HOW DO YOU KNOW GOD?
A man once asked me, what do preacher mean when they say they know God? How do you claim to know someone you have not seen and cannot identify? The question though simple is not an ease one, because it bothers on faith and is life determined. I was confronted on how to answer this question without sounding religious or attempting to wear the tall shoes of renounced theologians that may not fit? These days some of the clergies hold contemporary views on fundamental scriptural issues that sound conflicting to ordinary believers. So I obtained his permission and reframed the question: what does it mean to say I know God biblically? By so doing I hold the scripture truthful and as the authentic source of belief and faith.
“ I have learned to hold the scriptures alone inerrant.”
St Augustine
The Word of God is greater than Heaven and earth,
yea, greater than death and hell, for it forms part of
the power of God and endures everlasting.
Martin Luther
We owe to the scriptures the same reverence
which we owe to God
John Calvin
The scripture seem to suggest two related ways in which a person can know God:
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light
unto my path
Psalms 119:101
The entrance of His word gives light, it gives
understanding to the simple.
Psalms 119:130
- The first is to have a personal knowledge and relationship with Him, through faith in Christ Jesus. Since God is Spirit, a person may not see Him physically but can feel or sense his presence [ Isaiah 6:3-6]; 1 Kings 8:10-11; Mark 9:2], hear His voice [Genesis 3:8-16; Exodus 3:3-4; Deuteronomy 32:1-3; 1 Samuel 3:4-11]; receive His revelations [Acts 2:2-4, 9:3-4; Galatians 1:12; Ephesians 3:3], and see His works. To know God you first have to believe in the existence of God, the Creator of heavens, the earth and the fullness thereof. You also have to believe He could be known by all who so desire. From the Christian perspective, God had availed mankind ways of knowing and relating to Him, by the grace through the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. However, centuries before Christ was born, the scripture described what and how that sense of personal intimacy with God would be like.
In a vision, God revealed to His prophet Jeremiah [31:31ff] the new way to know and relate to Him. God promised that in the days to come, He will:
[i] make a new covenant not written on tablets of stone but on the tablets of man’s heart to shape his identity and behavior.
[ii] God’s children would know Him [have an experiential knowledge of God] not just a book or head knowledge or know about Him.
[iii] His teachings would go beyond a mere theoretical and head knowledge, hear say or collection of precepts.
[iv] God Himself would be their teacher as He was Jesus’ teacher [Jeremiah 31:13-34; John 5:19, 8:28, 12:49-50, 14:10].
One awesome thing about this new way is that God shall teach His people His ways, the Holy Spirit of God shall write God’s laws in His children’ heart, and also empowers them to live in a manner that reflects the very character of God [Isaiah 54:13; John 6:45-46; Hebrews 8:10-13, 10:15-18]. This mystery has been made simple. You can experience this knowledge with God right now by placing your faith in Christ Jesus, because of what He did on the cross for us. He died to pay the price of man’s sinfulness and remove the barrier that separated man from God, his maker [John3:16; Acts 4:12; Galatians 4;3-9, Hebrew 9:26ff, 1 John 5 :11-12]. You can establish a personal relationship with God by confessing with your mouth that ‘Jesus is Lord’ and believing in your heart that Jesus died for your sins and God raised Him from death; the Holy Spirit shall testify to this new life in the new believer’s heart [Romans 9:10; 1 john 5 10].