the answer: yes. not fully. but truly.

I had a conversation recently. The topic: Truly knowing God. Call it my moment of doubt. Call it a deep conversation. Either way, the answer mattered to me.

At the time, I felt like I was having a DTR moment with God. (Define the relationship.) That may sound super weird to you. But I was genuinely seeking affirmation that I knew God. I knew that He knew me. But did I know Him?

Why the doubt? What was causing this fear all of a sudden? I’m a verbal processor & so I began to share my thoughts. Later, this led to some reading & prayer & notes.

A.W. Tozer wrote, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us".

If you’ve ever wondered, do I truly know God, I hope this brings some clarity for you. May we know God well, know Him deeply, & know Him truly, as He is revealed in His Word.

Here’s what I learned:

We can never understand Him fully.

But we can know Him truly.

We can never understand him fully.

He is beyond searching or discovering.

The Lord is great and is highly praised; his greatness is unsearchable. Psalm 145:3

He is too great to ever be fully known.

Our Lord is great, vast in power; his understanding is infinite. Psalm 147:5

HE IS TOO GREAT TO BE UNDERSTOOD.

This wondrous knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. Psalm 139:6

The line:

We will never be able to know “too much” about God, for we will never run out of things to learn about him, & we will thus never tire in delighting in the discovery of more and more of his excellence and of the greatness of his works.

Wayne Grudem; Systematic Theology

We can know him truly.

WHAT CAN BE KNOWN ABOUT GOD IS PLAIN TO PEOPLE.

Since what can be known about God is evident among them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, that is, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen since the creation of the world, being understood through what he has made. As a result, people are without excuse. Romans 1:19-20

through God knowing us, we can begin to relate to and know God.

But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? Galatians 4:9

Through salvation, we receive personal knowledge of God.

This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and the one you have sent —Jesus Christ. John 17:3

THEY WILL ALL KNOW ME.

And each person will not teach his fellow citizen, and each his brother or sister, saying, “Know the Lord,” because they will all know me, from the least to the greatest of them. Hebrews 8:11

JESUS GIVES BELIEVERS UNDERSTANDING.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding so that we may know the true one. We are in the true one—that is, in his Son, Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. 1 John 5:20

The resurrection of Jesus provided the way to know the Lord.

But now, since you know God, or rather have become known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elements? Do you want to be enslaved to them all over again? Philippians 3:10

there’s a connection between knowing & keeping.

This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. 1 John 2:3

when we really experience God it will show by our love for one another.

The one who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

JESUS WILL ACKNOWLEDGE US BEFORE THE FATHER & IT IS HIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT THAT MATTERS.

Therefore, everyone who will acknowledge me before others, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. Matthew 10:32

The Line:

This is what the Lord says:

The wise person should not boast in his wisdom;
the strong should not boast in his strength;
the wealthy should not boast in his wealth.
But the one who boasts should boast in this:
that he understands and knows me—
that I am the Lord, showing faithful love,
justice, and righteousness on the earth,
for I delight in these things.
This is the Lord’s declaration.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

The Summary:

In the end, my initial thoughts & concerns weren’t exactly answered, but my work & faith were not in vain. I gained new insight & perspectives that are helping me move forward. I learned that “even though we cannot know God exhaustively, we can know true things about God.”

The idea that God will never be fully known wasn’t new to me. I’ve always had the understanding his thoughts & ways are higher (Isaiah 55:9) tucked into my brain. I am finite & He is infinite. There was an overlapping theme. We can know God, but we need Scripture to know & understand Him rightly. (Also not new.)

What was new: Choosing to agree with the evidence. It really is what it is. & who He is makes ALL the difference. 

The Christian life includes a personal relationship with Christ. We speak to him through prayer & he speaks to us through his Word. In-between, we have an awareness that he personally dwells among us & within us. It’s considered to be THE greatest blessing.

A note:

If somewhere along the way you found this to be discouraging, don’t be. To be discouraged would be to seek some level of intellectual achievement. But if our heart is to know God for who he truly is, this only brings about a joy-in-the-effort experience.

& I can’t help but think… who would God actually be if he was able to be fully known?

I’ll end with this:

Remember the quote from Tozer at the beginning? “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us". Read this catechism. It’s Truth I Know.

catechism. n. a summary of the principles of Christian religion in the form of questions and answers, used for the instruction of Christians.

QUESTION #1

What is our only hope in life & death?

That I am not my own,

but belong with body and soul,

both in life and in death,

to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ.

He has fully paid for all my sins

with his precious blood,

and has set me free

from all the power of the devil.

He also preserves me in such a way

that without the will of my heavenly Father

not a hair can fall from my head;

indeed, all things must work together for my salvation.

Therefore, by his Holy Spirit

he also assures me of eternal life

and makes me heartily willing and ready

from now on to live for him.

Heidelberg Catechism

this i know.

Resources:

• Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem

• The Knowledge of the Holy by A.W. Tozer

• The Bible