KNOWING GOD

IT'S ESSENTIAL FOR SALVATION

KNOWING GOD

The bible is God’s autobiography. So that’s where one must go to get to know Him. This is not some optional task that God has suggested we do. It is an absolutely necessary goal which must be fulfilled before we can ever know and experience the joy of His salvation and the victory that is ours in Christ Jesus.

Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. Jn. 17:3

He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might.  2 Thes. 1:8-9

When Jesus and Paul tell us that eternal life in heaven is dependent on us knowing God, we had better take notice. Of course, Jesus told His disciples that if they had known Him, they would have known God. But the bible is not Jesus’ autobiography, so it is God that we need to get to know, simply because He has given us His autobiography. If we know God, we know Jesus. The same message was given to the Israelites in the Old Testament as well.  

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

I will be found by you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. Jer. 29:11-14

God is telling us all here that He has plans and purposes for us, including setting us free from captivity, But, as for all of God’s promises, there is a condition. We must search for Him with all our hearts. When He sees just how serious we are in our search for Him, for the correct reason, or with the right motive, He will reveal Himself to us. There must not be anything selfish in this search. We are not wanting to know Him so we can get a load of goodies from Him. We want to know Him so we can ascertain what His purpose for our life is, and thereby fulfill that purpose. So that makes it all God-centred.

That is the most important thing we must know fully, and retain, as a serious strategy for our task. I can vouch for this, as I searched for a year or more studying several versions of the bible desperately wanting to be rid of a sexual addiction that I hated and despised myself for. Then one day it suddenly occurred to me that my search was purely selfish. So, I started my search all over again with the correct motive, and God came through. I got to know Him personally, learned to fear Him, and was able to repent, and He set me free from captivity [my sin].  

God has given us a litmus test to see if we truly know Him or not. We fin that in 1 Jn 2:3-6

We know that we have come to know him if we keep his commands.

Whoever says, “I know him,” but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in that person.

But if anyone obeys his word, love for God is truly made complete in them. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in Him must live as Jesus lived.  1 Jn. 2:3-6

Some of God’s commands are: Be Holy as I am Holy. Be prefect as I am perfect. Turn away from sin so there is not even a hint of sin in you. Love Him with all your heart, soul, mind & strength. Don’t be greedy. Don’t store up treasures for yourself here on earth.

Another very important fact that we must truly believe is that God never listens to prayers from sinners. Here are some passages that show you this is not just my opinion but the word of God Himself.

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. 2 Chron. 7:14

If I had been aware of sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened; Ps. 66:18

If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction, even their prayers are detestable Prov. 28:9

We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. Jn. 9:31

When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my face from you. Even if you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice.  Is. 1:15-16

He said to me, “Have you seen this, son of man? Is it a trivial matter for the people of America to do the detestable things they are doing here? Must they also fill the land with violence and continually provoke me to anger? Look at them thumbing their noses at me.

Therefore, I will deal with them in anger; I will not look on them with pity or spare them. Although they shout in my ears, I will not listen to them.” Ezek. 8:17-18

So, that makes a total mockery of the modern gospel’s ‘sinner’s prayer,’ huh? When you give this some serious thought, it becomes quite logical and reasonable. Why would a holy God spend time listening to people who do not know Him, fear Him, love or obey Him, and actually ignore His inerrant word?

With that truth established, it makes it very obvious that our task of getting to know Him must be a one-sided deal. It must be us listening to God, rather than us wanting Him to listen to us. So, our search is a disciplined time of listening to Him as we study His inerrant word. Remember that the bible is the ‘word’ of God, so it is essential that we study it with our ears and minds open. We start at Genesis one, and carefully read, with a determined desire to get to know God, so we can fulfill His purposes for our life. When you do that, I can guarantee that you will learn to not only know God, but fear Him as well. He is a God of Justice. He declares that Himself, and He does not mess about when He injects His justice to our lives. As you read, take special note of His justice. It will seem overly harsh at first, but as you really get to know Him, and learn to fear Him, as Jesus commanded us to do, [Mat. 10:28] you will understand it as being quite necessary. And, may I add, for our good. Let me give you just one simple example of this. Paul assures us that the wage of sin is death in Rom 6:23, but every ‘Christian’ I have spoken to unashamedly admits to daily, frequent, sin. These so-called Christians do NOT fear God. In fact, they mock His word. They thumb their noses at His promise in 1 Cor. 10:13:

 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. 1 Cor. 10:13

I believed that promise of God, and despised myself for not being able to apply it to my life, but today’s preachers and pew-warmers pass over it like it was not even there. Very dangerous policy, my readers.  

The gospel that has been preached ever since the Holiness Movement petered out, has been totally false. It is ALL about Jesus, and what He accomplished on the cross. The rest of God’s inerrant word is ignored when it comes to ’the gospel.’  They teach us that all our sins, past, present, and future, have been forgiven because of the blood Jesus shed on the cross. Or at least, the penalty for our sins has been paid in full, so we can sin without consequence now. That is a total lie from the pits of hell. If that were true, why would Paul write, well after Jesus had ascended, that the wage of sin is death? Why would all the writers of the letters after Christ’s ascension focus on the need to get rid of sin? I could fill pages of examples of such teaching from Paul, Peter, James, John, Timothy etc, assuring us that as God’s kids we MUST be rid of all, or even the hint of sin. Here is just one example of that:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, men who have sex with men, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, slanderers or swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God. 1 Cor. 6:9-10

Jesus Himself ordered at least two people to stop sinning. That is recorded in the bible. Who knows how many others were given the same instruction? If God/Jesus commanded anyone to stop sinning, knowing full well that it was impossible, then that would make Him a sadistic monster. Simply due to the fact that He assures us that sin leads us straight to hell.

