Knowing God
1. Theoretical knowledge is not enough
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III begins by explaining that many think they know God simply because they know His attributes or study theology, but this is intellectual knowledge that does not lead to salvation. Even the demons know and believe in God but do not live with Him.
2. True knowledge is a living relationship
The knowledge Christ desires is a heartfelt knowledge that leads to love, as He said in John 17: “That the love with which You loved Me may be in them, and I in them.” Any knowledge that does not bear love is false knowledge.
3. Knowledge begins with personal experience
True knowledge begins with divine fellowship, when man lives with God and experiences His work in his life. Then God reveals Himself and His mysteries, making knowledge a divine gift rather than mere study.
4. A person can be outwardly near to God but not know Him
The Pope likens some people to a camel carrying books without understanding them, or a printing press that prints the Bible without reading it. Likewise, those who serve God without living in communion with Him are busy with the house of God but not with God Himself.
5. Knowing God leads to repentance and love
Those who truly know God do not easily sin, for they see God before them as Joseph said, “How can I do this great evil and sin against God?” Scripture says, “He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar.”
6. Growth in knowledge
Knowing God is not a single moment but a journey that begins on earth and continues in eternity. The more we know God, the more we love Him; and the more we love Him, the more we know Him.
7. Knowing God through living, not words
The Word of God calls us to “taste and see that the Lord is good,” meaning to experience Him through love, faith, and obedience, not only by thought. The mind alone cannot comprehend the infinite God.
8. Spiritual conclusion
True knowledge of God appears in behavior, holiness, and obedience, because God is known only through love. Whoever loves God and keeps His commandments enters into an eternal knowledge that begins now and is perfected in heaven.
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