There is something interesting about how much we can know about a person without actually knowing them. Think about your favorite athlete, musician, or public figure. You might know where they grew up, how they became successful, what they have accomplished, and even details about their personal lives. You may have followed them for years and feel as though you know them quite well.
But do you really know that person?
You know a great deal about them, but that is not the same as having a personal relationship with them. You have collected information, learned their history, and developed an understanding of their accomplishments. Yet you have never sat across from them, shared in their experiences, or developed the kind of relationship in which two people genuinely know one another.
Now, I want you to consider something much more important.
Is it possible for us to know a great deal about Jesus Christ without really knowing Him?
I believe that is a question every Christian should take seriously. We can study theology, memorize Scripture, understand difficult doctrines, and become remarkably skilled at explaining the Christian faith. We may know the differences between various theological traditions, recognize false teachings, and even defend biblical truth against people who disagree with us.
But what if all that knowledge is doing very little to change the way we live?
What if we understand the doctrine of grace but rarely demonstrate grace toward others? What if we can explain the sovereignty of God in considerable detail but become overwhelmed with anxiety whenever circumstances do not go according to our plans? What if we can defend the importance of Christian love while treating the people closest to us with impatience and contempt?
Something is wrong when the truth we claim to understand has so little influence upon the way we live.
Now, before anyone misunderstands me, I am not suggesting that theological knowledge is unimportant. Quite the opposite. We cannot know Jesus Christ rightly if we disregard what Scripture teaches about Him. A person who invents a version of Jesus according to personal preferences is not necessarily worshiping the Christ revealed in the Bible.
But knowing the truth about Christ should lead us toward something greater than intellectual understanding alone.
It should lead us into a deeper love for Him, greater confidence in His promises, and a life increasingly shaped by His character.
The apostle Peter concludes his second letter by encouraging believers to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).
Notice that Peter speaks of growth.
Christian maturity is not something we accomplish the moment we become believers. It is the continuing work of God throughout our lives as we learn to understand His truth, trust His promises, recognize our sins, and walk in obedience to Jesus Christ.
And that raises an important question.
What does it actually look like to grow in the knowledge of Christ?
Knowing Christ Is More Than Knowing Theology
There is a passage in Philippians that I believe helps us understand the difference between possessing religious knowledge and truly knowing Jesus Christ.
In Philippians 3, Paul describes his former confidence in his religious accomplishments. He had been circumcised according to the law, belonged to the people of Israel, and possessed an impressive record of dedication to his religious traditions. As a Pharisee, he had devoted himself to understanding and defending the law.
From the perspective of many people in his society, Paul had every reason to be proud of his religious identity.
But something happened that completely changed the way he understood those accomplishments.
He encountered Jesus Christ.
And afterward, the very things he had once considered reasons for confidence became insignificant compared with the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus his Lord.
In Philippians 3:8–10, Paul explains that he regards his former grounds of confidence as loss in comparison with gaining Christ, being found in Him, and knowing Him in the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings.
Think about that.
Paul was not a man who lacked religious information. He was already deeply educated in the Scriptures and the traditions of his people. Yet his religious knowledge, separated from true faith in Christ, had not brought him into a right relationship with God.
In fact, before his conversion, Paul was persecuting the very church that belonged to Jesus.
What an extraordinary contradiction.
He believed he was defending the honor of God while opposing God’s own Son.
And that should humble us.
It is possible to be sincere about our religious convictions and still be profoundly mistaken.
It is possible to understand many biblical facts while failing to recognize the significance of Jesus Christ.
But Paul’s transformation also teaches us something else. When he came to know Christ, he did not abandon theological understanding. His letters contain some of the most profound doctrinal instruction in all of Scripture.
What changed was the foundation and purpose of his knowledge.
He no longer sought confidence in his own righteousness or religious achievements. His confidence rested entirely in Jesus Christ.
And his desire was to know the Savior who had graciously redeemed him.
This is an important distinction because some Christians assume that developing a personal relationship with Christ means placing less emphasis upon doctrine. They speak as though theological study makes faith cold or impersonal.
But how can we meaningfully love someone while remaining indifferent to who that person is?
