Does God Know Me?

Aside from the seemingly harsh nature of this statement, doesn’t it strike you as odd that Jesus will actually tell some people on judgment day that He never knew them?

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Does God know me?

Silly question, right?

I mean, if you know anything about God, you know that He knows everything about…well…EVERYTHING.

He is the creator, after all…from the largest mountain to the smallest grain of sand, from the biggest whale to the tiniest single-celled amoeba, from the most expansive ocean to the narrowest stream…you get the idea. So then, what’s with the ridiculous question?

Well, believe it or not, you can blame Jesus for my “ridiculousness.”

Don’t believe me? Just read what He says to a crowd of people in Matthew 7:21-23 (NLT):

“Not everyone who calls out to me, ‘Lord! Lord!’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter. On judgment day many will say to me, ‘Lord! Lord! We prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Get away from me, you who break God’s laws.’ ”

Aside from the seemingly harsh nature of this statement, doesn’t it strike you as odd that Jesus will actually tell some people on judgment day that He never knew them? How is that possible? Jesus, being God Himself in the flesh, is all-knowing. How then, can an all-knowing God deny ever knowing a person? It just doesn’t make sense…

…until you begin to dig deeper.

The key to understanding exactly what Jesus was saying in this passage is actually found in the word “knew.” The Greek word used for “knew” here is ginosko, which means “to learn to know, to come to know, to become acquainted with intimately.” The word is also a Jewish idiom for sexual intercourse…you know, like when Adam “knew” Eve.

In other words, it’s the subtle difference between knowing about someone, and actually knowing someone.

The thing is, God certainly knows all about us…but He desires to know us on a personal level. And He’s not content with us doing a bunch of good works on His behalf, and then calling that a successful relationship.

Does God Know Me? Hopefully, this question doesn’t sound ridiculous anymore.

 

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on thefocalpoint.blog.

Featured Image By Priscilla Du Preez

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About the Author

Wayne is a husband, father, avid reader and writer, and youth minister who happens to believe that Jesus is the focal point of every aspect of life…the individual, family, society, government, philosophy, the arts…and everything in between. He’s committed to challenging preconceived notions about what it means to follow Jesus, and seeks to engage the culture instead of running from it.