KNOW THE LORD

[verses quoted from the NIV]


The prophet Jeremiah [chapter 31] tells us of a New Covenant where God will teach everyone and reveal himself to them.  They will “know” the Lord through revelation, through spiritual insight. The letter to the Hebrews emphasises this [chapter 8]. We ought to understand, from this, that God wants us to know him!

How can we know God?  Again the letter to the Hebrews explains that the partial and fragmented understanding brought through Israel has been transcended by the complete revelation brought by the Son [Hebrews chapter 1].  There are many New Testament passages that exhort us to know the Lord.  What exactly does this mean?

When the Lord saved me he added me to a group of Christians in North London who were reluctant to own any name or denomination.  Their connections were with churches that were called “Open Brethren”.  Now, these groups must not be confused with another movement that had companies of people who named someone like Darby, Raven, Kelly or Young as their “apostle”.  These companies were named “Exclusive Brethren”.  The origin of both groups was the same but the outcome was very different.  Anyway, the people I met with had a meeting to remember the Lord Jesus.  That’s all it was for!  All kinds of men (in those days most churches were wary of female ministry) would share what they knew about the Lord Jesus.  This might be through a hymn, a prayer or a “revelation” – a personal understanding of Scripture.  I was impressed that these people knew the Lord and it encouraged me to go on to know him better! [Ephesians 1.17]

Paul’s prayer in Ephesians chapter 1 refers to “the eyes of your hearts being opened (enlightened)”.  Here we have a direct understanding of the Jeremiah prophecy where God promised to reveal or give knowledge of himself in a direct way to all believers.  So, it remains for us to have open eyes!  This gives a good definition of one of the Greek words used that is usually rendered “know” in English – EIDO.  This carries the idea of seeing, having insight but not necessarily having scientific or philosophical or theological understanding.  After all there are many things we know without any “deeper” understanding.  Many of us know how to drive a car but have little idea how the thing works!  I could name a thousand things like this.  The important thing is that every real believer knows the Lord Jesus in this way.  There is a personal reference to him through the Holy Spirit that informs our understanding of doctrine, practice and lifestyle as a believer.  This can be seen in John’s first letter where he uses the word EIDO and another word GINOSKO (to have understanding, realisation, appreciation) to explain the basis of our faith.  So, he explains that we see that we understand who Jesus is through particular behaviour. For example:

1Jn 2:29  If you know [EIDO]that he is righteous, you know [GINOSKO] that everyone who does what is right has been born of him.

So, God teaches us by revelation (spiritual insight) that Jesus is righteous – he is sinless and what he does is right and good.  Therefore, when we look at man’s righteous acts we recognise those that are truly like Jesus and those that are merely self-righteous acts.

There is another Greek word for knowing – GNOSIS.  This word carries the idea of religious knowledge – knowing the doctrines, knowing the science of a thing.  A good example of the use of this word is in 1Timothy 6.20 where Paul warns Timothy about discussion over “science” or special knowledge that had no right to such a name.  The word GNOSIS is used to describe numerous heresies about Jewish or Christian beliefs – GNOSTICISM.  We understand this to mean that knowledge of something is held up in some way as being more important that knowing the Lord Jesus.  It is a sad fact that believers can so easily be drawn into some kind of special knowledge and make this the basis of their faith rather than the Person and finished work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No wonder the apostle Peter advises us:

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen. 2Peter 3:18 

And Paul writes:

I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  Philippians 3.10-12

Tying up Loose Ends!

Bible Quotes are from the NIV.

Our church group were reading through Genesis and Exodus.  They are on to Acts now!

In Exodus God gives a lot of space to describing the details and construction of the Tabernacle.  Now, the New Testament (Hebrews) gives us permission to see that all the Tabernacle stuff tells us about Jesus – all kinds of revelation.  Then we read in John 1.14

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Those words his dwelling translate a Greek phrase – εσκηνωσεν  εν ημιν (eskēnōsen en hēmin)  which carries the idea that Jesus encamped, pitched his tent or TABERNACLED among us.  We have permission to think of the Tabernacle as a picture of Jesus Christ – the Word become flesh – living among his creatures on earth.

Now, we need to remind ourselves that we must read Scripture with the help and guidance and revelation of the Holy Spirit.  All kinds of things can “go wrong” when the human intellect gets hold of God’s Word! 

Something to notice in the accounts of the Tabernacle is that God starts with the item closest to Him – the Ark and Mercy Seat.  When the Tabernacle is built he starts with what is closest to the people – the outer fence!  That is, probably, quite easy to understand? 

Heb 10:19-20  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.

It is possible to read through the Exodus description of the Tabernacle and get interested in the big items and miss the detail!  By this I mean that we can miss items like pegs, nails, loops and ties.  Everything had to fit together and be fixed together.  When we study Scripture and discover more and more about God in the person of Jesus Christ we need to make sure that we are tying things together, fixing things IN HIM.  Like Paul says to Timothy –

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

We can grasp a truth and fail to fix in with other truth about the Lord.  We can present something which is not whole, not sound doctrine.  Without the pegs and nails, loops and ties, poles and sockets, the Tabernacle would have fallen apart!  Now the point of all this can be seen when we understand that all believers in Jesus are his priests and therefore are commissioned to carry something of Him (the Tabernacle).  We read about this in the book of Numbers.  Some priests were privileged to carry the Ark, the Lampstand, the Curtains, the boards covered in gold … and so forth.  However, others were privileged to carry the pegs, nails, laces ,ties, poles and sockets.  Without them serving faithfully, the “Tabernacle” is not complete. 

If we truly want to present Christ to the nations then we must all play our part in showing everyone who he is.  After all we are his Body!