3 Key Differences Between Knowing About Jesus And Knowing Jesus
Following Jesus can be difficult. Contrary to popular belief, experiencing that difficulty actually means you’re following him.
But in order to follow Jesus, we must know Jesus in some way. And knowing about someone is not the same as actually knowing them. In fact, Scripture even says “You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.” That doesn’t sound good…
Below are three key differences between knowing about Jesus and actually knowing Jesus. These subtle differences can make all the difference in the world.
1. You know Jesus was a “good person” but aren’t sure what he actually said or did that was good
It’s generally believed that Jesus was a good person. He treated everyone with love and respect and told everyone else to do the same thing. At least you’re pretty sure he said and did something along those lines.
But calling Jesus a good person is tricky since he wasn’t your typical good guy for one very big reason; he said some radical stuff about who he was and what he came to do.
It’s one thing to live and teach about caring for the poor and marginalized. But that’s not all he did. He also said and did things he claimed proved he was the savior of the world. Not only that, but he also said things like no one can know and experience God unless they know him.
In fact, we can’t claim that Jesus was a typical good guy at all unless we take him at his word. As C.S. Lewis has famously put, Jesus is either a lunatic, liar, or Lord.
He was crazy and delusional about who he was if he was wrong about who he was. Plus, none of us put people who proclaim themselves to God in the flesh in the “good person” category. We think they are either crazy or a liar; or both. And if Jesus was a liar about the central message of who he was and what he came to do, he would be anything but good.
To know Jesus is to know that he came to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. He is good not simply because of his words and his deeds, he is good because he offers the grace and mercy of God that we could never acquire on our own.
2. You know going to church is what Christians do, but why it’s good is different than you think
Because we often view God in our image instead of who he actually is, we portray on to him the thoughts and attitudes we have ourselves. For example, if someone does good things for us we want to pay them back in some way. If someone wrongs us, we can justify all sorts of mistreatment towards them because they “deserve” it.
Most of us (rightly) assume that God cares about how we live. This means we also assume we must do things to keep him happy with us. Going to church must be one of those things, so we go to make sure we stay on his good side.
But this is not the real reason involvement in a local community of believers is important. It’s not important so that we can check a box saying we have done our religious duties. It’s important because we need one another to encourage us to continue following Jesus and be the type of person he has called us to be.
For example, in the New Testament there are 59 “one another” statements. We are told to care for one another, pray for one another, encourage one another, grieve with one another, etc. In other words, church involvement gives us a community where we can actually practice these things.
It’s easy to say we should give grace to one another, it’s another thing to commit yourself to a community where you have to practice it with people who will let you down.
“Going to church” is not about what’s in it for us. It’s about creating rhythms in our life that help us refocus on who Jesus is, what he has done for us, and what he is inviting us into.
3. You know “good” people go to heaven, but what makes them good is not what you think
Because God cares about how he live it’s easy to assume how we live determines whether we will be with him when we die or not. But there’s a problem with that assumption.
Think about how arrogant it is (though often unintended) to assume that we can somehow impress the creator of the entire universe that we did enough good things to earn our way into his Kingdom. God is not impressed by us nor does he need us for anything. So this presents a problem; what does it take to “go to heaven?” (Heaven, by the way, isn’t the final place where believers go, but that’s another post for another day…)
Here’s what it says in the Biblical book of Ephesians:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world… But God, who is rich in mercy, because of his great love that he had for us, made us alive with Christ even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace… For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— not from works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time for us to do.
What makes us good? Jesus makes us good. Those who trust and follow Jesus receive his perfection and righteousness. This means when we fall short, we are still completely loved and accepted by God. We are good because God is good, not because we have crossed some imaginary line of goodness that makes heaven now accessible to us. The best news? Anyone is welcome to receive the grace of God through Christ.
