Write The Author
By Neal Griffin
Eternal life is knowing God (John 17:4), so whatever the Holy Spirit meant by "knowing God" we had better get a grasp on it. There is a very real possibility that we could know all about Jesus and not know Him. The Pharisees had tremendous head knowledge derived from Scripture. They knew about Jesus but they didn't know the person, Jesus.
There is in the word, "know", a very intimate and personal connotation. This intimacy is seen in John 17:21 in the Lord's prayer: "I in you and you in me". In this same passage Jesus indicated that He wanted to be "in" the disciples. It appears that there are many who do not have a grasp on this very vital New Covenant principle. I notice that the song, "Let Jesus Come Into Your Heart", has been deleted from some song books, I suppose because it sounds too Baptist. Even though it is written in 1'st Peter 3:15 and Ephesians 3:17 that we are to let Jesus dwell in our hearts many shy away from the idea allowing that it's too Pentecostal. Brethren, I'm here to tell you that if that is being Pentecostal we had better get real busy and start being "Pentecostal". Jesus dwelling in us and us in Him is about as Bible as we could possibly get. It has to do with having an intimate and personal relationship with God. It has to do with knowing God. It has to do with eternal life. Those who make light of having a personal relationship with Jesus need to reconsider their position.
Paul made particular reference to being "in" Christ as it relates to "knowing" Him. He wrote that previously he had "law" righteousness and felt no guilt but now everything is worthless except knowing Christ Jesus. "I want to be in Him, not having my righteousness, but having the righteousness which comes through believing in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God. Then I will know Christ and the power of His resurrection". Paul's earlier experience was a relationship with law but his new experience was with the Person of Jesus. His was a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus. He had Jesus dwelling in his heart. You can't get any more intimate than that.
There was a young man of my acquaintance who wanted to know what he could do to gain eternal life. For him this was the very most serious of pursuits because he was dying of Aids. He could not have been more intent because he knew that his life on this earth was just about over. His religious counselors advised him that he could gain eternal life by his performance of five--no, six things. Yet after he had faithfully followed their advice he confessed that he did not know Jesus. He had no sense of intimacy with Him. This pitiful story did, however, have a happy ending. Unlike the proud young ruler of Matthew 19 the young man came to know Jesus in a very personal way and served Him faithfully for his remaining two years on this earth.
Many there are like the proud ruler of Matthew 19. They are very religious, very attentive to law-keeping, but they have not allowed Jesus to take up residence in their hearts. Such are those mentioned in 2'nd Timothy 3:7 who were ever learning but never knowing. Jesus is not "in" them and, as far as having an intimate relationship with Him goes, they don't "know" Him, and I suspect that at the judgement Jesus will declare that He never "knew" them. Tragically this applies not only to the pew warmers whose religion is totally found in the performance of Sunday rituals but it also applies to those Bible slapping preachers who preach "law" righteousness instead of the righteousness that comes as a free gift from above. They never get around to preaching the very real need of having a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, of knowing Him and being in Him.
Please consider these thoughts in light of His Word.
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