To know or to be known?

I was reading through Galatians last week and came across a verse that didn’t make sense to me, so I asked the Lord to tell me what it meant. Galatians 4.9 says “Now, however, you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God…” The context here is Paul’s encouragement to the Galatians to walk in grace and not to be enslaved by the Law. They have come to know Jesus, thus are free from the Law.

         When reading this verse, I thought, “when we say ‘yes’ to Jesus and receive salvation, we ‘know God,’ so why does Paul change this around to salvation being ‘known by God?’ Doesn’t God know us all, saved and unsaved? He is able to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart and knows what’s in a person, so what is Paul talking about here?”  Then, the revelation came… The verb ‘to know’ in the Bible often means ‘experientially’ knowing. Thus Adam ‘knew’ Eve and Eve bore a child. For God to experientially know us- that is to be one with us- we have to receive His Spirit. This only comes by receiving Jesus as Lord and Savior. Therefore, when we receive salvation, we become known by God, because He gets to experience us by becoming one spirit with us. If we reject Jesus, He loses part of His inheritance and actually misses something. He loses the inheritance of being one with that person. This is the God-given dignity of our choice and the humility of God to wrap up part of his eternal destiny with his creation!

         Salvation doesn’t end with the entrance of the Holy Spirit; rather it’s just the beginning! I want to be fully known by God. I want Jesus to have access to every part of my heart. I want Him to fully know me. My prayer for greater grace to surrender more of my life to Jesus is now, “God, come and know me!”