Knowing About vs Actually Knowing

Introduction

I met a man who shared a painful chapter of his life. His grandfather, a beloved pastor in a small church, was betrayed by his congregation and abandoned during his final days. After his death, the family, identifying as Christians, fought over his property. Disillusioned by these events, the man turned away from the church, labeling Christians as hypocrites.

For the next ten years, he sought answers. He read books about Christianity and consulted subject matter experts, but instead of clarity, his distrust deepened into hatred. When I asked if he had read the Bible from start to finish, he admitted he hadn’t. It was clear: he knew about the Bible but didn’t truly know it. He had heard about Jesus but lacked a relationship with Him.

I explained that many Christians make the same mistake, relying on secondhand sources like books or sermons instead of going directly to God’s Word. By doing so, they miss the personal relationship God offers through His living and active Word. Instead of encountering truth firsthand, they settle for interpretations filtered through fallible human perspectives.

This man, like many, had been searching in all the wrong places. His story reminds us of the critical difference between knowing about God and truly knowing Him.

The Pain of Betrayal
The young man’s story is a familiar one. When people we trust fail us, especially those representing spiritual authority, the disillusionment can cut deeply. It’s easy to see why he began to stereotype Christians, conflating human failings with the nature of God. His attempt to seek answers through research only deepened his bitterness. Why? Because he sought knowledge about God without pursuing a relationship with Him.

Knowing About Versus Knowing
The distinction between knowing about God and knowing Him is profound. The former is informational; it involves learning facts, reading books, or listening to others’ interpretations. The latter is relational; it comes from direct engagement with God through prayer, worship, and the Word.

Consider Jesus’ words in John 5:39-40:
“You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life.”

The Pharisees were experts in Scripture, yet they missed the Messiah standing before them. Their knowledge about God didn’t translate into knowing Him. Similarly, the young man in our story read about Christianity but avoided the Bible itself, missing the opportunity to meet God in His Word.

The Privilege of Direct Revelation
One of the most beautiful aspects of faith is the privilege of hearing directly from God. Hebrews 4:12 reminds us:
“For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”

When we rely solely on human intermediaries to interpret Scripture, we risk losing the transformative power of direct revelation. Reading the Bible ourselves allows the Holy Spirit to speak personally, guiding us into truth and convicting our hearts in ways no human commentary can replicate.

The Call to Relationship
God desires a relationship with us, not a distant association mediated by others. Imagine a child who, instead of talking directly to their parent, insists on communicating through someone else. It’s absurd, yet this is how many approach God. They forfeit the joy of intimacy with their Creator by relying on secondhand sources.

Psalm 34:8 invites us:
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.”

This invitation is personal. It urges us to experience God firsthand, to know Him intimately, and to move beyond merely knowing about Him.

Lesson
The young man’s journey illustrates a hard truth: human failings often obscure God’s goodness. But the solution is not in abandoning faith or relying solely on others’ interpretations. It is in returning to the source — the Bible — and seeking a direct relationship with God.

Knowing about God is not enough. True transformation and healing come when we know Him personally. Let us heed the call to dive into His Word, meet Him in prayer, and experience the depth of His love. Only then will we truly understand the difference between knowing about and knowing.