The majority of people in the world believe in God. In fact, around 70% of Americans claim to be Christians. However, as you look at the lives of most people, it doesn’t seem like their belief in God makes much of a difference in their lives. These are kinda sorta Christians.
For example, there are many people who believe in God, but don’t really know him. Let’s explore the three categories of knowing God.
I believe in God but Don’t Know Him
This category of knowing God (or not knowing him) is probably where many Americans are. They have an intellectual belief in God, but that’s about it. They are Christians because their parents were Christians, or because they go to church on Christmas and Easter.
But the Bible teaches us that we need to be transformed by our knowledge of him.
1 John 2:3-4 And we can be sure that we know him if we obey his commandments. If someone claims, “I know God,” but doesn’t obey God’s commandments, that person is a liar and is not living in the truth.
And, according to Jesus, many people who only believe in a cultural Christianity, and don’t have a personal relationship with God will miss out on eternal life (see Matthew 7:21-23). It’s not just enough to say that you are a Christian, or believe in God. You must put your faith in him.
I Believe in God and Know Him but Don’t Know Him Well
This category describes people who have trusted in Jesus for salvation, but who aren’t being changed by him. These are people who have claimed to put their faith in God, but their life hasn’t really changed since that happened.
Galatians 4:8-9 Before you Gentiles knew God, you were slaves to so-called gods that do not even exist. So now that you know God (or should I say, now that God knows you), why do you want to go back again and become slaves once more to the weak and useless spiritual principles of this world?
Kinda sorta Christians in this category are numerous in many of our churches. They are claiming to be followers of Jesus, but they are going back to their old habits that they had before becoming Christians.
These first two categories of knowing God are kinda sorta Christian categories. The last category is what God wants for all people.
I Believe in God and Know Him Intimately and Serve Him Wholeheartedly
This is the total transformation that God wants to see in the life of every believer. At pursueGOD.org, we would call this a full circle pursuit of God:
- You trust in Jesus for salvation and in every area of life.
- You strive to honor God in all of your actions and attitudes.
- You serve in your church and community. You give out of your resources to help others and build God’s kingdom. And you help others have a relationship with God.
There are many examples in the Bible of this sort of attitude and knowledge of God:
Psalm 63:1-4 O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water. I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory. Your unfailing love is better than life itself; how I praise you! I will praise you as long as I live, lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
These are the words of someone who finds their deepest joy and fulfillment of God. And you can experience this too.
Consider for a moment how you address God. Do you call him Heavenly Father, the man upstairs, Dad, Creator, Friend, Healer, or something else? How you address God reveals how well you know him. The good news is that you can know God as your Healer, Friend, Comforter, and Savior. It all starts when you truly put your faith in Jesus.
