Knowing God or About God! !

Knowing God. There are so many reactions to these two words. People will often say that they know God, and some may even say that they know about Him or know Him. The response is always interesting as a decline in church attendance and functions has caused an increase in smaller, aging congregations. There was a time when the joke about the South was that there was a church on every corner. The question of inquisitive minds was “Why do we need a church on every corner?” Possibly at one point in time, these churches were filled with people who revered the study of God, His works, and God himself. But over time, two things have become less valuable in an ever-changing landscape: Education and Church. Some Christian leaders,  pastors, and teachers are seeking ways to appeal to the lost and to the younger generations in trying to get them into the church. Some of these strategies of getting the people have turned the church into an entertainment space on Sunday that leaves others questioning how much the lost, the young people, and new churchgoers learn about God. Not only them but what about the regular, faithful attendees?

Many people will say that they know about God, but they are not practicing Christians. J. I. Packer, author of Knowing God, gives the reason why knowing about God is important to the way that we live. “Knowing about God is crucially important for the living of our lives…we are cruel to ourselves if we try to live in this world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it.” It is hard to imagine living in a world and having no sense of who God is. The world would be a strange, lawless, chaotic place with no collective or collaborative efforts.  It seems that even knowing about God without being a practicing Christian impacts lives and the way we live. Underneath it all is a moral compass, whether recognized or not. However, is knowing about God enough? What does it mean to turn our recognition about God into a knowledge of God?  For the young, the new, and the more mature of the faith, this is a process. It is a matter of studying, meditating, and applying the word of God so that we can commune with Him.

In communing with God, there must be an understanding that there is a great deal of difference between knowing about God and knowing God. About simply means knowledge concerning a subject  and knowing means expressing a relationship between or a connection.  A person can possess a great deal of knowledge about God through research, books, and intellectual and biblical conversations. This simply means that a person can formulate and regurgitate what these materials have provided, but they still do not know or have a relationship with God. This age of technology and artificial intelligence lends itself to giving information (correct or incorrect) freely, almost thinking for a person, but it can not replace the relationship between  a person and God. We must never forget this.

The great energy that people have in knowing God shows in their unrest to present truth and their unwillingness to sit silently in the face of ungodly things. Knowledge of God gives us the energy and desire to seek Him. Those who know God often have great thoughts of him. People are thankful for his truth and promises, and a day does not go by when the thought of God does not illuminate their faces and hearts. With positive thoughts of him comes a great boldness to want to speak out and share with others so that they can share in this energy of knowledge and relationship. We are reminded that having knowledge of who God is and keeping it to ourselves serves no one. We are to share that knowledge with others so that everyone will make him known. Not only is there a desire that others share in the knowledge of God, but they share the energy, positive thoughts, boldness, and the fulfillment of contentment.

When people know God, they learn of his attributes, and they also learn that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (Hebrews 11:8). In the course of human life, people will change. The young become old; the extrovert may become an introvert; the happy may become bitter; and the generous may become stingy and crotchety, or this could be on reversal. Nevertheless, God’s character and who He is never changes. Sometimes, people envision God in the flesh and not as one who reigns supreme. Our human minds allow us to see and believe things that may or may not be true, and this is when we have to stop, reflect, know truth, and walk back some assumptions, ideologies, and commentaries. The great thing about God is that when He speaks, there will be no need to doubt because He speaks the truth. He is majestic and infinite wisdom. 

Those who know about God can say that they have read about his attributes and his goodness. But those who know God have spent time reading and meditating on his word. They have built a relationship with God, and they have an understanding of how they fall short every day, but their faith keeps them alive. There is a different experience in knowing about God versus truly knowing him. 

We may need to make the time to take a healthy, whole-hearted evaluation about where we are with God. Do we know about him, or do we know Him? Have we developed a relationship with God, or are we just  speaking or posturing to show what we know about God? It is important to teach the difference because in an age with so many false teachers, feel-good sermons, prosperity messages, and fear of offending, we offer a great disservice to people who need renewal and those who are seeking.

If the concern is filling the pews with people, is it better to have people who know about God or know God? If the ministry has people who know about God, how can they be a light in the world to bring a connection to Him?  We all have a responsibility to bring truth to the world. Being able to explain to people what it really means to know God is a game-changer because many desire the knowledge and experience of truth. We are to enlighten, speak with boldness, exert the energy of telling the truth that God never changes, and what He offered before is still what He is offering now. As believers, we need to recognize where people are and meet them there, guiding them into a relationship filled with boldness, truth, patience, and understanding.

Before we embark on this mission, make sure that you discern for yourself if you know about God for knowledge sake or if you know of God for a relationship.

CrayDawg,  Inc. (C) 2024