Knowing, Growing, and Loving Jesus Christ

“This is eternal life: that they may know You, the only true God, and the One You have sent—Jesus Christ.” John 17:3 (HCSB)

How is knowing God synonymous with eternal life? For those raised in the church or Christian surroundings we have heard, as long as we can remember, that heaven is our eternal home. We come to Christ with an expectation of eternal life when we die. Absent from the body, present with the Lord to paraphrase Paul’s writings to the Philippians. But Jesus did not define eternal life in this way.

It may come as a surprise to some that Jesus did not define eternal life as something only to be gained when we die. He did not equate it with a heavenly reward.

In fact, Jesus did not equate eternal life as some kind of endless extension of the present life with its hurts and hang-ups.

More Than Time, a Relationship

Jesus defined eternal life in terms of a relationship, not a length of time. He defined it as knowing God the Father and Jesus Christ, the One sent to us. If eternal life is defined in terms of a relationship then we are not merely awaiting for Christ’s return or our death. Far from passivity, eternal life is an active, engaging relationship with our Creator, Redeemer, and Savior.

As we come to God’s Word our expectation should be a greater relational knowledge of God. This is how Paul expressed it, “My goal is to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death” (Philippians 3:10). Such knowledge is gained over time by walking with God.

Think about this kind of relational knowledge in the context of marriage. (If you are single think about a couple you admire for their love and the longevity of their relationship.) When a couple says “I do” on their wedding day, it is because they are in love and committed to one another. They love each other because of what they know of each other. It is new, fresh, and exciting.

Compare this with a couple that has been married for 30, 40, or 50 years. Their marriage has weathered seasons and storms. They have raised children together, perhaps to adulthood. They have been through better, worse, sickness, health, temptation, aggravation, sin, and forgiveness. In short, they have experienced life for a long time. It is not uncommon to hear one or the other say, “I love her so much more than the day we got married.”

How can this be? Were they holding back in those early days? Not at all. Love increases with knowledge of another person and knowledge increases with shared experiences of life.

Developing Relational Depth

In the same way, our knowledge of God increases the longer we walk with Him. We learn His faithfulness, come to expect His intervention, understand His timing, increase in faith, and experience His mercy, love, and forgiveness.

This, according to Jesus, is eternal life. It is this kind of relational depth of soul that carries into eternity itself. It is this kind of life the hymn writer called “a foretaste of glory divine.”

This growth in the knowledge of God comes from the same gracious working of Christ by which we were called and saved.

One of the reasons I am excited about serving as Editor of the Bible Studies For Life Curriculum Series, being released this fall, is because of our commitment to disciple people about knowing, growing, and loving Jesus Christ. Bible Studies for Life is very committed to discipling people of all ages into the likeness of Jesus Christ. This involves knowing, growing, and loving Him.

Our growth in relational knowledge of God is not dependent on our strength or positive thinking. It is a result of Jesus’ gracious, continuing work in our lives. We grow in our relationship with Christ because His grace is sufficient for saving us, growing us, keeping us and, ultimately, presenting us to the Father.

Yours For The Great Commission,

Ronnie Floyd