How can we trust Christ if we do not understand His promises? How can we worship Him rightly if we misunderstand His nature? And how can we appreciate His grace if we have little understanding of the salvation He has accomplished?
The solution is not to separate knowledge from faith.
It is to recognize that sound knowledge of Christ should nourish genuine faith, worship, and obedience.
When Knowledge Becomes a Source of Pride
Let me give you an example that I think some of us may recognize.
Imagine attending a Bible study where several Christians are discussing a difficult theological passage. One person is relatively new to studying Scripture and asks a question that reveals a misunderstanding of the doctrine being discussed.
Another person, who has studied theology for many years, immediately responds.
But instead of carefully explaining the passage, he begins criticizing the question. He uses complicated theological terminology, points out how elementary the misunderstanding is, and makes it clear that anyone who has seriously studied Scripture should already know the answer.
Technically, his explanation may be correct.
But has he helped the person who asked the question?
Perhaps that new believer will leave the discussion feeling embarrassed and reluctant to ask another question.
Now consider a different response.
The more experienced Christian recognizes the misunderstanding but remembers that he, too, once struggled to understand these doctrines. He listens carefully, explains the relevant biblical passage, and helps the newer believer work through the question without making them feel foolish.
Both individuals may possess the same theological information.
But their conduct reveals very different attitudes.
In 1 Corinthians 8:1, Paul warns that knowledge can become a source of pride, while love builds up others. In its original context, Paul is addressing disputes concerning food offered to idols and the danger of using one’s knowledge without considering its effect upon fellow believers.
But the principle is important.
Knowledge is not meant to become an excuse for arrogance.
The more we understand the grace of God, the less reason we should have to boast in ourselves.
Consider what historic Reformed theology teaches about salvation. We affirm that fallen human beings are unable to rescue themselves from sin and that salvation is entirely dependent upon the gracious work of God.
If that is true, then what reason do we have to become proud of our theological understanding?
Did we save ourselves through our superior intelligence? Did we produce spiritual life through our own reasoning abilities? Were we somehow more deserving of God’s mercy because we happened to understand a particular doctrine?
Of course not.
Even our ability to receive spiritual truth rightly is dependent upon the gracious work of the Holy Spirit.
And if we genuinely understand that, it should produce humility.
Yet sometimes Christians become more interested in winning theological arguments than helping others understand the truth.
We begin collecting arguments, learning how to respond to objections, and finding satisfaction in demonstrating why someone else is wrong.
Now, defending sound doctrine is important. There are serious errors that must be confronted, and Scripture calls us to distinguish truth from falsehood.
But we should ask ourselves why we are engaging in a particular discussion.
Are we trying to help someone understand God’s Word, or are we primarily interested in demonstrating how much we know?
The answer may reveal more about our spiritual condition than the accuracy of our argument.
A Christian who truly understands grace should become increasingly gracious.
Not because graciousness requires abandoning truth, but because God’s truth should be shaping our character.
Christ Changes What We Love
There is another aspect of growing in Christ that deserves careful attention.
Spiritual maturity involves more than changing our outward behavior. It also involves the transformation of our desires.
Think about how we approach the things we value.
When something is especially important to us, we naturally make room for it in our lives. We spend time thinking about it, planning for it, and pursuing it.
Someone who loves fishing may spend hours researching equipment, studying weather conditions, and learning about the habits of different species. Another person may devote considerable attention to restoring an old vehicle or learning a musical instrument.
We make time for the things we treasure.
Now, I am not suggesting that enjoying hobbies or other interests is sinful. God has given us a world filled with good things, and we should receive His gifts with gratitude.
But our interests can reveal something about the priorities of our hearts.
What occupies our thoughts? What do we pursue most eagerly? What do we fear losing? And what brings us the greatest satisfaction?
These questions become important when we consider our relationship with Jesus Christ.
In Colossians 3:1–4, Paul directs believers who have been raised with Christ to seek the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. He calls them to set their minds upon heavenly realities because their life is hidden with Christ in God.
This does not mean Christians should ignore earthly responsibilities or spend every waking moment thinking about explicitly religious subjects.
Rather, Paul is teaching believers to understand their lives according to their union with Christ.
