2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
KNOWL'EDGE, n. nol'lej.
1. A clear and certain perception of that which exists, or of truth and fact; the perception of the connection and agreement, or disagreement and repugnancy of our ideas.
We can have no knowledge of that which does not exist. God has a perfect knowledge of all his works. Human knowledge is very limited, and is mostly gained by observation and experience. Learning; illumination of mind. Ignorance is the curse of God, knowledge the wing wherewith we fly to heaven.
After the fall, saving knowledge of God is grounded solely in God's decision to reveal himself to sinners ( Gen 18:18-19 ; Exod 33:17 ; Ps. 139 Jer 1:5 ; Eph 3:35 ). In these Acts of special revelation, God chooses a people for his purposes and guides them back to himself ( Amos 3:2 ).For sinners can come into fellowship with God only through God's prior act, which objectively makes known his mercy, and subjectively makes us rightly related to Him.
Seeking God is dependent on the proper perspective. God has revealed himself through his prior Acts, and this revelation forms the proper historical context for understanding God in the present ( Deut 4:29-39 ; 1 Chron 16:11-12 ).Consequently, knowledge of God frequently depends on the witness of others to whom God has revealed himself ( Psalm44:1-4 ; Isa51:1-2 ). Only those who know God may seek him. In the New Testament, for example, the first step toward knowledge consists of receiving Jesus' message ( John 7:16-17 ; 12:37-46 ; 20:30-31 ). Only those willing to believe that Jesus is doing the will of the Father receive the light enabling them to discern that he is the Son of God. On this path, followers are led to the full truth. Sinners, on the other hand, come to a knowledge of God through judgment and repentance. In repentance one recognizes the holy God who demands righteousness: the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom ( Psalm 25:14 ; 111:10 ; Prov 1:7 ; 2:5 ; 9:10 ).
Unlike other types of knowing, God engages and draws us to himself ( John 6:44 ). When we surrender to him and follow Acts 2:38, God "shows us the way we should go" ( Psalm 143:8 ; John 14:6 ).The biblical terms associated with knowing God, like trusting, acknowledging, and believing in God as Lord ( 1 Chron 28:9 ; Psalm 36:10 ; 79:6 ; Isa 43:10 ; Hosea 6:3 ), have a covenantal context. As a result, knowledge of God involves not simply propositions about God, but encountering and embracing God as Lord ( Psalms 25:4 Psalms 25:12 ; 119:104 ), so that God becomes the center of our desires, affections, and knowledge.
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