“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
When we begin to know Jesus, we are referring to a relationship with Him. Being a Christian is more than just knowing aboutHim. It is knowing Him on a personal basis. We may have a favorite movie actor, and we collect pictures of them and watch every movie that they have made. We may collect memorabilia about them. We may have even gotten their autograph. But, do you really know them? The answer is probably no. The relationship with them is not a personal one.
We can get to know Jesus on a personal basis. We do this by spending time reading scripture and through prayer. In the New Testament we have read about who Jesus is. “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 5:20).
The difference between the movie actor and Jesus is the actor is just that—an actor. He lives in a make-believe world. Jesus is a real person who doesn’t act or live in a make-believe world. The actor gets paid for his work; Jesus paid the price for our sins. When we put our trust in Jesus, we become part of His family. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12). Will an actor do that for you?
There are many who know about Jesus, but do they really know Him? People will read the Bible, attend church, and even memorize scriptures, but do they really know Jesus? Even though we may do these things, it doesn’t mean that we know Jesus. “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:8–9).
It can be very easy for us to do these things because we may not be true Christians. We allow man to inject his false teachings into our churches and our lives. That is why it is important to find a church that teaches what Jesus taught. Ministries are doing this very thing; they are not putting Jesus first. Instead of making Jesus the central focus, they are putting man in the center and Jesus revolves around them. Non-Christian things don’t work. Jesus things don’t work. Only a true relationship with Jesus works.
Until we make Jesus the Lord of our lives, we are wasting our time. “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21). We are to accept His forgiveness of our sins in order to know who He is. We are to die to our sins. “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” (Romans 6:1–2).
We have died with Jesus, meaning that we are no longer in bondage to sin. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
When we surrender to Christ, we begin a close relationship with Him. “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death” (Philippians 3:10).
Notice that we are to conform to Him, not the other way around. When we recognize what Jesus taught us and begin to accept and repent, we will truly know who Jesus is. We have heard facts about Him; it is now time that we experience Jesus. Jesus is a real person, so to really know Him is to invite Him into our lives and ask Him to forgive us of our sins. Do you want to know Jesus? If so, ask Him to come into your life by accepting Him as your Saviour and begin to live a life for Him. Walk with Him in faith.