Fully Experiencing ScriptureSample

WE KNOW GOD THROUGH HIS WORD

Daniel 11:32 - One of the most vital teachings of Scripture is that God can be known. The highest knowledge to which we can attain is knowing God personally (Jer. 9:24). People do not naturally possess this knowledge (Rom. 3:10–11), even though they know that He exists (Ps. 14:1; Rom. 1:19–20). Knowing that God exists is not the same as knowing God personally, just as knowing about the President does not mean necessarily that you know the President personally. This knowledge of God is crucial, however, since it is preparatory for coming to faith in Christ, being forgiven, and having eternal life (John 17:3). The only way we can know God is to first know of Him. People should rejoice in the fact that God earnestly wants them to attain this knowledge. That is why He has spoken to us in His Word, revealing Himself and disclosing how we may know Him.

While God surely can be known, there is always more to be learned about Him. There are many Scriptures that teach that our knowledge of God is partial. It is said to be “too wonderful” (Ps. 139:6), “unsearchable”(Ps. 145:3; Rom. 11:33), and “infinite” (Ps. 147:5). Since our knowledge of God is incomplete, we must increase it through spiritual growth. Paul, for example, prayed to know God better (Phil. 3:10). We are even commanded to grow in the knowledge of Christ (2 Pet. 3:18). Developing our intimate knowledge of God is one of the greatest delights of the Christian life.

The Bible also reveals that God cannot be known personally apart from His Word. It contains the gospel that must be believed (Eph. 1:13), and the gospel brings forth saving faith in itself (Rom. 10:17). The gospel can, therefore, be called “the power of God to salvation” (Rom. 1:16). The part the Scriptures and the gospel contained within them play in bringing people to know God is described in three important illustrations: the gospel is the agent of the new birth (James 1:18), that is, it is like the implanted seed without which the conception of new life cannot occur; it is also the cleansing agent through which God bathes the new believer, resulting in salvation (Eph. 5:26); the Scriptures are like an educator bringing the wisdom that leads to salvation (2 Tim. 3:15).

This Bible study is an excerpt fromThe OPEN Bible, Published by Thomas Nelson Bibles