So that you may know and believe Me and understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me.

                                                                                                                 Isaiah 43:10b 

The essence of the Christian life is to know God, to believe (trust) in Him, and to understand exactly who He is. This is reflected in today’s passage.

1. Knowing God

This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.

                                                                                                            John 17:3 

The very essence of eternal life is knowing God. This is the way that Jesus describes life. To know, first, that there is a God and that he has an exact personality, character, and attributes. Life means knowing that this God is the only true God and that Jesus Christ is the One whom He has sent into the world in order to redeem mankind back from the one act of disobedience of Adam (Genesis 3).

Knowing God is intimate knowledge. It is more than just mental ascension to a set of facts about someone. It is experiencing life with God. It is the difference between reading a manual on driving and actually driving. Knowing God is more than reading about Him, it is having a personal relationship with Him. This is what it means to be saved and to possess eternal life!

2. Believing Him

For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him. He who believes in Him is not judged; he who does not believe has been judged already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

                                                                                                                   John 3:17-18 

But not only do we know God, because of our relationship with Him, we trust Him. This is what it means to believe in Jesus. The word “believe” comes from the same root in which we get the word “faith.” It doesn’t just mean that we believe in the existence of someone, it actually means that we place our full faith and trust in that Person.

It would be illogical to pick out a stranger from the crowd and arbitrarily give this unknown person our credit cards, pin numbers, and access to all of our bank accounts. We would only reveal that information to someone who was extremely close to us and in whom we had a close relationship (and maybe not even then). So to suggest that we would trust in a God in whom we do not see and in whom we are not sure exists in the first place would be nonsensical. Saving faith is reserved for those who know God intimately through a relationship with Jesus Christ. Then and only then will we be able to actually trust Him with our lives and our eternity.

3. Understanding

Thus says the Lord, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord.

                                                                                                               Jeremiah 9:23-24 

Finally, we are to know God, to trust Him, and then to understand Him. This passage explains that we are not to boast like the world (in material wealth, power, position) rather the person who knows God is to boast that he/she understands Him. Human wisdom, physical strength, and material wealth are no substitutes for understanding and knowing the One true God who created the universe and all that is within it.

To understand God is to know that He delights in being loving and kind. To understand God is to know that He exercises justice and righteousness on earth. When we enter into a saving, personal relationship with God, we learn first hand of His mercy, grace, and love. And as we grow in our knowledge of Him, we become more and more convinced of His goodness. Because the Spirit of God lives within every born again believer in Jesus, we can come to know Him in a more intimate way, day after day.

The question is simple: Do you know God? Are you living in relationship with Him or are you merely ascending to a set of religious facts about Him? Have you placed your faith in Him, trusting in the finished work of Jesus on the cross as the means by which you are accepted by God? Do you understand that His ways are good and that He is a just, loving, and kind God?

Call on Him today, receive Him into your life, and begin your journey with Jesus!

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; for “Whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

                                                                                                           Romans 10:12-13