Knowing God?
The prophet Jeremiah quoted the Lord’s desire that we know Him: “Thus says Yahweh, ‘Let not a wise man boast in his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast in his might; let not a rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am Yahweh who shows lovingkindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,’ declares Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 9:23–24 The Legacy Standard Bible Translation)
This appears to be our greatest pursuit.
J.I. Packer said, “Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.”
Greg Laurie said, “You were placed on earth to know God. Everything else is secondary.”
Charles Hadden Spurgeon said, “The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy which can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person, the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.”
A.W. Tozer said, “The gravest question before the church is always God Himself, and…the most revealing thing about the church is her idea of God.”
Martyn Lloyd-Jones said, “Our supreme need is to know God.”
Jesus Christ said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
BUT, how much are we really able to know God?
God tells us, “His greatness is unsearchable” (Psalm 145:3b), “His understanding is infinite” (Psalm 147:5), “'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,’ declares the Lord. ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts'” (Isa. 55:8–9), and “He does great things that we cannot comprehend’” (Job 37:5).
Jesus said, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him” (Matthew 11:27).
Paul highlights this reality about God: “Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?” (Romans 11:33–34) and “…even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God” (1 Corinthians 2:11b).
This is why men like Wayne Grudem say, “Because God is infinite and humans are finite, human beings can never fully understand God” (Systematic Theology, p. 149). And John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue said, “The Bible makes God knowable to humans, to the extent that the content of the Bible reveals truth about him. Scripture teaches that man may know God truly, yet not exhaustively. In the classical terminology, God is truly knowable but not exhaustively comprehensible” (Biblical Doctrine, p. 145).
We are both called to know the Lord and yet understand our severe limits. It is a pursuit well worth our time, focus, and energy as we are called to be “increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:10), if we are to lead a life worthy of the Lord and to please Him in all respects. The promise of the New Covenant is that “all will know Me from the least to the greatest of them” (Jeremiah 31:34; Hebrews 8:11).
How greatly blessed we are to have the great, transcendent, true, and living God of the universe stoop to make Himself known to us and allow us to know Him and make Him known to others.
Pastor Jeff