Know God or Known of God

The TEXT

1. The Gentile Galatians had been pagan idolaters in their actual and/or ancestral past.
2. They did not know the monotheistic GOD Jehovah of Israel, so they worshipped idols, which in some cases required child sacrifice, further proof of the total depravity of man.
3. Then they were converted, either from paganism or proselytism, to Jehovah and his Son and a complete doctrine of salvation by grace with Spirit power without any obligations.
4. Paul inquired in line with the theme of the book – against Jewish legalism – how they could turn again to the pitiful do-this-and-don’t-do-that religion of Moses’ law.
5. There is incredible freedom knowing God has saved entirely by His Son’s obedience without any of the additions or obligations of Jewish legalists adding Moses to Christ.
6. Every religion has service for their gods, which keep men in bondage to that religious system through their fear of death and the corruption that rules our race (Heb 2:14-15).
7. Consider the endless sacraments, holy days, fasts, rules, penance, division of sins, and rites of Catholicism. Watch a widow thumb her Rosary and spend her estate for candles and masses to fill the coffers of the church to get her poor husband out of purgatory.
8. In Paul’s rebuke, the Holy Ghost used a creative play on the voice of the verb to know, calling conversion knowing God, but improved it to depend on God knowing them.
9. Voice of a verb = the subject of the verb performing the action (active voice) or the subject of the verb having the action performed upon it (passive voice). Example: Jonah was swallowed by the great fish (passive). Jonah swallowed the great fish (active).
10. Conversion leads us to know God (active), but it is inferior to God knowing us (passive).
11. Rather = better, or correctly, or truly, or instead for why pagans had become Christians!
12. We love every word of God, and you better have a word perfect Bible, like this example.
13. God did not inspire and preserve concepts or lessons – He inspired and preserved words, and the Bible states this over and over (Ps 12:6-7; Prov 30:5-6; Luke 4:4; I Cor 2:13).
14. For many more examples of one-word arguments in the Bible, see the treasure … here.

The CONTEXT

1. The chapter began by God sovereignly adopting the pagans as His children (Gal 4:1-7), which is compared to a child under the law before being emancipated by Jesus Christ.
2. Then Paul identified the Jewish legalism he opposed – the foolish bondage of Jewish days, months, times, and years by Gentiles to go along with Jesus’ death (Gal 4:10-11).
3. What a cursed gospel and bewitching the false teachers brought (Gal 1:6-9; 3:1; 5:1-4), which occurs when preachers require conditions, instruments, or means to God’s grace!
4. While here, let Paul’s further judgment of the teachers be seen – death (Gal 5:12), which any in mental vapor lock about Jesus’ rule against judgment should consider (Matt 7:1).
5. While here, know for sure the days observed were not pagan, but Moses’ (Gal 4:21), which is supported by the theme of the whole book against circumcision and the law; such days are matters of liberty – they cannot be required or connected to justification.
6. The weak and beggarly elements are the worldly rites of the Law of Moses, which Paul often denigrated in comparison to the gospel (Gal 4:3; Col 2:8,20; Heb 9:1,10).
7. They should have been sick of carnal rites of worship after all they had known, but the zeal of the Jewish legalists was stealing them away from Christ’s gospel (Gal 4:17-20).
8. The SDA and Worldwide Church of God and other manmade cults love to bring Old Testament days, feasts, and celebrations forward into the New Testament. God forbid!
9. There is a revival today among Charismatics and weak Baptists to focus on the tabernacle, furniture, and feast days of an incredibly inferior religion to Christ’s gospel.

