There are many who think they know who God is. They have formed an idea of God in their minds—perhaps their parents taught them something about God; perhaps they had some exposure to religion in their youth; perhaps they like to think of “someone out there.”
Knowing God is important because God is our Maker. One day, whether we like it or not, we will stand before Him. It is important for us to know God before we finally meet Him.
We cannot search out God through natural reason. Neither science nor philosophy can discover Him. If we are to know Him—and we must know Him—He must reveal Himself to us. The good news is that God has revealed Himself to His creation. He has done so in an unmistakable way.
First, He has revealed Himself in the created order. Scripture says that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). The creation so clearly displays God that we are “without excuse” if we fail to recognize God in His creation (Romans 1:20). However, the creation is not sufficient to give a saving knowledge of God. A man can contemplate the creation—its order and its beauty—and he can learn something about the Creator, but such contemplation will never reveal to us the way of salvation. In fact, Scripture says that through the creation “the wrath of God is revealed from heaven” (Romans 1:18).
Second, He has revealed Himself in the Bible. The Bible is no ordinary book. It claims to be—and shows itself to be—the Word of God. Christians believe that God has spoken in His Word, the Holy Scriptures. Over many centuries, God revealed Himself to chosen men—called prophets and apostles—who recorded what God said as a permanent record. The Scriptures tell us who God is, what He has done, and the Scriptures reveal to us the way of salvation. The Scriptures are a light shining in a dark place, teaching us who God is.
Third, and related to the second point, God has revealed Himself in Jesus Christ. In Jesus Christ, we know God. Outside of Jesus Christ, no one can know the true God. And the knowledge of Jesus Christ is recorded in the Scriptures. Jesus said of the Scriptures, “they testify of me” (John 5:39).
Is the knowledge of God important? It is of the utmost importance. Jesus Christ said, “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John 17:3). Do you know the true God?