Knowing and Believing

                                                       Most of what we "know" isn't true

                                                                                         Anonymous 

Not long ago, sitting in the Lions' Square here in Samos, I had a college-dorm type of conversation with a good buddy.  He was wondering why, when it came to God and matters of the spirit, we can never know for sure.  Why can't we see miracles or other forms of irrefutable physical evidence, and know beyond a shadow of a doubt?

I didn't mention it, but Jesus did many miracles when he was on the earth, and it did not seem to matter.  Many people, especially the hyper-religious, still did not accept his claims.  Instead, while not denying that he possessed a supernatural power, they attributed his power to Beelzebub, the devil.  Or they would quibble with him about healing on the Sabbath day, the mandatory day of rest.  Either way, they refused to believe the clear evidence that was right in front of their eyes.  

In our recent Bible study on Mathew 16, the Pharisees and Saducees asked Jesus for a sign of his messiahship. He had already done many miracles in many places in front of vast multitudes, but they still wanted more.  It turns out that John 5 and Mathew 16 are nearly contempor- aneous.  Jesus said in John 5:31 that if it were just his own testimony that bore witness, it would not be valid.  He then gives us five solid reasons to believe on him. 

Vs. 32.  The Jews had accepted John the Baptist as a man of God, and 

              John pointed to Jesus.

Vs. 36.  The incredible miracles he had done, which had not been seen 

              in Israel since the days of the prophets.

Vs. 37.  The Father spoke audible from heaven three times over the 

             course of his earthly ministry: at his baptism, at the Mount of 

             Transfiguration, and during his last week on earth.

Vs. 39.  The holy scriptures, which foretold the key events in his life 

             down to the smallest detail.

Vs. 45.  Moses, the prophet they trusted above all others, wrote of his 

             coming.

I was reading 1 John 4 when we had the discussion in the Lion's Square.  John starts out the chapter talking about "believing," but by the 13th verse he speaks of us "knowing."  John admonishes us to "test the spirits," not to blindly accept claims made about spiritual matters.  And he gives us three ways to try the spirits and discern what is true.

1 John 4:2   "Hereby know ye by the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God."  Some were veering off in the direction of docetism, the teaching that Jesus had not actually taken on a human body.  The spirit of God will always direct us to the Jesus of the Gospels, the one who came down to this earth, assumed our nature and our flesh, lived as a man amongst men, suffered, and died for our sins.

4:6  "We are of God; he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us."  The truth will always line up with the writings of the apostles.  Because Jesus never wrote down anything that has been preserved, all we know about him comes from his followers.  

4:8.  The final test for knowing truth and reality is purely spiritual.  "He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love".   It is impossible to know God, to experience the fullness of His spirit working in our lives, without manifesting love.  Indeed, Jesus said we could recognize a false prophet by his fruits.

1 John 4:13   "Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit."  We know because we have experienced Him.  If we expect to see God put under the microscope, photographed, and dissected to our satisfaction, we are going to be disappointed.  It isn't going to happen.  But if we are willing to humble ourselves, lay aside our own thoughts and accept His Son, He has promised to dwell within us.  What stronger proof could there possibly be?

The conviction that "experiencing is knowing" permeates all of John's writings.  "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren" (1 John 3:14).  See also 2:3-5, 3:24, 5:2, 5:13, 5:18-20.  Outside of experiential knowledge, all other knowledge is second hand. We heard it from someone else.  We may believe that the earth revolves around the sun, and we may believe it with a high degree of certainty, but we cannot say we know it for sure.  We only truly know what we have experienced.