I Don’t Want to Know…

“And I will give them a heart to know me, that I am Jehovah…” -Jeremiah 24:7a

Certain of my family members actually enjoy watching a show called Dr. Pimple Popper. The title says it all doesn’t it? Occasionally, one of those family members will say, “Hey, come watch her lance this cyst.” The very thought of that procedure makes me a bit queezy. I don’t want to know anything about lancing, cysts, pimples, and the like. In fact, the less I know, the better. Ya know?

Did you realize this is the case of the human heart in relation to God? To an unredeemed man, the thought of knowing God is actually like watching an episode of Dr. Pimple Popper is to me: revolting. Yeah, not just undesirable, but actually stomach turning, sickness inducing, revolting.

God, therefore, promises to give a new heart. God fulfills this promise in every human being he causes to be born again (John 3:5-8). When you are born gain, God removes your heart of stone and gives you a heart of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). He takes away your desire to rebel and gives you a desire to submit. He does this so that you may know him. That is to say, enjoy intimate fellowship with the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – the one, true God (Deuteronomy 6:4).

One thing I should make clear here: all men have a knowledge of God. Being born again does not enable you to acknowledge God’s existence. Even the most wicked of men have this knowledge in them because they are image-bearers of God (Genesis 1:26-28). But they hate this knowledge (Romans 1:18-23). Wicked men know God and hate him. They hate who he is. They hate that he is. They love only self. Thus, the need for a new heart.

Here’s a second thing from Jeremiah 24:7a: God has given a new heart to those whom he chooses so they may know him. This is the purpose of being born again. You are not born again to get into heaven. You are not born again to escape hell. You are not born again so that Christian girl you have been dating will say yes to your marriage proposal. You are born again to know the one, true God. If the unredeemed man knows God and hates him, then the redeemed man knows God and loves him.

One last thing, the result of having a new heart is knowing God. This is really starting to sound like harping isn’t it? But, those who possess eternal life will be those who love the knowledge of God. “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). You may know that you are born again then by this: you love, cherish, delight in, and pursue the knowledge of God.

I recently did a funeral for a man whose family loved him. The draft obituary was three pages. THREE PAGES! The family’s love for this man was demonstrated in their intimate knowledge of him. Your love for God is demonstrated in your knowledge of him.

You need a new heart to know God. God gives you a new heart so that you may know him. And when you possess a new heart, your life will be spent cherishing and pursuing a knowledge of God!

I believe some sincere Christians will respond to this by asking, “But how do I get to know God?” The answer to that question will sound simplistic: read your Bible. God has given us the Scriptures as a written record of his words and acts. The more you know Scripture, as enabled by the Holy Spirit, the more you will know the one, true God. Thus, David could write that the blessed man is the one who delights in God’s law and meditates on it day and night. (Psalm 1:1-2)