To Know The Only True God
John 17:3 (ESV) says, “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”
What does it mean to know the only true God? What does it mean to have eternal life from knowing God? How do we receive Christ and, therefore, receive life?
The more I search out the things of God, the more questions I have. The more I consider the kingdom of heaven, the more I find myself confronted with unexplainable mysteries. Sometimes, I think, these wonders are meant to remain ambiguous. Perhaps the answer to such questions is not the goal but rather the lessons that are taught in the pondering.
Can I ever fully know the depths of God’s love? Of course not! This is an unsearchable aspect of God’s nature. Yet as I contemplate the grace of God, his mercy toward me, his sacrifice on the cross, his presence in my life, and many other things I cannot grasp, I grow deeper in my conviction that God is love. I can be veiled to the fullness of God’s love but still grow deeper in my knowledge of his love. It is in my pursuit of such fullness that I move forward at all.
Perhaps the pursuit of such things in God is not about finding a destination or a result in our faith but about having a clarified vision for that which is not of the kingdom of God. While my worship might elevate God’s power in my view to some degree, it also diminishes the power of darkness all around me. Could it be that worship is as much about ridding ourselves of every false idol as it is about adoring the one true God? At least on this side of heaven where deception, temptation, and idolatry are ever-present? In other words, could the secret to elevating worship be found not in what we add to our praise but in what we remove?
What does it mean to know the only true God? I don’t think there is an answer that satisfies us in a moment. Any true answer that could be proposed is only sufficiently understood and verified through a lifetime of growth. In the absence of opposition, Yahweh stands out. But our eyes are clouded in the presence of other gods. Our minds are deceived by the presence of other ideologies and powers. Who can claim to discern the true God from a false god at a glance? Like Moses confronting Pharoah with ten plagues displaying God’s power, I think we only discover the one true God as he is victorious over every other god.
How much greater is our faith when we allow ourselves to see God overcome all other powers? How much deeper is our holiness when we set God as an opposer to every false thing within us? Perhaps the only true path to holiness is a conglomeration of experiences in seeking God. “Taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8).
We will never fully understand all there is to know about God, but we are still called to look toward him continually. To always sharpen our vision. To come back again and again to the altar of prayer, word, and worship and declare that he is our God. Each time, we are renewing our faith before the Father. Each time, we are shedding the things of this world and laying down our other idols. Each time, we are entering into eternal life with Christ.
