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Today's Little Lift
by Jim Bullington
“Its not what you know, its who you know!” Have you ever heard that statement? Usually it is applied to how we as human beings ascend (or descend) on the ladder of success. Let someone get a promotion at work and as likely as not, someone will affirm by this statement that the promotion was unwarranted based on merit, but was prompted by a personal relationship apart from performance. This same not-so-gentle-slam can occur in social settings, politics, legal issues, and almost any venue where advantage can be gained by such shenanigans. Well, as it turns out, this sentiment has some legitimate roots in the arena of spiritual affairs; we will examine some related biblical implications.
Here is a brief portion of a lengthy exchange that Jesus had regarding things known and unknown (we have recently looked at this text but from another perspective). “Then Jesus cried out, as He taught in the temple, saying, 'You both know Me, and you know where I am from; and I have not come of Myself, but He who sent Me is true, whom you do not know. But I know Him, for I am from Him, and He sent Me.' Therefore they sought to take Him; but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.” (John 7.28-30). Let's review what was known and not known according to Jesus. They (the multitudes) knew Jesus. They knew where He was from. They did not know the One who sent Jesus (the Father), and finally the straightforward affirmation by Jesus, “I know Him [the Father].
Even a causal reader of scripture will recognize a variety of ways in which the word know in its various forms is used. To extend some of what Jesus said on the matter, we will introduce other passages. These excerpts were taken from some of the most intimate moments in Jesus' ministry, time He spent with His disciples and the Father just prior to His crucifixion. We will insert them without further comment. “'If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.' Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us.' Jesus said to him, 'Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, “Show us the Father”?'” (John 14.7-9). “And these things they [the world] will do to you [the disciples] because they have not known the Father nor Me.” (John 16.3). “O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I have known You; and these [my disciples] have known that You sent Me.” (John 17.25).
As one of the inner three (Peter and James being the other two), John the apostle personally heard Jesus say most if not all of these things. Later John had some important things to say on the matter. Again we introduce some of them without comment. “Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. He who says, 'I know Him,' and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.” (1 John 2.3-4). “I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. (1 John 2.13). “Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know Him.” (1 John 3.1).
When it comes to what one knows and who one knows in the arena of spiritual truth, they are inextricably linked! If one does not know that Father, he cannot know truth. If one knows the Father, that person has the ability to know truth, but may choose to disobey and thereby deny the knowledge that he has. In the final analysis, our eternal fate will be determined by whether or not He knows us! He will either say, “Depart, I never knew you,' or “Well done good and faithful servant!”
Questions:
1. List the various ways in which the word know is used in the scriptures.
2. According to Jesus, can one know Him (Jesus) and not know the Father? How can this be true?
3. How did John say that our actions can make us liars regarding whether or not we know God?
4. What will it mean if He knows us in the final day? What can we do to insure that He does?
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