Openness

Knowing God.

What does that mean and how do we do it?

Essentially that is what a book I am reading right now is trying to explain. The first couple chapters were an introduction into the study of God (theology) and really the immensely (if not infinitely) greater value of knowing God compared to knowing about God.

Hmmmm.

This is even an interesting point in a verse I have been reading lately Romans 1:18-23ish. Ultimately it explains how although people know about God, we have, and still do, transfer our praise from Him to meaningless things. Verse 19 and 21 speak very clearly about this "For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them ... For although they knew [about] God, they did not honour him as God or give thanks to him". And the warning Jesus gives in Matthew 7:21-23 of those who on the last day will say 'Lord, Lord' even having done many things in His name, but will be sent off with the words, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'.

To know God.

And that should be our motive in theology (Bible study, seminary, etc.) as well as reading on the topic. "If we pursue theological knowledge for its own sake, it is bound to go bad on us. It will make us proud and conceited. The very greatness of the subject matter will intoxicate us, and we shall come to think of ourselves as a cut above other Christians because of our interest in it and grasp of it; and we shall look down on those whose theological ideas seem to us crude and inadequate and dismiss them as very poor specimens" (pg 21). And as much as I am still young in my faith, I do see this in my life sometimes. I have been blessed with so many opportunities to learn and study the word and a fairly good general knowledge of many verses. But it does become an issue of pride sometimes.

The bigger thing though is to realize that this isn't the highest thing. God's word is great, but He Himself is so much more and this is one way that He speaks to us and reveals Himself to us.

The third chapter was about being known by God and sundry examples to illustrate what knowing a living and great person is like. The biggest idea that stuck out to me came partially through the following passage on knowing people:

"In the case of human beings, te position is further complicated by the fact that ... people keep secrets. They do not show everybody all that is in their hearts. ... You may spend months and years doing things in company with another person and still have to say at the end of that time, "I don't really know him at all." We recognize degrees in our knowledge of our fellow men. We know them, we say, well, not very well, just to shake hands with, intimately, or perhaps inside out, according to how much, or how little, they have opened up to us.
"Thus, the quality and extent of our knowledge of other people depends more on them than on us. Our knowing them is more directly the result of their allowing us to know them than of our attemptinv to get to know them."

Knowing a person is based largely on how much they allow you to know.

I know this well from my own amount of openness that I can control and looking back at who would consider to know me well or not; how I have or haven't let people know me. But I had never thought of how this is also applicable to God.

Now, this is only applicable one way to God, for as it is written "God knows your hearts" (Luke16:15) and knows everything about you (see Psalm139 especially v.1-4). But the other way is God revealing Himself to men. Which He thankfully is very much in the habit of doing. For thousands of years He spoke to His people and prophets and the biggest thing by far in His revealing of Himself to us was sending Jesus to earth an to the cross. (See Hebrews1:1-3) No longer did God just speak through His prophets, but humbled Himself to be found in human form and share everything with us. He came was tempted and tried and showed His character and wisdom and power to all. "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father" (John14:9).

So although knowing God relies fully on how much He reveals, He has actually gone to every measure to show Himself through creation, through His prophets, and even came to live among us, even now by the Holy Spirit in us who we can walk with each day as we get to know Him more.

But what is knowing God and how?

-To be continued-

Jokes. Lol. Just cliffhanged you.

Ttyl.

D.Fa