To Know Jesus & Make Him Known

“Once you become aware that the main business that you are here for is to know God, most of life’s problems fall into place of their own accord.”
J. I. Packer

“But to enjoy Him we must know Him. Seeing is savoring. If He remains a blurry, vague fog, we may be intrigued for a season. But we will not be stunned with joy, as when the fog clears and you find yourself on the brink of some vast precipice.”
John Piper

“If we know God and are known by Him, we have access to gaining control of our bodies in holiness and honor. But it will never occur apart from Him...apart from Jesus, we can do nothing. We are not able to stand against our flesh. But He is. We are like barnacles clinging to a whale – we get nowhere, and no sustenance, without Him. Unless we cling to the Mighty Host, we die.”
Rachel Gilson

Gaining a greater understanding of and getting to know Jesus Christ intimately should be the profound goal for many Christians. Likewise, the journey should include sharing that close relationship with others. These two pursuits are not just theological ideas but should be at the heart of every believer’s path. At Equipped Church, one of our greatest vision and value is To Know Jesus and Make Him Known. So, today, we will look at Scripture to understand what it really means to know Christ and to uncover the problems with having only a superficial knowledge of Him. We will also explore how a deeper relationship with Jesus can powerfully impact our lives.

The Pursuit of Knowing Christ
To start this pursuit, Jesus Himself states in John 17:3 (ESV), “And this is eternal life, that they know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” Here, Christ makes a vital connection that our journey is not merely intellectual understanding but rather a profound, personal, and life-changing relationship. Knowing Jesus means to genuinely plunge deep into His character, words, and saving work. To know Jesus means being reshaped from the inside out and tapping into His power, identifying with His suffering, and being transformed into His image. Paul powerfully highlights these aspects and voices his yearning in Philippians 3:10 (ESV), “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and may share His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.” But it is also being empowered to stand firm and take action in our faith as Daniel 11:32 (ESV) emphasizes, “But the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Each of these verses underscores the pivotal role knowledge has in believers’ lives but it is the intimate, experiential knowledge of God, the kind that cultivates a deeper relationship with Him. It surpasses head knowledge and rituals and highlights the importance of a heart-centered knowledge of God. As Hosea 6:6 (ESV) states, “For I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice, the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.” Thus, it is about nurturing an abiding love relationship with Him that penetrates our innermost being.

Partial Knowledge: A Potential Pitfall
Yet challenges arise on the Christian path. One of the most deceptive is partial knowledge of Jesus. Trying to complete a complex puzzle with only a handful of pieces illustrates the danger of partial knowledge about Jesus. When we separate Christ into selective traits, prioritizing some over others, we end up with a distorted picture of who He really is. Partial knowledge happens when we are content with a shallow understanding of Christ, zeroing in on certain traits while ignoring His fullness. The result is a warped picture of Jesus that stunts our spiritual maturity. For example, some focus on Jesus as a healer and provider but ignore His call to discipleship and self-sacrifice. Others see Him solely as Savior while downplaying His identity as the eternal Son of God and Lord. These unbalanced views lead to flawed theology. They prevent us from accurately representing Christ to others. To truly know Christ, we must pursue Him wholeheartedly, not selectively. A complete knowledge of Jesus transforms us wholly into His likeness. To make Jesus known, we must seek out all the missing pieces. We need a comprehensive understanding of Christ in all His power, glory, and humanity. Only then can we share the fullness of who He is.

Scriptural Warning Against Partial Knowledge
The Bible itself warns against incomplete knowledge of Jesus. In 1 Corinthians 13:12 (ESV), Paul states, “For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” Here Paul describes our knowledge of God and His ways as incomplete and limited likening this partial knowledge to seeing a dim reflection in a mirror, like the Corinthian’s bronze mirrors known for their imperfections. Spiritual gifts like tongues, prophecy, and knowledge only provide a glimpse of what can be known about God. As Paul wrote in Romans 11:33- 34 (ESV), “Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and how inscrutable His ways! ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been His counselor?’”
While we can search for and gain knowledge through God’s Word, our knowledge will never be able to fully encompass God. Though partial now, our knowledge of Christ will one day be made whole. As we seek to know Him deeply, we can trust this process will be completed. Our limited view today will give way to full clarity in eternity. But after Christ’s coming, when the church reaches full maturity like Him, we will see God face-to-face and know Him personally instead of through partial revelation. Paul adds we will know God and His ways then as fully as He knows us now. God’s knowledge has no limits because He comprehends everything about us, even what we do not even grasp about ourselves. When God comes to live among us (Revelation 21:1-5), we will finally know completely, just as He fully knows us in this moment.

The Quest for Fullness
To overcome the dangers of partial knowledge, we must actively seek full knowledge by humbly admitting the limits of our comprehension of Jesus. This means nurturing an intense yearning to plumb the depths of His essence through dedicated study of Scripture, contemplating His words, and embracing all of God’s truth. In Ephesians 3:18-19, Paul implores believers to grasp the expansive dimensions of Christ’s love so that they “May have strength to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God” (ESV). Paul urges us to pursue an intimate knowledge of Christ’s love, one that transcends intellectual facts and human boundaries. When we wholeheartedly devote ourselves to knowing Jesus, our understanding will grow from partial to abundant, life-changing truth.

Making Him Known: The Natural Outflow
As we deepen our knowledge of Jesus, transformation occurs within us, and we evolve into conduits of His love, grace, and truth to a hurting world. Sharing Christ ceases to feel obligatory. Instead, it flows naturally from our bond with Him. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus cautions about individuals who perform miracles in His name yet lack an authentic relationship with Him, crying “Lord, Lord,” as He states, “I never knew you.” Thus, we must not reduce knowing Jesus to an empty ritual devoid of personal connection but instead ground it in genuine faith and service. Knowing Christ must saturate our innermost selves so that when our lives become fully rooted in Him, making Him known will stem from intimate love, not hollow duty. Our goal is to reflect His light to all through the richness of our understanding.

A Journey Worth Taking
Seeking to intimately know Jesus and make Him known is a worthwhile pursuit; a journey transforming us into the likeness of our Savior. By avoiding partial knowledge and embracing His fullness, we evolve into effective messengers to a lost, hurt, and broken world. Therefore, let us continuously and earnestly pursue deeper intimacy with the One who is life itself. As we do, we will come to know Jesus more completely and be better positioned to reflect His love and grace accurately to the world. Getting to know Christ and making Him known is an odyssey into abundant life. When we follow it wholeheartedly, we experience the unmatched joy of knowing Jesus fully and showing His reality to others. There is no higher calling.