The most terrifying words—those that all Christians desire least to hear—are: ‘I know you not!’ (Matthew 7:23; 25:12). These words will be spoken not to unbelievers, pagans, or atheists, but to those who bore God’s name, performed important works, opposed evil spirits, and worked great miracles.
During one period of my life, I had close fellowship with people who were doing God’s work and experiencing success and evident blessings in it. Yet alongside all this, there was a strange spirit of criticism toward those who thought and lived differently. It seemed that only two opinions existed: theirs and the wrong one. We had to part quietly. I could not reconcile these two opposing realities until the Lord helped me understand a simple truth: deeds must be separated from people. God does not forbid evil people to perform good deeds or good people to commit evil. But He judges every deed justly, evaluating it according to the measure of love invested in it.
Pride or self-exaltation arising from success in God’s work is repulsive to God.
Jesus warned His followers that not everyone who accomplishes something in His name will be received by Him into the Eternal Kingdom. The Lord explained this by saying that He does not know those people. How can this be? What does it mean? A person cannot cast out demons, work miracles, or prophesy by his own power. And if we examine the matter, God knows all of us by name and is always with us from the moment of conception until death. How, then, can He say that He does not know us?
Let me give an example and ask a question: ‘Which of you knows me personally?’ I think some readers have seen me and spoken with me. Let me ask it differently: ‘Who knows me as a close friend?’ Here you will not be able to answer positively, because I know all my close friends and can set my own perspective against your answer. Although I am open to friendship with everyone, not everyone accepts this offer.
I can tell you that Jesus is my closest Friend, that I have no one better than Him, that I live with Him in perfect harmony, and that I enjoy other benefits from this relationship. As you listen, you cannot contradict me because you do not know how to verify it. Against the background of my beautiful friendship with God, your own relationship may appear worthless to you. Unfortunately, we have a tendency to compare one thing with another.
But how does Jesus evaluate my declarations? He certainly knows what kind of friends we truly are. If He says that He does not know me, He will be right, and I will prove to be a liar.
Let us examine what ‘I know you not’ means.
The Lord knows us better than anyone. He knows what we are made of, our thoughts, our past, and our future. He has books in which everything concerning us is recorded. But as I study the Bible, I also notice that the Lord calls me to know Him as a Friend, as a Husband, and as a Savior. He longs for a closer relationship with me in which He desires to reveal Himself.
Even Eternal Life is defined by knowing God and Jesus Christ, Whom He sent (John 17:3). This knowledge is distinctive because it implies deep comprehension, detailed exploration, a passionate desire to understand God’s character, and entrance into a personal, close, mutual relationship. There can be no casual knowledge here. Either this relationship exists, or it does not.
But God is invisible, and at times it is difficult to understand whether I am coming to know Him and whether He is coming to know me.
We can come to know God through nature, through reading the Bible, and through studying the life of Christ. He will reveal Himself to us everywhere. But how can I see whether I love Him and whether He knows me?
Jesus gave us the commandment to love one another. It entered the New Covenant and took effect at the time of Christ’s death. The Lord Himself is present within this command. He desires to know us personally in our relationship with Him. He identifies Himself with every human being and presents Himself in the person of each of us. A believer is God’s direct representative to this world. The Lord does not always reveal Himself to me in prayer, and I cannot always understand whether I have opened myself to Him. But our relationships with our friends in the faith reveal very clearly how close and friendly we are. Jesus taught that others would determine whether we are His disciples by our relationships of love (John 13:35). If we have fellowship with one another, we walk in the light, and the blood of Christ cleanses us from every sin.
God cannot accept my love for Him if I hate my brother in the faith at the same time.
Jesus desires to know me through my relationships with my friends. At the same time, He longs to know my friends through my love for them. In loving one another, we open our hearts so widely that we can spend an endless amount of time coming to know each other, discovering the many benefits of this process, and marveling at the treasures of the soul within each of us that do not lie upon the surface.
The depths of what we can reveal to one another rest beneath the reliable protection of human will and choice and remain inaccessible even to God without my personal permission. Unconditional, sincere love can easily open these doors and bring into the light of our relationship things that we do not even know about ourselves. When I give a friend the opportunity to know me and enter more deeply into my inner world, through this I also open my heart to God. It becomes easy for me to admit Him into my soul as well and share with Him the mysteries of how my inner world is arranged.
Revealing myself must not become indecent exposure. If I allow a close friend into my home, this does not mean that I may undress before him. Certain intimate areas must always remain within every heart that can be opened only to God, one’s spouse, or one’s physician.
Many believers will be surprised when they claim that the Lord belongs to them, and He answers that they served Him in the person of those around them.
My love for my friend and my friend’s love for me also contain God’s plan for preparation for the final events. In the message to Laodicea, I am offered love under the symbol of gold—love that must be shown to those around me and to my friends. Love for a friend implies a relationship with that friend, and a relationship of love implies knowing one another. We do not necessarily need agape in order to become acquainted. We may be polite and cheerful and may even risk opening ourselves to another person, hoping he will not cause pain. But then we step upon the same rake again and close ourselves forever. Agape, however, does no harm to another person. It is very careful and guards the secret of another heart, yet it also knows how to share wisely with others the beauty of the friend who has opened himself, doing so in a way that benefits him.
Love passes through trials, and in this fire it is cleansed from unnecessary impurities and dirt. By loving one another, we allow God to regenerate our hearts, make us sensitive, and place His hand upon our relationships, bringing His Spirit into them. Where love is, God is there. He will never leave us to love one another without Him. He will not give us Himself apart from Himself. By opening my heart to love, I give God authority to know me, and He allows me to know His name.
It saddens me to listen to those who say that they have known God but do not possess God’s love. I do not claim their love for myself, but the spirit of love is visible to everyone.
Bible Verses for Reflection
John 17:3; 1 John 1:6–7; Psalm 91:14–16; 1 Corinthians 2:16; 13:1–8; Matthew 5:14–16; 7:13–27; 25:11–13, 31–46; Luke 13:24–30; 2 Timothy 2:19; Ephesians 2:10; John 13:34–35; 16:2–3; 1 John 2:3–4, 13; 4:7–21.