In the Knowledge of Him

‍ God of Wonders…

“To whom will you liken Me, and make Me equal and compare Me, that we should be alike…I am God, and there is no other, I am God, and there is none like Me (Isaiah 46:5,9).”

God is. He exists. (Exodus 3:14) He will never be anyone, or anything, other than Himself. God’s nature and character—His core, essence and attributes—do not change. (Malachi 3:6) He is utterly above and beyond any idea of Him we can muster individually, or collectively. Our experiences and thoughts of Him must agree with the truth of who He says He is. God’s Word is truth. (John 17:17). Who He says He is is how He is, and how He is affects everything. Understanding this is of utmost importance.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts (Isaiah 55:8,9).”

If we do not have an accurate and experiential knowledge of who God is we will struggle with knowing how He is. If we don’t know how He is, our beliefs will be unstable. Then when circumstances change, our trust in Him will vacillate.

A.W. Tozer in his book The Knowledge of the Holy says:

The decline of the knowledge of the Holy has brought on our troubles….If we would bring back spiritual power to our lives, we must begin to think of God more nearly as He is….What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us….For this reason, the gravest question before [us] is always God Himself, and the most [significant] fact about any man is not what he at a given time may say or do, but what he in his deep heart conceives God to be like (preface viii; page 1).

The Greek word for knowledge in the Scriptures that follow is epignosis. Which means  to have a “precise and correct knowledge; recognition, full discernment, [an] acknowledgment” of God. This is not intellectual understanding. It’s a deep relational awareness of Him. An intimate and transformative involvement with God that determines and affects our destiny and all of life. Look at the cascading and interwoven effects Holy Spirit inspired Peter and Paul to write in these “knowledge prayers”:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who has called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust (II Peter 1:2-4 emphasis added).

…[I] do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power (Ephesians 1:15-19 emphasis added).

…[we] do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light (Colossians 1:9-12 emphasis added).

Having an accurate view of God directly affects our nature and character—our core, essence, and attributes. Our identity is literally wrapped up in who He is. Even though God is utterly above and beyond any idea of Him that we can muster, He chose to create us in His image! (Genesis 1:26-28) Therefore as we deepen our relational awareness of Him—guarding, protecting, and keeping it—we will develop a proper understanding of who we are, creating in us the capacity to represent Him well, and carry out His eternal purpose for humanity and creation. As we “know,” is how we go.

The importance of investing the time and energy it takes to grow in our knowledge of the Holy One, and allow Him to reveal anything that does not line up with who He says He is and who He says we are, cannot be overstated. The truth is, we will never get to the end of the abundant life that comes from knowing the one true God. But we are invited to dive in, discover, and fully experience the beauty of knowing Him and the wonder that comes from making Him known.

That the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment (epignosis) of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus (Philemon 1:6 emphasis added).

For further study, here is a partial list of who God says He is and how He is. I am absolutely convinced that as we continue to grow in our knowledge of God, all of His intentions for humanity and the earth will be constant in us and through us. Because He is…

I AM - Exodus 3:14
The Beginning and the End - Revelation 1:8,11,17; 3:14; 21:6; 22:12
Eternal - Revelation 1:8,17; 4:8-11; 5:14
Creator - Genesis 1:1; Revelation 4:11
Almighty - Revelation 1:8; 4:8; 15:3,4;16:5-7; 19:6,7
Lord - Revelation 4:8-11; 15:3,4; 19:16; Malachi 3:6
King - Revelation 15:3,4; 19:16
Holy - Revelation 4:8; 15:4
Worthy - Revelation 4:11; 5:1-14
Righteous - Revelation 16:5-7
The Lion, Lamb, and Root of David - Revelation 5:1-14
The Word - John 1:1-4;14; Revelation 19:13
Just - Revelation 15:3,4;16:5-7
Faithful and True - Revelation 3:14; 19:11
Unchangeable - Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8
The Amen - Revelation 3:14
Father - Matthew 6:8-14,31,32
Son - John 3:16-18
Jesus Christ - II Peter 3:18
Emmanuel - Matthew 1:23
Holy Spirit/Spirit of truth - John 4:24; 14:26; 15:26
Love - I John 4:8
Light - I John 1:5
The Way, the Truth and the Life - John 14:6
Peace - Ephesians 2:14-16
Hope - Romans 15:13
Savior - Jude 1:24,25
Redeemer - Isaiah 48:17; 54:5
Provider - Genesis 22:8-14
Healer - Exodus 15:26
Protector - Psalm 91
Comforter/Helper - John 14:16-18; 26,27; 15:26; 16:7-15

© 2026 Tawna Wilkinson

Resources:
The New King James Version
Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance