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Knowing Christ
(From Forerunner Commentary)

John 14:3-4  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) They did not know the way quite as well as Christ may have liked that they did. This is why Thomas asked in verse 5, "How can we know the way?" John W. Ritenbaugh The Covenants, Grace and Law (Part 2)

Philippians 3:8-10  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) At times, the Bible uses "to know" as a euphemism for sexual intimacy. Paul is not saying here that he desires sexual intimacy with Christ, but that he greatly desires spiritual intimacy with Him. He wants to be so close to Him that he experiences the same level of life as Jesus did—even to the point of suffering or dying as He died, if that is necessary to be made like Him in every possible way. He desires to glorify God in every aspect of his life just as Jesus did (John 17:4). To achieve this requires a clear vision of where one wants his life to go; dogged, disciplined determination to work toward that end; rigid concentration to avoid becoming distracted; and an unflagging willingness to pay whatever price might be required. John W. Ritenbaugh The Offerings of Leviticus (Part Nine): Conclusion (Part Two)

Revelation 2:4-5  (Go to this verse :: Verse pop-up) If we love a person, we are glad to be able to consult with them, to seek their tastes and opinions. Why? So we can please them. We act on their advice; we do the things that they approve of. In fact, we will even deny ourselves to meet their wishes and abstain from the things that we know that they dislike. Anybody who has gone through a courtship understands this. If we find that the object of our affection does not like the way we do certain things, the colors that we wear in our clothing, the style of our dress, the car we drive, or the same foods we like, what will we do? We will try to conform to them as long as it is lawful. If we love them, we will try to please them in anyway that we possibly can. But, if we are indifferent to them who cares what they think? It is easy to see why this love is so important, for love is the mainspring of the right kind of works. The people who do not love Christ, they are working, active, expending their energies on things that they love, but what they love is not Christ. And because it is not Christ, they do the wrong works. When we are in love, we will even learn things that we are not naturally inclined toward because we think it will give the other person pleasure. Some guys are nuts over baseball, golf, or whatever sport—perhaps hunting or fishing—and the poor girl will put herself through agony to watch a boring baseball game with him or go golfing, hunting, or fishing with him just to please him because she loves him. Are we that way with Christ? Do we do what we can, everything we can, denying ourselves or learning new things because we want to please Him? We want to please Him because we love Him. These are areas that we must evaluate ourselves on. John W. Ritenbaugh How to Know We Love Christ

 

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