Psalms 119:10-11, 18, 27, and 34-37 share the psalmist's utterings to a God Who can be known. There are two ways that an individual might know Him, and both are very much different from the other. The first is called propositional knowledge, and it is appropriately described by using the expression "knowing about God." The second, on the other hand, which is called relational knowledge, pertains more to the idea of actually knowing Him, as one person might know another.
Psalms 19:1-4, Romans 1:18-19 and Romans 2:17-24 give examples of this propositional knowledge, a type of knowledge which all people have of God. In Psalms 19, the writer speaks of the knowledge which one can have about Him as he or she gazes into the heavens. The very days and nights of our existence proclaim His glory. In Romans, Chapter One, the Apostle Paul writes in verses 18 and 19 that even the wicked know enough about God to be aware of their own wickedness and accountability before Him. Then, in Romans 2:17-24 and specifically verse 20, Paul speaks of the knowledge which is common to all because of God's laws. These verses indicate that every man, woman, boy, and girl has sufficient evidence at hand to know that there is a God and that they should seek Him.
However, knowing these things about God does not mean that everyone will actually come to know Him in a personal way. Understanding this truth is important to being able to distinguish between the two types of knowledge of God. The examples in the preceding paragraph, because they pertain to propositional knowledge, do not speak of actually entering into a personal relationship with Him. Instead, those verses merely show that all people have enough information at their disposal to at least know about Him. Then, when a person does choose to proceed beyond that point and actually enters into a personal relationship with Him, then the individual will have acquired a relational knowledge of Him. In such an instance, their knowledge about God will have led to their knowledge of Him.
A relational knowledge of God differs from propositional knowledge in that the former leads to a God-centered life, while the latter may or may not lead anywhere. According to Mr. J. I. Packer, in his book "Knowing God," propositional knowledge, while teaching everyone about God, may not actually bring someone to Him. But relational knowledge, by taking into account how a person actually knows Him in a personal way, should always lead that person into a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him. Romans 8:29 speaks of such a lifestyle as it describes those who are predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ. Accordingly, relational knowledge causes an automatic, spontaneous response, where the product or response of that knowledge is the Christian life.
Tom of Spotswood "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life." (I John 5:12)
Index to Selected Essays And Book Reviews
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