Our identity, hope, and ultimate purpose are found in Him.
And as we grow in our knowledge of Christ, our priorities should increasingly reflect that reality.
Consider someone who has spent much of adult life pursuing professional recognition. Their work is important, and they have developed considerable skill in their occupation. But over time, their career has become the primary source of identity and personal worth.
When they receive praise, they feel successful. When someone else receives a promotion, they become resentful. When a project fails, they begin questioning whether their life has any meaning.
What is happening?
Their work has become something more than a responsibility or a legitimate source of satisfaction. It has begun carrying the weight of something that only God can provide.
Now imagine that this person begins to understand more deeply what it means to belong to Jesus Christ.
They recognize that their acceptance before God does not depend upon professional achievement. Their identity is not determined by income, public recognition, or the opinions of their supervisor.
They are united to Christ.
Their worth is not something they must continually establish through personal success.
Does that mean they should stop working hard or abandon professional ambitions?
Not at all.
It means they can begin approaching their work from a different perspective.
They can pursue excellence without making success their ultimate source of security. They can celebrate another person’s accomplishments without automatically feeling threatened. They can accept disappointment without concluding that their life has lost its purpose.
And that is one of the ways growing in the knowledge of Christ changes our affections.
The Holy Spirit gradually loosens our attachment to things that have become too important and strengthens our love for the Savior who is worthy of our highest devotion.
This transformation is not always immediate.
Sometimes we discover how much we have been depending upon something only after God permits us to experience its loss.
But as we grow in our understanding of Christ, we begin learning that the greatest treasure we possess is not something this world can give or take away.
It is Christ Himself.
The Christ We Know Should Shape the People We Become
Here is something I believe every Christian should consider.
If you have been studying Scripture for ten or twenty years, how has that knowledge changed the way you treat people?
I am not asking how many theological books you have read or whether you can explain difficult doctrines.
I mean something much more personal.
Are you more patient than you were several years ago? Are you more willing to admit when you are wrong? Have you become less interested in defending your pride and more willing to forgive someone who has offended you?
Do the people closest to you recognize the transforming influence of Christ in your life?
Those can be uncomfortable questions because the people who know us best often see things that others never notice.
A pastor may deliver an excellent sermon on Christian love while speaking impatiently to his family afterward. A Bible study leader may be wonderfully compassionate toward members of the congregation yet dismissive toward a spouse who needs attention.
A person may possess considerable theological knowledge and still struggle to demonstrate the very qualities that knowledge should produce.
And I think this is where we need to remember that Christian maturity is not simply measured by how much information we have accumulated.
In Galatians 5:22–23, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit through qualities such as love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Notice that he does not describe spiritual fruit primarily in terms of intellectual accomplishment.
These qualities involve the transformation of our character.
Now, we should be careful not to separate them from sound doctrine or imagine that morally respectable behavior alone proves someone belongs to Christ.
Unbelievers can demonstrate patience and generosity. Christians can struggle with anger, selfishness, and other sins.
The difference is not that every believer immediately becomes more pleasant than every unbeliever.
Rather, the Holy Spirit genuinely works within those who belong to Christ, producing holiness as part of the ongoing process of sanctification.
And that growth should gradually become visible.
Imagine a husband and wife who have been married for many years. During disagreements, one spouse has developed a habit of interrupting, becoming defensive, and refusing to acknowledge personal wrongdoing.
Over time, the pattern has damaged their communication.
Then, through the preaching of Scripture and the encouragement of other believers, that spouse begins recognizing the pride behind those reactions.
Instead of immediately defending themselves during the next disagreement, they stop and listen. They acknowledge something they did wrong and apologize without attempting to justify it.
The problem may not disappear overnight.
Old habits can be stubborn.
But something is changing.
The person is no longer simply learning that humility is a Christian virtue. They are beginning to practice humility in a relationship where it genuinely matters.
That is spiritual growth.
And it is worth remembering that we cannot produce this transformation simply by becoming more determined to improve ourselves.
We need the work of God’s Spirit.
Through His Word, He exposes our sin, renews our thinking, strengthens our faith, and teaches us to walk in obedience.
