| Author | Message | ||
| Schasc Registered user Username: Schasc Post Number: 67 Registered: 10-2004 |
Wondering if I could get some different thoughts on this text. "Now this is eternal life that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ............" I heard a preacher recently use this text in talking about being saved. He showed how the word know is translated from a Greek word that means intemacy (Abraham knew Sarah, Adam knew Eve, etc) I can understand from a human perspective how we need to "work" at our relationships to make them flourish. Putting that philosophy in our salvation still seems like work with a different twist. If in fact we cant "work" our way to heaven even in our realationship what does one do with John 17:3, or the other parts in the gospels where Jesus in his parables talks about the people that our lost because he did not know them. (The 10 virgins, the banquet etc) Thanks for all your thoughts. | ||
| Ric_b Registered user Username: Ric_b Post Number: 606 Registered: 7-2004  |
I think that the answer to your question is revealed a little later in verses 6-9. Jesus revealed God to those whom God has given to Him. This is the way that we can know God, through the revelation of God in Jesus. | ||
| Agapetos Registered user Username: Agapetos Post Number: 472 Registered: 10-2002  |
John 17:3 is a wonderful and utterly necessary reminder that our salvation is not a "thing" but rather a Person. And this "knowing" is definitely intimate, not merely legal. We forget this with incredible frequency! At the same time, we humans seem to have a tendency & capability to make a "work" out of even the most complete non-work-involved bit of grace that God can give! So we begin to ask ourselves, "How well do I know Him?" And then the doubt rises, "I don't know Him very well, do I?" And Satan (which means "Accuser") comes to accuse us and say, "That's right, you don't know Him at all!" The enemy can accuse the heck out of us and make us doubt our salvation so effectivly because yes, our knowledge is limited. When we newly discover something about the Lord, the enemy can take our joy with his accusations. Instead of feeling, "Wow, God, You're awesome!" the enemy tells us, "See, you didn't even know that! Everyone else knows that! They know God better. How much do you really know God at all?" Now here is the Rock that we stand on: Our salvation is definitely a Person, just as Truth is a Person. But our faith is not in how well we know Him, but rather how well He knows us! This is seen in verses like Matthew 7:23, 1 Corinthians 8:3 and Galatians 4:9. But here is a good one to stand on when the enemy gets in your face: "By His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many." (Isaiah 53:11) Not by our knowledge, but by His. 1st Corinthians 13:12 declares, "Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall known fully, even as I am fully known." Now we see poorly, as in an ancient mirror (of hammered metal, not a modern one which gives a perfect reflection). We do not and cannot see God clearly, but we know that He "fully knows" us! And it is in this knowledge that we are saved and transformed: "But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:18) Even though we cannot see Him clearly, our "dim beholdings" are enough for Him to save us and change us! We have seen His glory revealed in the face of Christ (2 Cor.4:6), and even though we do not fully understand, He has told us that our salvation is in knowing that He fully knows us! Our salvation is in the perfect knowledge of the Son of God! If salvation could be obtained by having perfect knowledge, then Christ needn't have come and died. But rather, our minds were clouded and made dull by sin. So the Son of God came as our Savior -- He is the one who is perfect in knowledge. No one has ever seen God but Him. No one is able to ascend to heaven except for Christ. The Son's knowledge--what He knows--is what saves us. He has taken our place, our punishment, and given us His inheritance, and we are saved because of who He is and what He has done -- not because of who we are, what we have done, or what we know. Looking back at John 17, verse 17, we begin to understand how it is that we are both saved and sanctified: "Sanctify them by Your truth, Your word is truth." Often we read the first part as if Christ is telling us to memorize more of Scripture. But no! Who is He talking to? He is praying this whole prayer to His Father! The action of sanctification here is not what we do, but rather what Father does to us through His words spoken to us! This act of sanctification is the Father's responsibility! And finally, looking at John 17:19, we see Jesus saying, "For them I sanctify Myself, that they too may be truly sanctified." We are sanctified because He sanctified Himself! What He has done --His own sanctification of Himself-- has sanctified us! If He had not sanctified Himself, then we could not be sanctified. But because He was the Holy One, because He "set Himself apart as sacred or holy", because He has done this, we are sanctified. "By that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all... by one sacrifice He has made perfect forever those who are being made holy." (Heb.10:10,14) What He has done has saved us. His knowledge has justified us. His sacrifice has sanctified us. Knowing that --and knowing that all He expects of us is to behold Him dimly-- sets us free to run after Him with extravagant passion, enraptured by this One who loves us so much that He wants to be with us for all eternity! We understand that He is truth, He is salvation, and we long with all of our souls to know Him better, because He is so, so beautiful. | ||
| River Registered user Username: River Post Number: 58 Registered: 9-2006 |
Agapetosí That is a most excellent exposition, another scripture I studied rather deep into is (John 10:27 KJV) My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: (John 10:28 KJV) And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. (John 10:29 KJV) My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. Notice how Jesus said ìI know themî, the accuser accuses the ìbrethrenî not the unconverted sinner. The accuser will try to steal your peace. When we come face to face with our inability to save ourselves, then we can begin to behold the glory of the Lord. We behold him from glory to glory. Its not that I did not know him yesterday but as I study and meditate on the Lord I will see something else and say ìOh, so thatís who he isî. An awful lot of the time lately I find myself just sitting here weeping as I behold his glory. Jesus is the ultimate sacrifice, the Lamb of God, he said (John 12:32 KJV) And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. If you have noticed an awful lot of Whites writings contain words like ìThe Lord showed meî ìMy Handî my this and my that and she begins to pull attention away from the cross of Christ. John said (John 3:30 KJV) He must increase, but I must decrease. I am reminded this morning of the old song we used to sing back in the 70ís. Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the cares of this world, will grow strangely dim. In the light of his glorious grace. May his peace fill your heart this morning. | ||
| Jeremy Registered user Username: Jeremy Post Number: 1599 Registered: 10-2004  |
Schasc, Since Jesus says that eternal life is knowing Him, and the Bible also says that eternal life is a free gift--then that means that "knowing Him" is a free gift that is given to us, not something which we must work at. In other words, "knowing Him" is not something that we must do in order to gain eternal life--it IS eternal life, it IS the free gift! Jeremy (Message edited by jeremy on November 04, 2006) |
