I met my husband in 1998. After nearly 19 years together I can say with confidence that I know him well. For instance, I can tell what kind of mood he is in by the way he answers the phone. I can retell the most significant events in his life. When we go to a restaurant, I can predict with 90 percent accuracy what he will order. I have a thorough understanding of his religious and political beliefs. And I know that when he says, “I like him just fine,” that means he doesn’t like the person at all.
There are a million little nuances that I have come to know and understand about my husband. I have learned these things from spending countless hours listening, talking, watching, arguing, sharing, and experiencing life with him. If I had to guess, I’d say we’ve drunk at least 5000 cups of coffee together, having a conversation over each one. Knowing John well translates to loving him more.
In Mark 12:30 one of the scribes asks Jesus which of the commandments is the most important. Jesus didn’t hesitate before telling him the number one commandment is to love God with all our soul, mind, and strength. And the second is to love your neighbor as yourself. For emphasis, he went on to say, “There is no other commandment greater than these.”
Since Jesus said this is the greatest commandment, as Christ followers, it should be our number one priority. But here is the deal; it is impossible to love God if we don’t know Him.
To complicate matters, we sometimes confuse knowing about God with actually knowing Him. For example, chances are you can tell me several facts about your favorite actor or musician. You might be able to tell me where he lives, details about his family, and his career. However, it’s unlikely you have a close relationship with this person, and it’s possible you have never even met him.
In the same way, it’s possible to know a lot about Jesus without really knowing Him. It’s one thing to be able to rattle off Sunday school answers to questions about the Scriptures. It’s entirely another thing to look someone in the eye and tell them with certainty how you have walked through the peaks and valleys with Jesus and recall the ways he has led you, taught you, disciplined you, comforted you, and intervened on your behalf.
Is Scripture knowledge necessary?
Yes, it’s absolutely crucial. But it’s possible to know volumes about the Bible and not know God.
In John 10 Jesus describes himself as the Good Shepherd and uses the figure of speech to explain that, “his sheep know his voice.” John 10:4-5
It is astonishing that we have the high privilege of knowing Christ so well that we recognize His voice among all the others clamoring for our attention. Authentic Christianity calls for a relationship with Christ. Anything less is mere religion and a poor counterfeit for the real thing.