The knowledge of Christ should lead us toward greater conformity to Christ.
Otherwise, we may be developing religious expertise without experiencing the kind of spiritual maturity Scripture calls us to pursue.
Knowing Christ in Seasons of Uncertainty
There is another dimension of knowing Christ that we may not appreciate until life becomes difficult.
We often discover the depth of our trust in God when we encounter circumstances we cannot control.
Suppose a man has worked for the same company for fifteen years. He has been responsible with his finances, provided for his family, and gradually established a reasonably stable life.
Then the company announces that his department is being eliminated.
Suddenly, he faces uncertainty about employment, health insurance, household expenses, and the future.
He knows that God is sovereign. He has studied the doctrine, listened to sermons about divine providence, and probably explained it to other people.
But now the question becomes personal.
Does he truly believe that his heavenly Father remains in control when the future looks uncertain?
And what does trusting God actually mean in that situation?
It certainly does not mean he should sit at home doing nothing while expecting a new job to appear. He has responsibilities to fulfill. He should seek employment, make wise financial decisions, and consider the counsel of people who can help him navigate the situation.
But his understanding of God’s sovereignty should influence the way he approaches those responsibilities.
Instead of imagining that everything depends entirely upon his ability to control the outcome, he can work diligently while entrusting the future to God.
He can acknowledge his fears without allowing them to become his ultimate authority.
And he can remember that God’s faithfulness does not depend upon the security of his employment.
Consider what Paul writes in Romans 8:32. Having explained that God did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, Paul points believers toward the confidence they may have in God’s gracious purposes.
His argument begins with the greatest demonstration of divine love: the giving of Jesus Christ.
That is important because we sometimes evaluate God’s love primarily through our present circumstances.
When things are going well, we conclude that God is being good to us. When difficulties arise, we begin wondering whether His love has changed.
But the cross provides a much firmer foundation for our confidence.
God’s love has been decisively revealed through Jesus Christ.
That does not answer every question concerning suffering. We may never discover all the reasons God permits particular hardships during our earthly lives.
But growing in our knowledge of Christ teaches us to place our confidence in what God has revealed rather than demanding that we understand everything He has ordained.
And sometimes we learn that lesson through tears.
Christian faith does not require us to pretend that suffering is pleasant. Jesus Himself wept at the tomb of Lazarus, as recorded in John 11:35.
Nor does trusting God’s sovereignty mean that we never experience fear, grief, or uncertainty.
It means that even in those experiences, we learn to look toward the Savior whose faithfulness does not change.
The more deeply we know Christ, the more firmly our hope should rest upon Him rather than upon the temporary stability of our circumstances.
Learning to Recognize What Still Needs to Change
One of the strange things about spiritual growth is that we may become more aware of our sin as our understanding of God increases.
You might expect the opposite.
Wouldn’t a spiritually mature Christian feel increasingly satisfied with how well they are living?
Not necessarily.
As we grow in our understanding of God’s holiness, we begin recognizing attitudes and motives that we previously overlooked.
Perhaps there was a time when we believed that avoiding outwardly obvious sins meant we were doing fairly well spiritually.
We did not steal, commit adultery, or deliberately harm other people. We attended church, tried to be responsible, and considered ourselves reasonably good Christians.
But as we study Scripture more carefully, we begin realizing that sin reaches much deeper than outward behavior.
Our motivations matter.
Our thoughts matter.
The way we respond when someone challenges our authority matters.
And sometimes we discover that an action that appeared generous was partly motivated by a desire for recognition.
We may begin recognizing how often pride influences our conversations or how quickly we become resentful when someone receives something we wanted.
That growing awareness can be discouraging if we misunderstand what God is doing.
But the Holy Spirit’s conviction is one of the ways He leads believers toward repentance and holiness.
In Psalm 139:23–24, David asks God to search his heart, know his thoughts, and lead him in the everlasting way.
That is a remarkable prayer because it invites God to expose what needs correction.
How often do we genuinely pray that way?
We readily ask God to remove our difficulties, bless our families, and provide for our needs.
But do we ask Him to reveal the pride, selfishness, and sinful attitudes that remain within us?
