Is there any more important question for us who believe In Jesus than this? Most of us know Jesus because we have been raised in the Christian faith. We only hear about Him, but we don’t truly know who Jesus is. So, do you really know Jesus?
Knowing Jesus recognizes he is the only true son of God who came down to earth to save the world from sinfulness. (John 3:16). God sent Jesus to redeem the world and preach about His kingdom. Jesus forms the basis of our faith as Christians. He is the Messiah who renewed the entire world and reconciled us with God Almighty. Jesus’ teachings, as recorded in the Bible, teach us how to grow spiritually and morally while coexisting with others worldwide.
So, what does it mean to know Jesus? What is the Key to knowing Jesus? Is knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus the same? How can I know Jesus better? Keep reading to learn more about these questions and others.
What does it mean to know Jesus?
To know Jesus means having a relationship with Him. To know demands that you abide in Him and let His will be done into your life. Jesus taught us that He is the way, the truth, and the life that anyone who wants to go to the Father (God) must first go through Him. (John 14:6)
Knowing Jesus means you are ready to share His passion and suffering. Jesus paid the price, so we saved the world. He came down to earth to proclaim the Kingdom of God but was met with human intimidation and humiliation that led to his crucifixion on the cross and ultimate death for the sake of our sins. Acknowledging that you know Jesus means that you are ready to share His passion on the cross, walk through the world’s resistant storms, and finally rejoice with Him in paradise.
Furthermore, knowing Jesus means accepting God as the source of all eternal life and the supreme leader of the entire universe. Jesus is the true son of God and shares the same power as God the Father, which brings salvation to the world. You must be ready to make God the Almighty the main priority to get to our final home of eternal life in heaven.
Additionally, to know Jesus demands that we repent of our sins and allow Him to reconcile us with God. Jesus loved us so much to the point that He accepted to die for the sake of our salvation. We must be ready and willing to detest all our sins and allow the will of God to manifest in our lives. Jesus is full of mercy and compassion. When we ask for pardon and grace, He is ready to fill all the areas that lack God’s grace.
What is the Key to truly knowing Jesus?
There are three main keys to knowing Jesus;
Accepting that Jesus is our Lord
Jesus must be the focal point in our hearts through which our faith in God is built. We must be ready to acknowledge that, indeed, He is our Messiah and that it is only through Him that we learn the attributes, character, and ways of God. Through His passion, our sins were washed away, and God restored our dignity in life. So, it is essential to crown Jesus as the source of our salvation and our Lord. (John 3:16)
The Key to asking God for forgiveness and forgiving others
Jesus taught that reconciliation is the only way we can receive our salvation in Christ (Matthew 6:14-15). We must acknowledge that we are weak in spirit, and for most of our time in the world, we fall short of God’s grace. Therefore, with a contrite heart, seek God’s pardon and mercy so that we may receive His blessings. Similarly, we must be ready and willing to forgive our fellow brothers and sisters who have wronged us. It is by reconciliation that we learn to know the real Jesus.
Fasting and prayer
Even Jesus only overcame worldly temptations through prayer and fasting. To know Jesus, you must be ready to sacrifice your time and make prayer a priority. Even Jesus taught us how to pray to God to receive His blessings (Matthew 6:9-17). Through prayer, we communicate with Jesus and learn His will for us. Denying ourselves and turning to God in prayer is a constant way to learn what Jesus can do for us in our lives. Believing in prayer to Jesus will make God’s love manifest in us.
Is knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus the same?
Knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus are two different things. Knowing Jesus means having a strong relationship with Him, abiding by His teaching, walking through His word, and accepting Him as the only true Messiah who came to save the world from its sinfulness. Believing that without Jesus’ the world wouldn’t have been as it is and that we would still be in a state of defiance and sinfulness. Acknowledging that Jesus is the source of our liberty in the world by dying for our sins on the cross is knowing Jesus.
However, knowing about Jesus simply refers to learning or passively getting to know who Jesus is and not having a close relationship with Jesus. Knowing about Jesus is like reading the daily news in our newspapers without having much to do with it. It means that one has not been saved again in the belief that Jesus is the true son of God and that by His passion, the world received salvation.
How can I know Jesus better?
To know Jesus better, one needs to learn about His character, attributes, and His way of life through;
Reading about Him in the Holy Scriptures.
Different authors in our Bibles well record the life and ministry of Jesus. We get to learn of Him before and after He was born with an account of how He lived and related with the people on the earth. Through the Bible, we also learn of the passion of Christ. He taught about the Kingdom of God and what it takes to be a child of God. Through the Bible, we learn of Jesus as the one and only true son of God who came down to the earth as a source of our salvation from the bondage and slavery of sin.
Talking to Him in Prayer
Communicating with Jesus will help you learn and know Jesus better. He is ready to listen and answer our prayers. Jesus says that whatever we ask for in my name while believing in prayer shall be granted to us. (Mark 11:24). We must ask Him for forgiveness and mercy whenever we feel we have gone astray and lacked His grace. Jesus is ready to forgive our sins and restore our souls to Christ.
Make Him the most important part of our life.
To know Jesus better, we must learn to make Him the main priority of our lives. He is our Lord through whom the world has been redeemed. He understands us best because He was human and lived among us. He intercedes for us unto the Father and allows us to enter into the Kingdom of God to realize everlasting life in heaven.
References
What does it mean to know Jesus?
Is knowing Jesus and knowing about Jesus the same?
What is the Key to knowing Jesus?
As a devout Christian, I have always been passionate about the Christian faith. This inspired me to pursue a degree in Religious studies and a Masters in Theology in college. I have also been privileged to teach 4 Christian courses in a college and university. Since I am dedicated to spreading the word of God, I am actively involved in the Church. Additionally, I share his word online and cover diverse topics on the Christian faith through my platform. You can read more about me on the about us page.
