What is “the greatest of all knowledge . . . the most important and most essential knowledge that a person can possess?”(Paul Washer).
Futhermore, what is “the best thing in life, bringing more joy, delight and contentment than anything else?” (J.I. Packer).
The answer to both questions is the same: the knowledge of God.
How do we know that? This is what Scripture teaches. Jesus said so:
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (John 17:3)
Jesus defined eternal life as the knowledge of God. In other words, if I possess eternal life, I know God. Consequently, this also means that if I don’t know God, I don’t have eternal life. Without the knowledge of God, I am spiritually dead. If I do know God, I am alive because I have been born again, from above, by the power of the Holy Spirit, and have been brought into a relationship with the living God through faith in His Son.
Paul also defined salvation as the knowledge of God:
6 God considers it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to grant relief to you who are afflicted as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels 8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, 10 when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at among all who have believed.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
When Christ returns, He will punish non-believers with eternal destruction by Jesus. These non-believers are described as “those who do not know God” (v. 8).
These are sobering words.
Knowing God is serious business. It is a matter of eternal life and eternal death. If I know Him, I will spend forever with Him. And if I don’t, I won’t.
“It should be obvious that knowledge of God is the most important knowledge that we can possess. As Christians, we should devote our lives to knowing God and making Him known.” (Paul Washer)
Yes, there is nothing more important than knowing God.
To that end, I highly recommend Paul Washer’s Bible study, Knowing the Living God. To get your free copy, click here:
https://heartcrymissionary.com/books/knowing-the-living-god
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