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What Does It Really Mean to Know the Lord?

The Evidence Study Bible

From The Evidence Study Bible

This is a great question. Let me first explain why I use the phrase “know the Lord.” This is the biblical definition of a Christian. It is used many times in Scripture, but it is particularly used in reference to the gospel, in Jer. 31:34: “No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

It is because Jesus took our sin upon Himself that we can be forgiven. That means instead of being separated from God (having no real consciousness of His presence or reality), we can have fellowship with Him. Jesus said, “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

“It is because Jesus took our sin upon Himself that we can be forgiven. That means instead of being separated from God (having no real consciousness of His presence or reality), we can have fellowship with Him.”

I often say that there’s no such thing as an atheist who is an “ex-Christian.” This is because there are only two alternatives that the “ex-Christian” can choose. If he knew the Lord, then he is admitting that God exists and he therefore cannot be an atheist. Or he simply “thought he knew the Lord” but actually didn’t, and he was therefore a false convert (a hypocrite). Some in this category fall away from the faith, but many stay within the Church as “goats” among the sheep and will be sorted out on Judgment Day. Notice Scripture’s wording in reference to that Day:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” (Matt. 7:21–24, emphasis added)

False converts don’t “know the Lord.” He “never knew” them. There was no intimate relationship with them because they were still in their sins (playing the hypocrite).

Now to the essence of this question: What does it mean to know the Lord? Probably the best way to explain it is to say that it is very similar to me knowing my wife. We are best friends. She is forever in my thoughts. When we are not in the same room, our different locations don’t change the fact of our relationship. I still know her, love her, and trust her implicitly.

“The moment I repented and put my trust in Jesus, I began a relationship with God that is more real than my relationship with my wife.”

The moment I repented and put my trust in Jesus, I began a relationship with God that is more real than my relationship with my wife. Though it has the same feelings, it is not contingent upon feelings but rather on trust (as are all relationships). While I don’t “see” God, I still have a relationship with Him, as with the relationship with my wife even though we are apart. The Bible puts it this way:

Without having seen Him, you love Him; though you do not [even] now see Him, you believe in Him and exult and thrill with inexpressible and glorious (triumphant, heavenly) joy. [At the same time] you receive the result (outcome, consummation) of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:8,9, Amplified Bible).

To know the Lord, simply humble yourself, and with a tender conscience look at the Ten Commandments. Have you ever lied, stolen, blasphemed, looked with lust (adultery of the heart), etc. Then judge yourself—are you innocent or guilty? Would you go to heaven or hell? Then look to the cross—God in the person of Jesus Christ took your punishment upon Himself, paying your fine so that you could leave the courtroom. Through His death and resurrection, you can have everlasting life, if you will repent (something the hypocrite fails to do) and trust the Savior. The minute you do so, you will come to know the Lord (see John 14:21).

Order The Evidence Study Bible today.

The Evidence Study Bible
1. Why Even Top Scientists Are Doubting Evolution
2. What Does It Really Mean to Know the Lord?
3. It Is Biblical to Call Sinners to Repent
4. Answering Common Questions About Creation
5. The Difference Between Biblical and False Prophecy
6. Questions to Make the Evolutionist Think
7. Powerful Gospel Parallels Found in the Book of Esther
8. The Simple Reason Evolution Can’t Be Proved
9. Know Your Rights in Public Speaking
10. God Is Good, and That’s Scary News for Sinful Man
11. A Brush With Death Awakens Ray Comfort to the Plight of the Lost
12. Biblical Promises About Heaven
13. Who Can Tell Me: A Search for Meaning
14. What Our Shared Genetic Make-up with Chimps Actually Tells Us
15. Using What God Gave Us to Reach the Lost

Ray Comfort

Ray Comfort is the Founder and CEO of Living Waters, a bestselling author, and has written more than 100 books, including, The Evidence Study Bible. He cohosts the award-winning television program Way of the Master, which airs in 190 countries.

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