Growing in the knowledge of Christ involves becoming more willing to face the truth about ourselves.
And that truth must continually bring us back to the gospel.
We do not confess our sins because we believe our acceptance before God depends upon achieving sinless perfection in this life.
Our justification rests entirely upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
But because we belong to Him, we should desire to turn away from the sins that dishonor our Savior.
First John 1:8–9 reminds believers not to deceive themselves by denying their sin and directs them toward honest confession and God’s faithfulness in forgiving and cleansing.
This means that spiritual maturity should make us more willing to repent, not more skilled at defending our failures.
A mature Christian does not necessarily become someone who never struggles.
Rather, growing maturity includes recognizing sin more readily, responding to correction more humbly, and returning continually to the grace of God.
And sometimes that growth is difficult to measure.
Perhaps a person still struggles with impatience, but now recognizes the problem much sooner and seeks forgiveness more quickly.
Someone may continue wrestling with envy, yet has begun confessing it rather than allowing resentment to control their behavior.
These changes may seem small.
But they can reflect the genuine transforming work of the Holy Spirit.
We should not despise the gradual nature of sanctification.
The God who began His work in us has not promised that every sinful tendency will disappear immediately.
He has promised to complete His good work in those who belong to Christ.
Growing Together Rather Than Growing Alone
There is another important aspect of knowing Christ that I believe we sometimes overlook.
Christian growth is not intended to be an entirely private experience.
We certainly need personal prayer, Scripture reading, and reflection. There are times when being alone with God’s Word is tremendously valuable.
But God has also placed us within the fellowship of His church.
And one reason this matters is that other believers can help us recognize things we might never discover on our own.
Imagine a young Christian who has recently developed a serious interest in theology. He begins reading books, listening to lectures, and studying biblical doctrines in greater depth.
He is excited about what he is learning.
But over time, he also becomes increasingly critical of other Christians who do not share his level of interest.
He starts dismissing ordinary church conversations as spiritually shallow. He becomes frustrated when sermons do not address the particular theological questions that interest him.
Eventually, he begins thinking that there is very little he can learn from the people in his congregation.
Now, his desire to understand doctrine is not the problem.
The problem is that his growing knowledge has begun producing an attitude of superiority rather than greater love for Christ’s people.
What might help him?
Perhaps an older believer takes an interest in him.
This older Christian may not have read as many theological books or possess the same ability to explain complicated doctrines. But after decades of following Christ, this person has developed patience, generosity, humility, and a remarkable willingness to serve others.
As the younger man spends time with him, he begins recognizing something important.
There are aspects of spiritual maturity that cannot be measured simply by how many books someone has read.
That does not mean theological knowledge is unimportant.
It means that knowledge must be joined with the other qualities Scripture calls believers to pursue.
In Ephesians 4:13–16, Paul connects the church’s growth toward maturity with knowing the Son of God, speaking the truth in love, and the proper functioning of the whole body.
Christian growth is both personal and communal.
We need faithful preaching, biblical fellowship, prayer, and the sacraments Christ has appointed for His church.
We need encouragement when we become discouraged and correction when we begin drifting toward sinful attitudes.
And we need opportunities to put what we are learning into practice through genuine relationships with other people.
After all, it is relatively easy to imagine ourselves as patient when nobody is testing our patience.
It is much more difficult to practice patience with someone whose personality annoys us.
We may believe we are generous until someone asks us to sacrifice something we were planning to use for ourselves.
And we may believe we are humble until another person corrects an opinion we have defended for years.
God often uses the ordinary relationships within His church to reveal where we still need to grow.
That is not something we should resent.
It is one of the ways He graciously cares for His people.
Becoming More Like the Savior We Know
There is something deeply encouraging about the Christian life that I believe we need to remember.
God has not simply commanded us to become more like Christ and then left us to accomplish that transformation through our own abilities.
The Holy Spirit works within believers, progressively conforming them to the image of Jesus Christ.
Paul speaks of this transformation in 2 Corinthians 3:18, where he describes believers beholding the glory of the Lord and being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another through the work of the Spirit.
That is an extraordinary promise.
And notice where the attention is directed.
Toward the glory of the Lord.
