Articles
Know the LORD - 1 Cor 8
Know the LORD - 1 Cor 8
In 1Corinthians 8, Paul speaks to the idea the world does not KNOW God. He had stated earlier that the world, with all the wisdom of the philosophers and great men, did NOT KNOW THE LORD (1Cor. 1:21). Paul explains the downfall of the world was that “even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures” (Romans 1:21-23). They not only lost the knowledge OF God, they ceased to know God!
Little words can make a big difference in the meaning of a thought. We are not only to know “THAT”, but we are to KNOW HIM. True, such knowing God begins with knowing ABOUT God, (i.e., knowing ‘that’), but then you must live with Him, walk with Him, experience Him, you must KNOW HIM.
Consider, a young man notices a young woman. He does a Google search and learns all the facts of her biography. Yet, after collecting all of this knowledge ABOUT her, he doesn’t KNOW her. It takes more than knowledge ABOUT her.
So it is with God. “Taste and see” that the LORD is good. Come, walk in his pathways and learn to KNOW GOD. Through such knowing, we grow to love the Lord with all of our hearts, soul, and mind.
Through His word, God had revealed himself to Israel. After many generations, the LORD declared: "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the Lord.” (Jeremiah 9:23-24) The highest knowledge is to KNOW GOD.
This statement was prefaced with the fact that Israel DID NOT KNOW THE LORD (cp. Jer. 2:8; 4:22; 9:3,6). They had forsaken Him and worshiped and served the idols. This was an ancient problem that had plagued many generations of God’s people. The problem during the period of the judges: they did not know the LORD (Jud. 2:10). The downfall of Eli’s sons started with the fact that “they did not know the LORD” (1Sam. 2:12). God states through Hosea that “my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge”.
Now, through the judgements pronounced by Jeremiah and the other prophets, they would know. They would know THAT the Lord is GOD. They would be judged with the goal to bring them to repentance, to returning to walk with God. THEN they would KNOW THE LORD.
Jesus proclaimed: "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3) Yet the old problem was still there: they did not KNOW GOD. Jesus said earlier: "You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also" (John 8:19).
Do you know God? Do you know Jesus?
Hugh DeLong
