“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Shortly before his redemptive death, in the prayer He elevated to the Father for His disciples, Christ expressed in precise words the formula of salvation: “that they may know you.” These words enclose the mystery that was formulated before the foundation of the world. Eternal life depends exclusively on knowing the only true God.
When you analyze this prayer and study the word “know,” you find concepts that have probably come to us as a result of poor translations of the Bible. The Greek word carries a completely different meaning from the general thought that salvation is acquired through knowledge of God, of doctrinal truths, and even from the traditional perception that because you attend a church, you are saved.
The Greek word for “knowledge” in this verse is ginosko: to perceive, believe that there is mutual knowledge, to know intimately. Word that defined the marriage relation. Word that described an intimate, love relationship between husband and wife. It is imperative that the Christian develop a relationship of mutual love, that is real and practical, which can only be compared with an intimate relationship found in marriage. In this relationship, the two become one in a bond of unbreakable love with Christ.
At the Berlin Art Gallery hangs one of the most important paintings by German painter Adolph Menzel (1815-1905). This picture, dedicated to King Frederick the Great, did not get to be finished. In his painting, the famous artist intended to show Frederick talking to some of his generals. Menzel painted the generals and finished the bottom of the image, leaving the figure of the king until the end. He traced Frederick’s silhouette with charcoal, but died shortly before finishing the painting.
Many Christians live without putting Jesus in the place He deserves. Jesus is only a silhouette in the picture of their lives. The church is part of the landscape, the background of the picture, but the presence of Christ is only an outline. There is the intention to paint Him in at some point. There is a desire to bring Him to the foreground of the picture of life sooner or later. And so, life goes on, with Jesus as a silhouette, a broach hanging from their attire, a fictitious character in a book.
Is Jesus present in the portrait of your life? Is Jesus in your thoughts when you wake up to face the challenges of everyday life?
Does Jesus come to your mind when you make important decisions? Is Jesus influencing every detail of your life, your family, your marriage, your relationships at work and in the church?
Do you know Jesus enough so that every detail of your existence is influenced by His life, death, words, promises, and His desire for your life? Who is occupying the place of Christ in your life?
Human beings can never be satisfied by simply knowing about God. Truly knowing God can only happen through experience. We come to know God by experiencing Him in our lives and through the circumstances surrounding us.
– Excerpt from Transformation: Biblical Spiritual Metamorphosis by Dr. Allan Machado.