Christian growth is not ultimately centered upon becoming increasingly impressed with ourselves.
It is centered upon knowing and beholding Jesus Christ.
As we understand His humility, we are confronted with our pride.
As we consider His obedience to the Father, we recognize the ways we continue resisting God’s will.
As we contemplate His love toward sinners, we begin seeing how frequently our own love is conditional upon convenience or personal benefit.
And as we remember His sacrificial death, we are reminded that our salvation was accomplished through a grace we could never deserve.
This is why growing in the knowledge of Christ should never become separated from the gospel.
We do not move beyond Christ into some supposedly more advanced form of Christianity.
We grow more deeply into our understanding of Him.
The same Savior who justifies us through faith is the One to whom we are united and whose Spirit continues sanctifying us.
And our hope does not end with the gradual growth we experience in this life.
First John 3:2 reminds believers that when Christ appears, they shall be like Him because they shall see Him as He is.
That is the glorious hope toward which our sanctification is moving.
One day, God’s work of making His people holy will be complete.
We will no longer struggle with sinful pride, impatience, selfishness, or the divided desires that so often trouble us.
We will dwell in the presence of our Savior, free from sin.
Until that day, we continue growing.
Sometimes the growth is encouraging and visible.
Other times it is slow, difficult, and accompanied by painful discoveries about ourselves.
But our confidence does not rest upon our ability to measure every improvement.
It rests upon the faithfulness of the God who has redeemed us.
Do We Really Want to Know Him More?
Let me return to the question we began with.
Is it possible to know a great deal about Jesus Christ without truly knowing Him?
I believe Scripture gives us every reason to take that danger seriously.
We can become so occupied with studying theological arguments, learning religious terminology, and defending our positions that we gradually forget the purpose of the knowledge we are pursuing.
We may know how to explain the doctrine of grace but struggle to extend patience toward someone who has disappointed us.
We may understand the meaning of humility while remaining unwilling to acknowledge our own mistakes.
And we may speak confidently about God’s sovereignty while continuing to live as though our security depends upon controlling every circumstance.
These contradictions should not cause us to abandon theological study.
They should encourage us to examine whether our knowledge is producing the spiritual fruit Scripture describes.
Growing in the knowledge of Christ means learning to see everything in relation to Him.
Our successes no longer define our worth. Our failures no longer become reasons to despair as though Christ’s righteousness were insufficient. Our relationships become opportunities to demonstrate the love and grace we have received.
And our understanding of Scripture should increasingly shape not only what we believe but also what we desire.
We should become more willing to forgive.
More patient with those who struggle.
More humble when corrected.
More faithful when circumstances become difficult.
And more grateful for the Savior who has accomplished everything necessary for our salvation.
Now, I want to be careful here. None of these qualities should become another checklist through which we attempt to prove ourselves worthy of God’s acceptance.
That would completely misunderstand the gospel.
We are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ, not through our ability to achieve spiritual maturity.
But the grace that saves us does not leave us unchanged.
Through His Word and Spirit, God continues working within His people, teaching us to trust Him, exposing the sins we need to confess, and progressively shaping us into the likeness of His Son.
So perhaps we should ask ourselves something more meaningful than simply how much theology we have learned recently.
Are we growing in our love for Christ?
Are the truths we study changing the way we think, the things we value, and the way we treat the people God has placed in our lives?
When we look back over the years, do we see evidence that God has been teaching us greater humility, patience, obedience, and trust?
And when we recognize how far we still have to grow, do we return with confidence to the Savior whose grace remains sufficient?
These are questions worth considering.
Because the purpose of studying God’s Word is not simply to fill our minds with more information.
It is to know the God who has revealed Himself through that Word and to grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ.
And I believe that the more clearly we understand who Christ is, what He has accomplished, and what it means to belong to Him, the more deeply we should love Him.
Theological knowledge should lead us toward worship.
Biblical understanding should strengthen our faith.
And genuine faith should increasingly become visible through obedience, humility, and love.
The goal of Christian growth is not to become someone who knows everything about Jesus Christ while remaining unchanged. It is to know Him more faithfully, love Him more deeply, and become increasingly like the Savior who has graciously made us His own.