Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 1/5/2012

Question
"Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Matthew 7:23. In the original language the word used for know there is ginōskō which refers to the intimacy a husband and wife share. It seems to me that knowing Jesus isn't just about praying once and a while and to read a Bible chapter or so a day. It is to KNOW Him, in the deepest sense.

Now I am trusting Jesus and His finished work to be my salvation on the great and finally day. I read my Bible everyday, and I pray everyday to. I keep a journal and sometimes it seems that God is speaking to me. But it's NOT ENOUGH. How do we get to KNOW God? Like really know Him?

Thanks,
Tressa

Answer
Dear Tressa,

It’s good to hear from you again.

I discovered some years ago when I was searching, like you are, wanting to know whether or not God loves me. Somehow, deep inside I thought that God loves me when I’m good, but not when I’m bad.

But a good friend pointed out to me that God loves me PERIOD, or, as the British would say, “FULL STOP”. There are no ifs or ands or buts about it, whether I’m good or bad, He loves me. It doesn’t make any difference whether I know much about Him, or if I love Him and serve Him faithfully, He knows me and loves me.

But you’ve tapped on one of the most important questions in life, Tressa: How do we get to KNOW God? Let’s look at the context of your passage—Matt. 7:21-27, and I believe we’ll find the answer to your question right here:



(NKJV)
Mat 7:21  "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Mat 7:22  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?'
Mat 7:23  And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'
Mat 7:24  "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock:
Mat 7:25  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
Mat 7:26  "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
Mat 7:27  and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."


In verse 21, Jesus introduces  this section with His definition of “How to know God.” He says: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

Jesus explains that the ones who will enter the kingdom of heaven are those who DO “THE WILL OF MY FATHER in heaven.”

In verse 21 those who know God are those who do His will. In verse 24 (?) Jesus says that those whom He doesn’t know practice lawlessness. To do God’s will is opposed to lawlessness. So those whom Jesus doesn’t know are the ones who persist in disobeying God’s law—the ten commandments. (Exodus 20:1-17)

Tressa, I appeal to you by the mercies of God, to study and learn and keep God’s ten commandments. Don’t believe those who say the ten commandments have been done away; or that you don’t have to keep the fourth commandment because Jesus nailed that one to the cross; etc. God never changes. He gave His law, and that law never changes. God doesn’t give His people a 10% discount on the commandments. God expects us to keep all His law. To break one is to break them all. (James 2:10-12)

It’s interesting that the one commandment that specifically tells us exactly Who God is(the Creator)—the Sabbath commandment—is the one that Satan has been the most successful at destroying in the minds of men. It points out that the God Who wrote these commandments is the Creator who made the earth in 6 days and rested on the 7th day. So, by keeping the 4th commandment we declare our allegiance to the Creator. If everyone had always kept the Sabbath, there never would have been evolution, because all men would have known that God created the earth in six 24-hour days, and then rested on the seventh day of creation. And He commanded all men everywhere to do the same.

Everyone has a lot of mind chatter going on in their heads all the time. I’ve discovered that if I direct that toward heaven, I receive a tremendous blessing. God becomes the subject of Whom I’m thinking and the Person to Whom I’m talking. Life has taken on a whole new meaning, because I’m coming to know God in an intimate way.

And I too find that journaling adds a great deal to my prayer life. In fact I pray at the computer keyboard. As a writer, I’ve discovered that my most meaningful thoughts come as I’m writing. Writing my prayers has brought a new dimension to my prayer life.

Now that you know Jesus—and are known by Him—you can receive a much better understanding of His Word, the Bible. Reading the Bible is so important to the Christian. It would be very difficult to maintain a saving relationship with God without it. And learning about God and His requirements for us would be nearly impossible without some connection with God’s Holy Word.

Actually, if we watch for Him, we’ll find Jesus Christ in almost every passage of the Old and New Testaments. Sometimes He’s known as the Creator (cf. John 1:1-4, 10, 14); sometimes He’s known as “the Angel of the LORD” (Ex. 3:1-14; cf. John 8:56-58); sometimes He’s known as the “servant” (Isa. 52:13-53:12); and sometimes as the Messiah. Often He’s behind the scenes, working through those who live according to His will.

If you have difficulty understanding the Bible, there are many aids available to help you do this, (see list below). But above all, read your Bible for yourself, and pray that God will help you understand it.

Stay close to Jesus.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
PettyPress@gmail.com
www.PettyPress.com (43 Bible lessons; 20 Books; more)

Sources of Bible study aids and answers for your questions.
Mail order Bible lessons: Amazing Facts Bible Lessons, PO Box 1058, Roseville, CA 95678
Telephone questions answered: 3ABN 1-800-752-3226 (pastoral dept., ext. 1)
On-line: Bibleinfo.com; Itiswritten.com (Bible studies/Discover Bible Guides)
Television networks: HOPE Channel (Direct TV #368); 3ABN (Dish Network #9710)

Tressa, I would love to study the Bible with you and teach you many of the things I’ve gleaned from it’s pages. I can send you Bible lessons by my personal e-mail (listed above, under my name), and you can e-mail your questions or comments  back to me via e-mail as well. Think it through and let me know.

By the way, I live in Thompson Falls, MT. Where do you live?