A Ramble About "Do You Know God?"

This question has so many implications and connotations to it that it is, more than most, an extremely loaded one. Another one, along the same lines, is no less fraught with meaning, "do you know Jesus?" The real question being asked is "are you saved?" And more to the point, "do you belong to the same Church, or do you follow the same theology that I do?"

The thing that doesn't seem to be on the mind of those who ask is what the question really means according to the Bible. This is ironic, because it is generally only asked by those of the "Bible Christian" persuasion. What the question means according to the Holy Scriptures is "do you love?" And the Holy Scriptures are quite explicit about this meaning in St. John's first letter, and in the thirteenth chapter of 1st Corinthians.

According to the Holy Scriptures, if someone doesn't love they don't know God, nor can they. It's simply not possible. If someone says they know God, and yet hate their brother, they are either lying or don't know what they're talking about to begin with. You can't know God through studying doctrine, or memorizing Scripture. While these may contribute to the goal of knowing Him, they cannot bring it about. They are the means to an end, they are not the end of themselves. If you do not love, it doesn't matter if you have the entire Bible memorized and are a theological Jedi Master, you neither know Him nor can know Him. It doesn't matter what kind of a profession of faith you have made or to whom. It doesn't matter what kind of good works you may or may not have done. Nothing else matters. If you do not practice love for the other person, any other person, than you do not know Him. God cannot be known by thinking about Him. He can only be known by loving Him, being loved by Him, and having His love flow through you to other people. If you don't love, you don't "get" God. It's as simple as that.

The implications of this are profound and should be disturbing to the great many people who ask this question to other people. How many people who ask this question of others hold prejudices, grudges, or try to one up the other person next to them? How many people who ask this question of others don't ask themselves the same question on a daily basis because they're taught they don't have to once they make a profession of faith?

The great failure in the prayer life and the practice of discipleship of many people is the flippancy with which this single most important command Jesus gave is treated. "Well, it's something I'm going to just have to learn and grow into but I'm not there yet." But no one treats it seriously enough to give it the time to. Jesus stressed it. Love. It's the single most important thing in the Christian life and practice. It's the lynchpin upon which everything else hangs. Compassion and care for others at least as much as what you show for yourself if not more. If that lynchpin isn't present, everything comes apart and you have nothing. You don't know Him. Jesus taught to love God, love one another, love the stranger, and love your enemies. There's no one left to hate, and St. John was explicit about what hating meant. It meant you were on par with a murderer and couldn't possibly know Him. Love is the first thing which must be learned and mastered, everything else can wait.

"Do you know God?" I truly have to wonder upon seeing the lives of the people who ask the question.