Knowledge, knowing intimately, more and more – this is God’s desire for us!
2Peter 1:1-2; Philippians 3:3-11; Eph 1:15-23; John 17:1-3, 20-26
In what does God want us to be most effective? If faith is the knowing, it is by this faith and we are escorted into the knowledge of God, experience with God, that we now know God, and not only know God, but know Him more and more, more deeply, richly, really.
Knowledge, in this sense, is our knowing God, together with God - not a distant ascent to the truth of His being and existence, but something more unimaginable - that that God, that fearful, awful, all-powerful being, from whom we stand at a distance, afraid - we come to know, in Jesus, that this God actually loves us, longs to be known by us, and that as our loving Father, and desires, even longs, to be loved in return, by us - and has proclaimed, in Jesus, that that love is available to any and all who would receive it!
And then, for those who are now in this love relationship - He longs for us to be effective and productive in our knowledge of Him, with Him - because this is what produces in us righteous acts from the righteousness that He has imputed to us in Christ Jesus - creating us to do good and beautiful works of the kingdom among the lost - revealing this true and real knowledge, the growing knowledge, knowing of, God and having first-hand, contact, real and true, knowledge of, relationship with - me and Him - my creator, God and Father, savior and friend, power and enablement, comfort and encouragement… our love.
We talk a lot about having effective in:
Life - in particular
Life in Christ: real and genuine:, "a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever" (the writers of the O. T. have anticipated the conception, in their way, by employing חַיִּים to denote a happy life and every kind of blessing
Character
Witness and testimony
In what does God want us to be most effective? Our knowledge of him
It is our fear, being converted to our reverent awe, of Him that is the beginning of knowledge – Prov 4:7
It is our fear, converted our reverent awe, of Him that is the beginning of wisdom – Prov 9:10; Ps 111:10
It is our deeper knowledge of Him and His love expressed in mercy and grace, by faith, that enables us to live this life with Godly character or godliness. John 1:14-17; Ro 8:29; 2Cor 3:18; 2Pet 1:4
This knowledge, this love experience, by faith, and the power of the Holy Spirit, is to know Him more and more, deeper and deeper, even more intimately as we are known. 1Co 8:3; 13:12; 1jo 3:2
John 17:1-3, 20-26 - Jesus prays this - He wants us to know Him as He knows us - inside out
Philippians 3:3-11 - Paul gushes this desire - to know more deeply, personally, intimately
Ephesians 1:15-23 - this is God speaking through Paul as to what He wants for us, with us
On, fitting, which intensifies gnosis - academic, scientific knowledge - and experience that fits what we know or have ascertained
First-hand knowledge - this knowledge is (now) mine
Contact knowledge - that is appropriate, fitting of, first-hand knowledge, experiential knowing - this is defined by the individual context.
Though this experience be universal to all who know, it is individual to us for our knowing
God knows me
God has made Himself known to me
I now know God because He “sees me” and has made Himself known to me
This is best seen, evidenced, and experienced by our relationship with the Holy Spirit, or paraclete - the One who is in me and knows me - the Holy Spirit as advocate or counselor (John 14:16, 26)
God gives us everything we need for this life and the development of our character - godliness – by and through this knowledge of him
And it is God who provides this knowledge - this knowing Him
This experience, this thing he calls faith - and he reveals His Faith progressively by his self-revelation
Through what has been made - creation
The touch of His finger, that is His Spirit - the Father draws (John 6)
His Self Revelation by the Spirit to the heart and mind of the person pursued
By Jesus – the Incarnate one
His actual self as seen throughout the scriptures and in particular the Gospels
His risen self – by the testimony of those who have heard and seen and touched
His, now, real existence
Through the miraculously – by Mercy, Grace, faith, and perpetually changed lives
God's giving
God's do
Our joining in with every effort
Changed lives – our perpetual expression of and growing into the person of Christ
In life, to whom and for whom we live - no longer of this world
In godliness
How we speak and act, no longer of or like this world
how we live and love God, self, and others no longer as this world
For selfish ambition and vain conceit
In fear and anxiety how we will live, living as one world as if this world is their home
By Us - we are the testimony of God, Jesus’ grace, and faithfulness, lavished on us, a His most prized possession.
How does “knowledge” or knowing more deeply change our life, make us godly?
We experience His love and love Him in return, we become like the one with whom we spend our time, learn from, imitate. We are overwhelmed by His presence, but because we have seen Him, experienced Him by His choosing, we respond in awe and God invites us into His holiness, making us holy, that we might know Him and know Him more and more, that we might than make Him known…
Isaiah 4
