“Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” — John 17:3
Know Him or Know About Him?
Several years ago, the starting safety for the Houston Texans started attending our church. When I first met him, you could say I knew facts about him. But as we spent more time together, you could say I knew him. There’s a huge difference between knowing about someone and knowing someone.
In our relationship with Jesus Christ, there’s also a huge difference between knowing about Him and knowing Him. Jesus has all authority and He has given us authority, but in order to access that authority, we have to have an intimate relationship with Him. Intimacy with Christ is the key to accessing authority.
John 17:3 says, “Now this is eternal life: that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.” Eternal life isn’t just going to Heaven and living forever. It begins now, and it’s an intimate relationship with God. The word “know” in John 17:3 doesn’t mean to know facts about God, it means to know God relationally and intimately. So if you are going to walk in your new identity in Christ and access the authority you have in Christ, you have to know Christ.
How have you grown in your relationship with Christ, and what are you doing to grow in your relationship with Him? Do you only know facts about Christ — He was born of a virgin, He turned water into wine, and He died and rose again? Or do you really and truly know Him?
— Ikki Soma, Houston Rockets chaplain
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