The DOCTRINE

1. Salvation is primarily and by priority His knowledge of us, not our knowledge of Him.
2. Throughout the Bible, God chose to know some and not to know others, like He did Israel (Deut 7:6-8; 10:15; 26:18; 32:9; Psalm 147:19-20; Isaiah 63:19; Amos 3:2), for they did not know Him before He knew them, but rather the opposite without any claim.
3. The whole Christian world often asks, Do you know God? But we keep first things first; we would not know Him unless He had first known us and revealed Himself to us, and we love the way He chose us to know Him and then introduced Himself to us (Is 65:1), and with the greater gift of the Holy Spirit in the N.T., we know Him better (Heb 8:11).
4. If you love God, God knew you first, or you would not love Him (I Cor 8:3; I Jn 4:19); this simple fact crushes manmade schemes of salvation to glorify our sovereign God; any faith or good deed you ever have is by God’s eternal plan and all the means for it.
5. God’s knowledge of us is far more than omniscience, for His knowledge of all beings and things makes no distinctions like the Bible teaches throughout – His love for them.
   1. He knows in the way of omniscience as much about Vladimir Putin as He does you.
   2. But there is a better way the word know is used (Gen 4:1; Ps 1:6; 37:18; Nahum 1:7).
6. God’s knowledge of us is much more important than our knowledge of Him. Think!
   1. Jesus will declare to many in the Day of Judgment He never knew them (Matt 7:23), though they will holler loud and long that they know Him and served Him. Amen!
   2. Though faith can be overthrown by false teachers, God knows His own (II Tim 2:19), and this is the foundation and seal of our eternal security, not our knowing God.
   3. Jesus knows His sheep given by God, and He died for them (John 10:14-16,26-29)
   4. We can lose our knowledge of God through dementia, false teachers, slothfulness, but He is faithful and does not forget us or our character and conduct (Heb 6:10).
7. Not only does God know His elect, He has foreknown them from everlasting eternity.
   1. He foreknew His elect, not by omniscience, but by everlasting love (Rom 8:29-39).
   2. He foreknew persons – whom – as His elect (Eph 1:4; Rev 13:8; 17:8; Is 49:15-16).
   3. If God knew or loved by omniscience, not a single one would be saved (Ps 14:1-3).
   4. Election is based on this previous knowledge and affection for His people (I Pet 1:2).
   5. The Bible says much for God choosing us in eternity, not omniscience but election.
   6. He loved His elect from eternity when He chose them in Christ (Eph 1:4; Jer 31:3).
8. Not only does God know His elect, He accepts them in Jesus Christ His Beloved Son.
   1. Acceptance in Christ is chosen in Him before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).
   2. Adoption based on the choice is by God’s predestinating will and pleasure (Eph 1:5).
   3. God’s glorious grace by election / predestination is to accept us in Christ (Eph 1:6).
   4. Salvation is not by you accepting Jesus, but rather God accepting you in Jesus!
9. Not only does God know His elect, He receives them through Jesus Christ for His glory.
   1. Paul ordered Jews and Gentiles to receive each other by Jesus’ reception (Rom 15:7).
   2. His own did not receive Him, so He changed some to receive Him (John 1:11-13).
   3. The greatest display of God’s glory is receiving some in spite of sins through Jesus, for He is the Potter and we the clay, and any difference is His choice (Rom 9:21-24).
   4. Salvation is not by you receiving Jesus, but rather God receiving you through Him!
10. Feast on several facts of God’s knowledge of you before you thought of knowing Him.
    1. When did He first know you? When He wrote my name in the book of life in eternity!
    2. What does He know about you? He knows I am His adopted child, a brother of Jesus.
    3. Why does God know you? He wanted me to be a vessel of mercy for His great glory.
    4. How many does God know? A multitude no man can number, all chosen by Him.
    5. How did He introduce Himself to you? He regenerated me and sent me His gospel.
    6. Is He not disgusted with your ugliness? Oh, no! He made me perfect and beautiful!
    7. What does His Son think of you? He is not ashamed & split His inheritance with me.
    8. Did He know you when He died? Yes, He saw His seed (Is 53:10,8; John 10:14-16).
    9. Will He ever forget you for any reason? No, He cannot and will not ever forsake me.
    10. Will He remember you in the Day of Judgment? Oh, yes! My name is written there!