:27). This is not only true for individuals; God governs the nations and will humble the arrogant. Isaiah 2:11: “The eyes of the arrogant will be humbled and human pride brought low; the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.” Isaiah 13:19: “Babylon, the jewel of kingdoms, the pride and glory of the Babylonians, will be overthrown by God like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Revelation 18 also metaphorically describes the fall of proud Babylon. Looking around the world, nations originally founded on Christian faith have begun to despise God’s law. These nations enact laws protecting unnatural acts, completely rebelling against God (Romans 1:28-32).
To summarize this sharing: Believers must acquire the eight virtues pointed out by the apostle Peter in 2 Peter 1:5-7:
· Acquire faith → fear not
· Acquire virtue → feel no shame
· Acquire knowledge → be not foolish
· Acquire self-control → boast not
· Acquire perseverance → despair not
· Acquire godliness → be not disrespectful
· Acquire brotherly affection → let down not the Lord
· Acquire love → disappoint not God.
Those who are asleep, awake soon; those with blurred vision, clear your eyes soon; those with divided hearts, purify your hearts soon; those who are weak, gain strength soon. Redeem the time, live godly lives; act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8). This is what it means to know your God!
The summary of truth is Christ. Believers, who know Christ as the Son of God (Truth), emulate Christ’s virtues (Life) and follow Christ on the narrow path (Way), know God. “Knowing” includes intellectual and character-based “understanding,” as well as practical “conduct” in life; both are indispensable.
The essence of life is humility and obedience. A vibrant life is built on the living Word; the Word is God (John 1:1). All who belong to God know that life is in Christ (John 1:4); those who are in Christ can, through life’s practice, be sanctified completely (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24). Humility allows believers to submit themselves under God’s mighty hand, that He may exalt them in due time (Matthew 23:12).
✨✨💖 ~
en yan hua fang 