The Great Divide: About vs. Him
There is all the difference in the world between knowing about Christ and knowing Christ Himself.
You can study Julius Caesar or Abraham Lincoln — you may know their history, their words, their deeds — but you cannot know them as living persons. They are gone. You can read about them, but you cannot fellowship with them.
Spurgeon put it beautifully:
“With regard to the Lord Jesus Christ, you not only know a great deal about him, but I trust you know HIM. Do you know Jesus himself? Have you ever spoken to him? Has he ever spoken to you? … This is life eternal.”
The knowledge of Christ is not information. It is revelation.
Revelation, Not Flesh and Blood
When Peter confessed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus answered, “Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 16:16–17 KJV)
This is the line that separates the natural man from the spiritual:
- Flesh and blood cannot reveal Him.
- The Father, by His Spirit, must open our eyes.
You may memorize creeds, master doctrines, and recite history. But unless the Father reveals Christ to you, you remain in the dark.
Why I Reject Images of Jesus
This is why I want no carved, painted, or digital “Jesus” imprinted on my mind. The apostles once knew Christ “after the flesh,” but Paul says, “Henceforth know we him no more” (2 Cor. 5:16).
We do not know Him by sight but by faith. We do not follow Him by imagination but by revelation.
To rely on images is to slip back into the flesh — to try to grasp Christ with our senses instead of receiving Him by the Spirit. It’s religion by sight, not relationship by faith.
Religious Flesh: The Old Mistake Repeated
Israel once demanded, “Make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Sam. 8:5). They wanted God + something visible. They wanted faith + sight. They wanted to walk by flesh, not Spirit.
That same spirit is alive today. It’s what drives Christian Zionism, Christian Nationalism, and every other “Christian +” movement. The flesh abhors walking by faith, so it clothes sight in religious garments and calls it holy. But in reality, it is nothing but religious flesh.
And flesh — even religious flesh — is sin.
“I Never Knew You”
Here is the most sobering truth:
“Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? … and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me.” (Matt. 7:22–23 KJV)
They knew about Him. They did things in His name. But He never knew them — because there was no revelation, no intimacy, no daily walking together in Spirit and truth.
Doctrinal knowledge without personal revelation is insufficient. Religious activity without relationship is counterfeit.
The Eternal Difference
Scripture only knows two kinds of people:
- The natural man, dead in Adam, unable to receive the things of the Spirit.
- The spiritual man, alive in Christ, knowing Him personally, walking by faith.
That is the only eternal divide. Not left vs. right. Not Jew vs. Gentile. Not Christian Zionist vs. Christian nationalist. But: Do you know Him? Does He know you?
The Call to Intimacy
The Kingdom of God is not gained by knowing facts about Jesus. It is entered by knowing Him personally, revealed by the Father, and walking daily in His Spirit.
This is life eternal:
“That they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” (John 17:3 KJV)
Everything else — shadows, images, doctrines without Spirit — is a counterfeit kingdom.