Growing = Knowing

2 Peter 1:8, “For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

First and foremost, all the qualities Peter describes in the first chapter of his second letter are there so that we can have a fruitful relationship – not with one another, though this is a consequence, but with Christ Himself. Faith, moral excellence, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love are all there in support of us individually having a subjective relationship to the Son of God.

I discussed in “Growing – Knowledge” that are objective knowledge supplies the ultimate subjective knowledge. We learn about Christ before we learn Christ via a continuous awareness of Him and His presence.

Think of this in context of Matthew 7:22-23. Here Jesus is talking of Himself judging the world. He says, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, I never knew you…” Again looking at the original Greek we see the “knew” is an intimate knowledge.

So many religions and doctrines try to impose on their followers this idea of performance as necessary for entering heaven. Impossible standards of “holiness” and sin free living are raised only to have a people pretend in public to be something they are not. Jesus is saying here, if you want to get to heaven… then We need to get to know each other. The godly living follows the encounter, it does not precede it.

We start down a trial of clues leading us to Christ. And when we truly encounter Him then we see what the real standard is. It is the interaction with the Real Thing that shines on the errors of our ways and causes the conforming of our character to the image of Christ.

We will not be judged on church attendance, the number of mission trips we make, or the amount of hours we spend volunteering. Our eternal fate will not be based on dollars given or the number of prayers prayed. Our eternal fate lies in did we know Jesus.  Yes knowing Him will lead to church, volunteering, praying, and giving… but that is the cart and Jesus is the horse.

Let the cry of your heart be to know Christ. Let your prayers be to truly know Him. Allow Christ’s words in John 10:27 to come alive in you where He says, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me…”