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Can I know Christ too well?

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Can the Christian ever know too much knowledge about Christ? Can he ever know too little?

Christ is our Savior, our Lord, our King. And like Him there is no other. It is because of Jesus—His person and work—that we have new life. Everything else this world has to offer us grows dim in the light of His glory and grace, does it not? As the apostle Paul once said, “I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ” (Philippians 3:8).

Consider these words from J.C. Ryle:

“He that would be conformed to Christ’s image, and become a Christ–like man, must be constantly studying Christ Himself. Now the Gospels were written to make us acquainted with Christ. The Holy Spirit has told us the story of His life and death, His sayings and His doings, four times over.

Four different inspired hands have drawn the picture of the Savior His ways, His manners, His feelings, His wisdom, His grace, His patience, His love, His power are graciously unfolded to us by four different witnesses. Ought not the sheep to be familiar with the Shepherd?

Ought not the patient to be familiar with the Physician? Ought not the bride to be familiar with the Bridegroom? Ought not the sinner to be familiar with the Savior? Beyond doubt it ought to be so.

The Gospels were written to make men familiar with Christ, and therefore I wish men to study the Gospels.

On whom must we build our souls if we would be accepted with God? We must build on the Rock, Christ. From whom must we draw that grace of the Spirit which we daily need in order to be fruitful? We must draw from the Vine, Christ.

To whom must we look for sympathy when earthly friends fail us or die? We must look to our elder Brother, Christ. By whom must our prayers be presented, if they are to be heard on high? They must be presented by our Advocate, Christ.

With whom do we hope to spend the thousand years of glory, and the after eternity? With the King of kings, Christ. Surely we cannot know this Christ too well!

Surely there is not a word, nor a deed, nor a day, nor a step, nor a thought in the record of His life, which ought not to be precious to us. We should labor to be familiar with every line that is written about Jesus.”

–John Charles Ryle, Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots (1877).

May God increase our desire for Him, through Christ and by His Spirit. And may we be driven to dig our noses deeper into His Word as we seek His face like no other.

Comments

  1. Just a thought on the topic …

    We can read the scriptures to get information about the Lord, but we are consistently exhorted by Jesus to have ears to hear HIM. Through our study we should be mindful of that personal relationship with our Lord.

    Can we discern His heart/voice/will or do we depend on the latest topical stuff so much that we shy away from reading His Word? He has intimately expressed Himself through His Word so we can know the heart of our Lord for ourselves.

    There is a danger in just being students after our own goals instead of spending time as children at His feet.

    John 10:27, 2 Timothy 4:3, Acts 13:22, Matthew 7:22-23

    • 1Cr 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

      1Cr 13:2 And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

  2. It can become all too easy to just stay on the daily reading schedule of the Word whether in the NT or OT and still not spend quality time with the Lord. We can easily cross off the chapters for the day but still not hear from the Lord.

    • Mat 13:43 Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

  3. It is after 6 in the morning and I have come back to this site to finish reading in the book of Acts in my search looking for Jesus, and this could not have come at a better time. I must say Thank You, Thank You, Thank You. My Lord Jesus is with me.

    • Act 1:8 — But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.

  4. Luke 6:47-48

    – Jesus said:

    47 I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice.
    48 He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

  5. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 2Peter 1:2-3

    And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. John 17:3

  6. The answer is no! John 15:1-10. I know all too well the consequences of not “abiding in the vine”. I need Christ not just daily, but hourly. Psalm 1:2-“on HIs law doth he meditate day and night”. And if you follow that with v.3 of Psalm 1 there are benefits to abiding in the Vine (or, knowing Christ too well).

  7. Of course the answer is no. Christ is the Full expressed image of God and what He created us to be. Our goal is to reach total Christlikeness because “as he is, so ARE WE in this world.

  8. Rom 8:1 ¶ [There is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

    Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

    Rom 8:3 For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:

    Rom 8:4 That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.

    Rom 8:5 For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

    Rom 8:6 For to be carnally minded [is] death; but to be spiritually minded [is] life and peace.

    Rom 8:7 Because the carnal mind [is] enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

    Rom 8:8 So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

    Rom 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

    Rom 8:10 And if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of righteousness.

    Rom 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

  9. I am asking myself: when is the last time I read all the red letter words in the New Testament?

    Oh my! I must admit it’s been awhile.

    Will you join me as we read along together what Christ is telling us?

    • Jesus knew all of what was written in the Word. He is the Logos the Word itself.

      When challenged by Satan in the wilderness he countered everything Satan was saying with the truth.

      To use the Word against the firey dots of Satan we must study what our Almighty God tells us.

      Read the temptation and the answers from our Alpha and Omega:

      Matthew 4:1-11

  10. I am seeking to know more about the Father’s heart and the intimate relationship of The Father, Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. I am confused why Jesus says repeatedly that the Father is greater than He is since they are both eternally, God- the Alpha and Omega?