Knowing or Knowing About?

"For I know when I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Timothy 1:12)


In religion more than in any other field of human experience a sharp distinction must always be made between "knowing about" and "knowing." The distinction is the same as between knowing about food and actually eating it. A man can remain spiritually dead while know all the historic facts of Christianity.

"This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent" (John 17:3). We have but to introduce one extra word into this verse to see how vast is the difference between knowing about and knowing. "This is life eternal, that they might know "about" thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

That one word makes all the difference between life and death.

We dare not conclude that because we learn about the Spirit we for that reason actually know Him. Knowing Him comes only by a personal encounter with the Holy Spirit Himself.

The Spirit is an imperative necessity. Only the Eternal Spirit can do eternal deeds.

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Who Is The Holy Spirit?

"But the Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things" (John 14:26)

How shall we think of the Holy Spirit? The Bible and Christian theology agree to teach that He is a Person, endowed with every quality of personality, such as emotion, intellect and will. He knows, He wills, He loves; He feels affection, antipathy and compassion. He thinks, sees, hears, and speaks and performs any act of which personality is capable.

One quality belonging to the Holy Spirit, of great interest and importance to every seeking heart, is penetrability. He can penetrate the mind; He can penetrate another spirit, such as the human spirit. He can achieve complete penetration of and actual intermingling with the human spirit. He can invade the human heart and make room for Himself without expelling anything essentially human. The integrity of the human personality remains unimpaired. Only moral evil is forced to withdraw.

By nature we are in correspondence with sin; but by union with Christ in His death and resurrection and by the incoming and indwelling of the Holy Spirit we are out of correspondence with it ... [and] dead alike to its presence and power.

~A. W. Tozer~