January
2, 2003
TO
KNOW HIM
"This
is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God,
and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3, NKJV).
"Jesus
spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said:
'Father, the hour has come. Glorify
Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have
given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal
life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal
life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom You have sent' " (John 17:1-3).
To know
God is to have eternal life. God's purpose is to give eternal
life to everyone who accepts Him and puts their faith and
trust in Him (see John 3:16, 17). It is God's purpose to bring
His creation in heaven and earth into unity in Christ (see
Ephesians 1:9, 10).
You would
think that the religious leaders in Christ's day would know
God, but they didn't. Jesus said of them, "These
things I have spoken to you, that you should not be made to
stumble. They will put you out of the synagogues (churches);
yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think
that he offers God service. And these things they will do
to you because they have not known the Father nor Me. But
these things I have told you, that when the time comes, you
may remember that I told you of them" (John 16:1-4).
They not only put Jesus to death, but they also put most of
His disciples to death, excluding John.
Christ
and God's banner over you is "love" (Song of Solomon
2:4). Jesus said, "A new commandment
I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved
you, that you also love one another. By this all will know
that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another"
(John 13:34, 35).
Paul
speaks of God's love in 1 Corinthians 13. He says, "And
now abide faith, hope, love, these three; but the greatest
of these is" what? The greatest of these is "love"
(1 Corinthians 13:13). Faith in Jesus Christ is the victory
that overcomes the world (see 1 John 5:4, 5), but the love
of God is even greater than faith!
Those
who come to really know God, learn to love Him. They are born
of God, according to scripture (see 1 John 5:3, 4; John 1:12,
13; 3:5-7). And those who truly know Him have His life in
them which is eternal.
|
