Know This…
The grace that grows us in the knowledge of Christ (2 Pet 3:18), is God’s grace, in making the believer to be holy. Put another way, saints are made by God, revealing Himself to them. A body of knowledge has been compiled (the Bible), and this knowledge is made known to whomever God chooses to reveal it.
Ironically, God put His written Word in the public domain. Those who hate God and His revelation of Himself have tried to suppress the truth, in a myriad of ways (Rom 1:18, 30). Some have banned the Bible, which only seems to pique a further interest in it. Others have denounced its teachings and practices. This, too, seems to backfire on the naysayers.
I was invited to a Friday night beer and cookies theology discussion group in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. At my first attendance, a while back, I realized there was a give and take among these twelve men that made it possible for me to know them and for them to know me. It will take time and interaction for this knowledge exchange to mature.
Our maturing knowledge of God also takes time and requires much interaction, for us to fully benefit. God created each person, and He knows for what purpose each one was made. For those He made to worship Him, our task is hindered by a lack of knowledge. God remedies that by graciously allowing us to learn Him. This is especially true of Christ, who is the express image of God in human flesh.
By learning and knowing Christ, we know God. We are immensely helped in the process of knowing God, by Jesus’ humanity. We are privy to the attributes of God, displayed by a man who is like us, yet without sin (Heb 4:15). When Adam fell into sin (Gen 3), God was not obligated to reinstate man’s lost knowledge of his Creator. God was merciful, not leaving us in ignorance. God was also gracious, to tell and show us Himself.
For many of us who sat in darkness for a very long time, it has become our lives to see Jesus. He opened our eyes to see Him, the One who we once scorned and mocked (Ps 2). He opened our ears to hear the words of life. He has made the dumb to speak and sing His praise. He has made the lame to walk, so they would follow in His steps (1 Pet 2:21).
To walk in the light, as He is in the light (1 Jn 1:7), we forsake the foolish speculations of men who love darkness (Jn 3:19). As we draw near to Christ Jesus (Jas 4:8), we are exposed to more and more truth. We learn that God is true and every man is a liar (Rom 3:4). Therefore, our trust is in Christ, alone (Prv 3:5–6), who is God’s incarnate Word of truth (Jn 1:1, 14; 14:6). God has spoken to us through His Son (Heb 1:2).
It is God’s prerogative to reveal Himself, to whom He wills and in what measure (Mt 11:25; 16:17). Because of man’s animosity toward God, it must also be an act of God to grant us desire to want to know Him. That men were made to worship and glorify God, even to enjoy Him, is clearly God’s purpose for redeeming a chosen people for His own possession (1 Pet 2:9).
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God has not opened the eyes and ears, nor loosened the tongue, or remedied the lameness of all people. The reason is that He has made others for another purpose (Rom 9:22). The unelect, unredeemed, unregenerate reprobate serve to show God’s adopted children the stunning nature and extent of God’s mercy and grace (Rom 9:23). We would not know how great a salvation we have in Christ Jesus were it not for the foil of the unredeemed.
My now deceased mother (died on her 91st birthday) spent decades telling me the tales of our family. These were the stories of family members she knew, personally. I never met these people, but I am akin to every one of them. The knowledge of these people helps me to understand my own place in our family tree. God’s family is like that, having one Father, one elder Brother, and one Spirit, who continue to add members to our holy nation of royal priests (1 Pet 2:9), from all over the world (Jn 3:16; 1 Jn 2:2; Rev 5:9; 7:9).
The brethren share in our family history, which God has gathered and continues through lines of generations. He is faithful and true to ensure His own hear the Gospel and believe it, along with a great cloud of witnesses (Heb 12:1), who believed before us (Heb 11). God has one people, to whom He has made one promise, “I will be your God and you will be My people (Gen 17:7).”
The fulfillment of His promise is in Jesus Christ, who is our all in all. God has made Christ known to us, and He has made sure we know Him. Jesus is our life, our hope, and our reality for eternity. His motive has always been an everlasting love, graciously bestowed upon us (Rom 5:5), by the kind intention of His will (Eph 1:5).
If this knowledge of God in Christ is your delight, my dear reader, then know that God has made it manifest in you, by His indwelling Spirit (Rom 8:9, 11), who has brought forth the Scriptures (2 Pet 1:20–21), and who has brought you forth by the Word of truth (Jas 1:18).
Christ in you is increasing (Acts 9:22; 2 Pet 1:8), which is the reason for your increased interest in the world to come (Heb 11:16). Seek first His kingdom (Mt 6:33), and the desire for His kingdom will grow. It is prudent to acquire knowledge (Prv 14:6; 15:14; 18:15) and to seek wisdom. The grace to do this very thing is utterly irresistible. He has told you. He has made you willing (Ps 110:3). He has caused you to know Him. He fills your cup to overflowing (Ps 23:5). He is true drink (Jn 6:55), so quench your thirst with Him, who alone can satisfy.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
November 7, 2022
