The Knowledge Of Christ

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ….

Ephesians 4:13

One of Paul’s great passions was to know Christ.  He did not just desire this for himself, he also wanted it for his children in the faith.  In Philippians 3, Paul speaks of his own interest in knowing Christ when he says, ‘but what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ…and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but rubbish, that I may win Christ.’  If we take a moment to read the context of that statement, we realize that Paul had discounted every earthly advantage as ‘rubbish’ in the interest of knowing Christ.  As Paul writes to the Ephesians he speaks of the gifts which Christ has given to the Church, to equip the saints and to build the Body of Christ to the purpose that ‘we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God.’  For us to know Christ, intimately, personally, and thoroughly, is the result of all that Christ has done to make it so.  This results in our becoming as a body ‘a perfect man.’  It is the knowledge of Christ that bring us to resemble Him as the Holy Spirit works in us to bring us to that resemblance.  This brings us to the Scriptures, to the place of prayer, to the place of worship, to the things we read, and the things upon which we meditate with the ever-increasing desire to see and hear more of Christ, ‘that I may know Him.’

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that You will bring us unto full maturity as Your people.
We praise You that this maturity will conform us, ultimately,
to the Image of Christ.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning