Jesus Only

As I pass through every stage of faith, I grow not only in the knowledge of truth, but also in the knowledge of the One Who is the Truth. In this knowledge lie the secret of my victory and the strength to overcome every difficulty and trial.

Any spiritual knowledge without the knowledge of Christ, although it may be useful information that brings much light and changes many things in life, does not give the right to Eternity. Jesus defined eternal life in these words: ‘And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent’ (John 17:3).

When Jesus spoke in Matthew 7:23 about His rejection of those who bear His name, do good works, and perform many right actions, the key point was that all those who were rejected shared the absence of a personal relationship with Christ. They did not respond to God’s counsel and did not open their hearts when the Savior knocked upon them. They chose their own path to eternal life and decided to obtain the right to it through their own merits and achievements.

At every stage of growth, the Lord gives me a certain amount of time to learn new and useful things, to make important decisions, to remove something from my life and add something else to it. He does not hurry me, but neither does He allow me to become stuck. When I am invited to rise higher, any delay can slow my growth, and I may become stuck for a time at some stage. Any subsequent refusal of the invitation to continue growing blocks my mind so completely that I cease responding to God’s voice.

The stage of success is the longest and most interesting stage of my spiritual growth. Here I not only learn something new, but also put the knowledge I have received into practice and see the effect of my words and instruction. I succeed in everything and regard this as my personal victory in spiritual battles. Such victories confirm me in the belief that I am doing everything correctly, but I may fall into the danger of beginning to regard my works as an important criterion in serving God and knowing Him.

I see how the Lord answers my prayers and how, in response to my prayers, He blesses me and my neighbors. I see miracles take place and demons leave their victims at my command in the name of Jesus. I greatly enjoy praying for the sick and seeing disease leave these suffering people as they revive and begin to live healthy and fulfilling lives. And if I manage at this stage to accept every reform into my life, I feel that I have reached a special spiritual height, because I receive blessings from these reforms and see their special significance for our time.

But the Lord does not want me to remain at this stage. The experience and knowledge I received while growing spiritually will not disappear, and I will not be left with nothing if I accept God’s invitation to move forward. I do not know what the narrow path looks like, and therefore, when the Lord leads me out of the familiar comfort of spiritual victories and places me in the darkness of a forest unknown to me, my faith undergoes interesting trials. I begin to reevaluate all my values and my entire life, and in all of this I greatly need Jesus’ help. This is precisely what He is waiting for. He desires a close personal relationship in which not my works and success, but my thirst to know Him will be the chief motive of our relationship.

Jesus is a Person. He is able to feel, He understands my feelings and needs, and He knows how and with what to satisfy me so that I may develop fully and win genuine victories, manifesting the spirit of an overcomer.

Because Christ’s goal is the love that I must obtain, He desires to communicate this to me and give me a thirst for this quality of soul. He creates conditions in which, despite all my Christianity, I begin to understand that I do not possess the love that would win the victory in every battle. Through particular circumstances, Jesus reveals to me that without love I am no one and nothing, not only in His sight but also in my own.

Personal knowledge of Christ and a personal relationship with Him teach me that He not only wants to fellowship with me, but also desires to act in me and through me in love. In offering the knowledge of Himself, He also offers the knowledge of God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. It is difficult to describe in human language the full essence of these relationships within me, but as I grow, they become part of my spiritual development. I cannot say that growth requires only a relationship with Christ or only with the Heavenly Father. Indeed, these relationships themselves are impossible without the direct participation of the Holy Spirit.

The Lord allows me to immerse myself within so that there He may reveal the sources of a close relationship with Himself, which help sweep all the rubbish out of my life and endow me with that which, by my nature, I do not possess.

As I continue to grow and, having analyzed my heart, desire to journey outward and come to know the spiritual world of my friends, building upon this new relationships with my neighbors, I begin to understand that without love I can neither attain nor obtain this. Therefore, the Holy Spirit naturally begins to draw me into study in the school of God’s love.

All of this takes place in a manner far more complex and interesting than I describe here, but there is one common element in it all: I understand that without the cross I can no longer do anything, and I need nothing except for Him always to be with me and direct all my inner processes and outward circumstances. My prayers at this time become so intimate that I may wonder: Am I trusting Christ too closely, and am I speaking with Him too tenderly in my prayer? After all, He is God, and I am an unworthy sinner. But my conscience does not reprove me, and I understand that God likes such fellowship. Understanding how close He is to me, I tell Him everything, ask Him for everything, ask questions about every little thing, do not hesitate to address Him at any time of the day or night, and know that He is always near and listening to me in order to answer and act.

His physical silence no longer surprises me. I have learned to hear that gentle voice within me which knows how to address me, how to comfort me, and how to suggest something important and necessary. Having such a relationship, I become calm and ask for more love.

At first it seemed to me that, having received love from God, I should return it specifically to Him through declarations of love, through prayers containing words of love, through setting my heart upon my future meeting with Him, and through showing special love toward Him. But the Lord makes me understand that His love, which He teaches me, is directed toward my neighbors. To them I must reveal our personal relationship and show how God’s power within me knows how to love them and how it is able to respond to everything with love. I am learning this and discovering a new world for myself.

The School of Agape Love is the most beautiful endeavor that can be recommended to every one of us. At this stage of faith, I come to know God as He desires to present Himself to the entire world. But because I am one who has responded to His call, it gives Him special pleasure to act through me and through the imperfect love that I try to show toward my neighbors and friends. And my Lord rejoices with me over the victories He accomplishes within me.

1. Please read Matthew 6:33; 7:21–23; Revelation 3:20; John 13:35; 14:21; Jeremiah 29:13; 2 Corinthians 3:18; Philippians 1:21; 3:8; Romans 5:5; Colossians 2:9–10.

2. What other Bible verses came to your mind?

3. What did you understand?

4. What does the expression ‘to know Christ’ mean to you personally?

5. What is the difference between knowing about Christ and knowing Him personally?

6. Why is eternal life connected specifically with knowing God and Jesus Christ?

7. Why were the people in Matthew 7:21–23 rejected despite their good works?

8. What can prevent a believer from moving forward in spiritual development?

9. What kinds of spiritual success can imperceptibly replace Christ Himself in a person’s life?

10. Why do trials or persecution often contribute to a deeper knowledge of the Lord?

11. Why does Christ desire to be not only a Teacher, but also a close Friend?

12. Why is it impossible to win genuine spiritual victories without love?

13. What role does the Holy Spirit play in a personal relationship with Christ?

14. Why does love for people become a natural result of love for God?