Who You Know

In Galatians Paul writes,

However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again? (Gal 4:8-9)

The text is about being slaves to sin, and how we are no longer slaves, but "a son" (Gal 4:7). It's interesting to what Paul attributes that change. It's not what they did or what they believed. It is not even who they knew. It was coming to be known by God.

In what sense does he mean? In His Sermon on the Mount, Jesus spoke of people who would come to Him calling Him "Lord" and talking about what they'd done for Him, and Jesus would say, "I never knew you; depart from Me, you workers of lawlessness" (Matt 7:23). "Never knew"? He's omniscient. In fact, He knew them as soon as they came to Him at the very least. No, this isn't "have knowledge of." It's more of the "biblical know" -- Having a relationship with. But Paul says it's not us knowing God. No, this saving relationship is initiated by God. This "being known by God" is God's doing. You find it in His choosing of us before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). You find it in the "Golden Chain" (Rom 8:29-30), where the beginning is "those whom He foreknew" and continues without break to "glorified." It's instigated by God.

It's difficult for us humans to settle ourselves with "all and only Him." We had to contribute something, even it it's just "I know God." And we are supposed to have a saving relationship with Christ, but ... we must always remember that He establishes it, not us. He completes it; not us. And He guards it all along the way; not us. To me, that's a real relief.