With all that Mud, what do we really KNOW? Part III

Continued from the Blog Post of 9/26/2018 & 10/19/2018. In this post we further explore the question – “What do each one of us really know about God? What is it I really know of Jesus?”

On this day we thank and pray God’s blessings upon our military service men and women – active and veteran for their sacrifice and protection. We can only wonder where this country would be without them?

Thank You!

However, with all deference and respect to our military, I often find that within the Christian community we mis-characterize our Christianity by prioritizing Christians as soldiers. Our salvation being for the purpose of marching out to capture others for Christ so that they can march out and gather more Christians.

In spite of the lyrics to some classic hymns, as far as I can tell, I don’t see anywhere in the New Testament that earthly followers of Jesus are referred to as soldiers or as His army. Revelation 19:19 refers to: Him who sat on the horse and . . . His army. But, that army seems to be a spiritual army different from human followers on earth. Still, it is clear that we fight a spiritual battle and a good fight. (1 Timothy 6:12 & 2 Timothy 4:7) often referencing the personal spiritual battles we face.

In Lord of the Rings there are warrior monsters known as Orcs. Orcs are the species that form the loyal army of the dark lord Sauron, They use their ability to spawn rapidly to overwhelm their enemies. In the movie you see them raise up out of the slimy MUD. They have no mind of their own and have no relationship to the Dark Lord. Their only purpose is to be ordered to march into battle.

We, as Christians, are not Orcs. Yes, we are created in Christ Jesus for good works but the key is that we are being shaped/transformed by our relationship with Christ Jesus (Ephesians 2:10). We too often skip over the purpose of salvation to bring each individual of God’s creation into a right relationship with God – for His pleasure and for ours. It is then that this saving relationship is extended out to the world. It is when we have experienced or KNOW something of the relationship that our knowledge can be spilled out and most powerfully shared with others.

What do we really know?

The healing story in John 9 continues with the blind man, now healed running back for everyone to see that he is no longer blind. But, people that have known him all his life are confused as to who he is. Why? My guess is that when he began to wash his face and suddenly found that he could see, he excitedly ran back to where Jesus was. He didn’t continue washing his face which left the thick mud still dripping down, covering his face and making it hard for those who knew him to definitively identify who he was.

The people were confused. Was it him? But, the guy they knew was blind. They pepper him with questions. How did this happen? Who did this? Where is he?

In John 9: 8-12 – The Healed man answers the questions. Finally, when they ask where this man, Jesus is he replies, “I do not know.” The Blind man has testified to as much as he KNOWS.

It is interesting, that this episode about Jesus restoring the ability to see is also an exchange about what people testifying as to what they know. There are several Greek words translated as Know but this time the word “Know” is Eido – which also means to “to see” or to perceive with the eyes. Just as often as being translated as “to know”, it is translated as “to see”, with the idea that to see something is to know something. (I won’t know it until I see it with my own eyes!)

This word, though, often refers to a very intimate knowledge such that it is not only sight but to know something by any of the senses. (It is a word often used referring to physical relations – for a man to “know” a woman). Examples of it’s use the Gospels:

• Matthew 5:16 – Let your light so shine before men, that they may see (intimately know) your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
• Matthew 9:6 – But that you may know (intimately see) that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins.

The episode continues in John 9:13-17 where the healed man is interrogated by the Pharisees and he testifies as to what he knows. The Pharisees then ask him what he thinks of who Jesus is. Based on his experience with Jesus, he testifies as to what He knows him to be saying, “He is a prophet (Prophetes – which can simply mean a man filled with the Spirit of God).”

In John 9:18-21 – The Pharisees then interrogate the healed man’s parents. They repeatedly testify as to what they know and don’t know using the word Eido (Intimately see/understand).

Finally, in verse 24 it says – So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know (Eido- intimately see/understand) that this Man is a sinner.” Here the Pharisees are giving false testimony to something that they do not really know.

This leads to what, in my estimation, is one of the all-time great testimonies from one who has experienced the reality of the saving grace of Jesus Christ found in verse 25 – He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know (Eido- intimately see/understand) . One thing I know (Eido- intimately see/understand) . . .

that though I was blind, now I see.”

Once Again the blind man reports what he absolutely KNOWS about what Jesus did and finally distills it to the most irrefutable testimony.

The question for us is: What do we KNOW of our walk with Christ that we can testify to – that we Eido – intimately see/understand? It is all well and good when we share our faith and belief but how much more powerful is it when we substantiate it by what we KNOW to be true? 1 Timothy 2:4 states – who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge (Epignosis – precise and correct knowledge) of the truth.

I like to think I am a writer. I’ve written several novels and I have several more in the works. Early on and even now when I share with friends what I am doing, some who are marketing oriented (with very kind intentions) will immediately start talking about all the ways they can think of to promote or market or get the word out on my books. Yet, they have not read my books and have no knowledge of them. So how do you go about promoting that which you do not KNOW?

When my wife and I first came to Christ we were at a Christian concert and after the concert a young longhaired kid (Now, the bald Greg Laurie) came out and shared the message and gave the invitation. I thought, “What does this kid KNOW?”

He challenged the crowd to step out in faith and follow Jesus for the rest of our lives. I thought, “Wow, you’re asking me to make a lifetime commitment to someone I don’t even know?”

Fortunately, by the the scriptures that were quoted, I had over my life, come to know that they were true. So I stepped forward with the belief that if this God is real then he would make himself known to me. The deal – I’ll step out in faith and you demonstrate you are real. (James 4:8a – Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.)

But, days afterword with our Bibles fresh in hand, we met with my wife’s childhood friend, Jim (a non-Christian) – a very smart guy who will debate anything and everything. We shared what happened to us and he grilled us about our faith. Once we demonstrated we knew very little he left telling us, “Boy, you guys better know what you’ve gotten yourself into!”

Truer words were never spoken. So, this has been an ongoing challenge for me that whatever I share with others I better know to be true for myself. All of who God is – His love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Knowing His grace, righteousness, truth, power and justice as well as his guidance for my life.

This Knowledge is based on Biblical truth as well as experientially stepping out in faith and knowing that God responds in very real ways – always corroborated and substantiated by the absolute truth found in His living, written word – the Bible.

Ultimately, we are encouraged to move even beyond any head knowledge to living out the Fruit of the Spirit. We must always move our knowledge from the head to the heart. (1 Corinthians 8:1, 2 Corinthians 8:7, 2 Peter 3:18)

I close with a quote from Dallas Willard – “Whatever your situation, there is nothing more important on earth than to dwell in the knowledge of Christ and to lovingly bring that knowledge to others.”

Today we salute our military for the freedoms they protect. Theirs is a righteous calling.

But, if we, as Christians are to be soldiers for Christ, our ability to win the battle is only based upon a deepening relationship with the one we know and the one who supplies all we need to win others to Him.