I Don’t Know You

But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete. 1 John 2:5(CSB)

Can you imagine a day when Jesus will look at some people and say, “I never knew you.”?

Because the love of God is not made complete in them, those are the words many people will hear.

One day Jesus will tell them to depart from Him. He doesn’t know them.

Jesus knows everyone—doesn’t He?

Absolutely, He does! He knows everything.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.  Then I will announce to them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you lawbreakers!’

Matthew 7:21 & 23 (CSB)

You kept your heart from Me.

Jesus does not know certain people in a personal relationship. Those who reject a relationship with Him are not known by Him in terms of salvation.

They have kept their hearts from Him.

These individuals are not saved, regardless of their belief that Jesus is who He claimed to be. They have distanced themselves from God by living contrary to His moral standards.

They have never repented of their sins or even acknowledged that they are sinners.

True believers are known by the Savior. He knows you by heart-when you give your heart to Him.

You know Him.

This is how we know that we know him: if we keep his commands. 

The one who says, “I have come to know him,”

and yet doesn’t keep his commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

But whoever keeps his word, truly in him the love of God is made complete.

This is how we know we are in him:  

The one who says he remains in him should walk just as he walked. 1 John 2:3-6

Do you walk like Jesus?

Of course we aren’t sinless. But do you recognize His holiness and your own sinful heart? Do you know that you need the Savior?

Does He have your whole life?

You can know for sure.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

1 John 1:9

When you realize the stark contrast between your sin and God’s holiness, in that moment, you have known your need for the Savior. You gladly confess your sin, turning your heart over to Him. You begin to walk in His ways.

Are grieved when you sin? We are not supposed to get stuck in meaningless emotion and guilt. Feeling constant guilt will make you think you need to do something to fix your failure. Just confess your sin and move forward in the right direction. One step at a time.

Jesus stood in your place and mine. God punished mankind’s sin by pouring His Holy wrath onto Jesus. Every stinking, vile act poured out on the innocent Savior.

And then God left Him alone-

to do what Jesus could not want to do.

But He chose to rob sin and death in obedience to the Father’s plan.

to demonstrate His perfect love-

for you and me.

And Jesus took His last breath.

Our victor was not defeated. The way was made.

He gave every person a choice to believe Him or reject this priceless gift of love.

Isaiah 6 illustrates a very graphic depiction of how salvation came to Isaiah, the Old Testament prophet. Below is a brief outline of all that Isaiah experienced.

• Isaiah saw the holiness of our sinless and pure God. He saw His radiance and power.
• Isaiah saw his defiled and sinful heart. He saw his own brokenness, and he saw his powerlessness over sin and death. He knew he could never measure up to God.
• God showed His love for Isaiah.
• Isaiah bowed his heart before God and was redeemed by God’s grace. His sinful nature was atoned for.
• Isaiah served God, all of his days.

And here is how all of that unfolded, in a vision, given to Isaiah, by God.

 In the year that King Uzziah died

I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne,

high and lifted up;

and the train of his robe filled the temple. 

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts...the whole earth is full of his glory!”

 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. 

And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips.

for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.  

And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.”

God has a deeply personal way for every soul to know Him. He has chosen a way for you to see Him and believe.

Have you given your heart to the Savior? Does He know you as His own son or daughter?

I hope so.

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.