Austin Bible Church
There are several ways in which a person can be known. We can learn a great deal about our Lord from the Gospels. The Gospels provide a profile on His Person, how He spoke and when He spoke, what He communicated and to whom, what did He look like, what were His habits in life, where did He grow up before His ministry began, and many other details.
We know Christ doctrinally in the Epistles. We know His position, His qualifications, His work, His attributes, and His mind. We know Christ prophetically and typologically from the Old Testament. We know Christ judiciously in the book of Revelation. We know Christ experientially in Galatians - Christ formed in us.
Knowing Christ requires knowing the Scripture. We need to know Him in His undeserved sufferings. We need to know Him in His thinking. Phil. 3:10; Phil. 2:1-6.
“that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;” (Philippians 3:10, NASB)
“Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,” (Philippians 2:1-6, NASB)
We need to know Him in the enjoyment of eternal life. We need to know Him in His love for the lost world. John 17:3; John 19.
“"This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3, NASB)
We need to know Him in friendship. We need to know Him in His volitional testing. We need to know Him in His compassion. John 15:14; Matt. 26; Matt. 23:37-38.
“"You are My friends if you do what I command you.” (John 15:14, NASB)
“"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling. "Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!” (Matthew 23:37-38, NASB)
We need to know Him in communicating to those with negative volition. We need to know Him in His Millennial principles. We need to know Him in His power over all the earth. We need to know Him that His full occupancy of the edification structure of your soul. Christ at home in your hearts. Matt. 11; Matt. 5-7; Matt. 28; Eph. 3:17-18.
“so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,” (Ephesians 3:17-18, NASB)
We need to know Him as the head of the Body of Christ, directing the mature function of believers exercising together their spiritual gifts. Eph. 4:15-16.
“but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.” (Ephesians 4:15-16, NASB)