Sorry, I digressed. But that was all necessary for you to know, so I ought not apologize. I have never heard a sermon on fearing God. That is so scandalous that’s it’s hard to believe. After all, the bible is full of messages about the fear of God being absolutely necessary for salvation. Paul told us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling. You all know that one. But Solomon and his father gave us many truths regarding the fear of God. You will find them as you study God’s word. Here are just a few to whet your appetite.  

Since they hated knowledge and did not choose to fear the LORD. Since they would not accept my advice and spurned my rebuke, they will eat the fruit of their ways and be filled with the fruit of their schemes. Prov. 1:29-30

Through the fear of the LORD evil is avoided. Prov. 16:6

Humility and the fear of the LORD; its wages are riches and honor and life. Prov. 22:4

The fear of the LORD leads to life; then one rests content, untouched by trouble. Prov. 19:23

The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. Prov. 15:33

You may say, “Oh, that’s just the Old Testament.” Okay here is the New Testament.

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Mat. 10:28

Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers. Acts 9:31

Then Peter began to speak: “I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts from every nation the one who fears him and does what is right.  Acts 10:34-35

Those few words, ‘does what is right’ are enormously important. This is how God describes righteousness in the bible. Fancy that huh?

If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”  Gen. 4:7

For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.  Rom. 2:13

Christ is the culmination of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes. Rom. 10:4 [remember what ‘believe’ means]

If you know that he is righteous, you know that everyone who does what is right has been born of him. 1 Jn. 2:29

Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous.  1 Jn 3:7

Let me inform you what ‘believe’ means. It comes from a Greek word that literally means to have faith in, to trust, with the implication that actions based on that trust and faith will follow. It is NOT some mental assent, so ’believing in Jesus’ is not a mind game. And remember that to really trust anyone you must get to know them first. If you don’t, you are foolish.

Another extremely important aspect of fearing God is that it allows you to truly repent, and stop sinning.

Moses said to the people, do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of the Lord will be with you to keep you from sinning. Ex. 20:20

You all know that Jesus preached repentance as He traveled around the dusty roads of Galilee, Judea and Samaria. Luke actually tells us that we have just two options when it comes to life, Repent, or perish. Lk 13:3 & 5. Now, I have heard several attempts by preachers to describe repentance, and they have all been totally wrong. Let me give you God’s version:

“But if a wicked person turns away from all the sins they have committed and keeps all my decrees and does what is just and right, that person will surely live; they will not die.

None of the offenses they have committed will be remembered against them. Because of the righteous things they have done, they will live.

Do I take any pleasure in the death of the wicked? declares the Sovereign LORD. Rather, am I not pleased when they turn from their ways and live?

 “But if a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin and does the same detestable things the wicked person does, will they live? None of the righteous things that person has done will be remembered. Because of the unfaithfulness they are guilty of, and because of the sins they have committed, they will die.

 “Yet you say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Hear, you Israelites: Is my way unjust? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

If a righteous person turns from their righteousness and commits sin, they will die for it; because of the sin they have committed they will die.

 But if a wicked person turns away from the wickedness they have committed and does what is just and right, they will save their life.

 Because they consider all the offenses they have committed and turn away from them, that person will surely live; they will not die.

 Yet the Israelites say, ‘The way of the Lord is not just.’ Are my ways unjust, people of Israel? Is it not your ways that are unjust?

“Therefore, you Israelites, I will judge each of you according to your own ways, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent! Turn away from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall.

Rid yourselves of all the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, people of Israel?

For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone, declares the Sovereign LORD. Repent and live! Ezek. 18:21-32

Once we have got to know and learned to fear God, and repent, God gives us the Holy Spirit, who will guide us in the ways of the Lord. We will literally be able to ‘live in the Spirit’ rather than the flesh, as Paul teaches in Rom 8. We will then know and experience the joy of His salvation and the victory that is ours in Christ.

Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Acts 2:38

We are living in extremely ‘scary’ times. America is being destroyed before our very eyes. Evil is rampant everywhere. Not just in America. This is primarily due to the absence of righteousness, or fear of God. Churches and their pulpits are occupied by deceived sinners who believe they are God’s children. This has given Satan an open battle-ground with zero opposition. If the current two hundred million ‘Christians’ became children of God, living righteous lives, Satan would not be able to do what he is doing now. That is the only way America can know healing in the future. And it needs to happen real soon before Satan and his puppets in the Demon-rat party, big corporations, Hollywood, and the lame-stream media complete his task for him.

May God give you the discipline to do what you need to become a child of His, and enjoy the peace that passes all understanding. I can vouch for that peace, and much more. God was right on when He assured us that life in Christ is beyond what we can ask for, think, or even imagine in our wildest dreams. He also describes it as being like eagles flying on the air currents, way up there. Is. 40:31 It really is!!

I wrote a book on my return to New Zealand, after spending two decades in America researching Christianity, It declares God’s message of salvation clearly, with many pages full of His inerrant word, rather than my opinions. I entitled it, A Nation Broken, and it’s available at Amazon or B & N. I strongly encourage you to read it with an open heart and mind.