Knowing the True God?

Reading from Jeremiah 9:23-24, in The Holy Bible, New International Version, 2011 (NIV, 2011), God’s Revelation to the prophet is expressed as follows:

«This is what the LORD says:
“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the LORD, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,
declares the LORD»
(capitalization renders NIV 2011 small caps).

Paul applies to the believers in Corinth what Jeremiah had written concerning the fact that knowing God is the only valid reason for anyone to ever be boasting about. Here is how Paul expresses it in 1 Corinthians 1:26-31 (NIV, 2011):

«Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – and the things that are not – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him. It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God – that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”»

Every one must choose his or her sources of pride, either in the realm of natural wisdom or in the realm of God’s wisdom. The former which can be acquired by observation and experience is sometimes accompanied by prestigious university diplomas and professional careers. The later has been manifested in Christ Jesus the Son of God. This Jesus was described by Paul as being the Wisdom of God for us. It is through this wisdom that we can receive the privilege to be declared just, and the strength to live as God wishes us to live, as well as the freedom to be able to choose to turn away from sin through God’s Spirit.

In 1 John 5:20 (NIV, 2011), the apostle John specifies this about Jesus:

«We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.»

The question «Knowing the True God?» asked by this web page’s title can be made more explicit: «Is it really possible for us today to know the true God?» For the apostle John and for his first readers, the answer to this question was definitely «yes». 1 John 5:20 also helps us realize that such understanding comes from the Son of God.

I do hope that the friends of www.savoiretcroire.ca who are interested in this question will find on this site texts that will help them move in that direction. But nothing can replace reading the Bible for oneself in an attitude of prayer, asking God to give us the needed understanding to know the only true and living God.

Please do have a peek at 100huntley – YouTube
(from Home – 100 Huntley Street
previously 100 Huntley Street – Life Changing Stories):

• Where is God when it Hurts?, Philip Yancey, March 5, 2014;
• The Question that Never Goes Away – Why?, Philip Yancey, January 14, 2014.

Other articles from Savoir et croire .ca that might be of interest to you:

Complementary articles from Savoir et croire .ca:

• Listening to the Bible, Why not?
• About Jesus Being God;
• Looking towards Christ;
• God’s Grace Working in my Life;
• Intelligence and Christian Faith.

You wish to get involved and discuss about life-related subject matters, feel free to join our trilingual Community of dialog about the Christian Faith (French, English, Spanish).

Daniel Garneau, B Th, B Com, MA.
May 11, 2016; January 5, 2018; July 2, 2018.
Correction of obsolete URL links and corresponding text: October 12, 2023.