Quote:
Originally Posted by Ohio
I disagree with this conclusion. Is not Jesus Christ our Creator? If Jesus never knew them, it means they were never even born or conceived in the first place. If Jesus never knew us, then we have never existed.
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John 17:3
"And this is
eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent."
The Greek word for "know" in John 17:3 is ginóskó which is "to know, especially through personal experience (first-hand acquaintance)" (
https://biblehub.com/greek/1097.htm)
This kind of knowing requires a relationship between two people. If we "ginóskó" Jesus then he would "ginóskó" us.
The same Greek word is used in a different verb form in Matthew 7:21-23.
The Apostle John also confirms this understanding in his epistle and uses the same word "ginóskó":
1 John 3:6
No one who abides in him keeps on sinning;
no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him.
According to John, someone who "ginóskó"'s Jesus would not practice sin. But the one who practices sin yet claims to be a Christian would be a tare or seed of Satan masquerading as a Christian.
1 John 3:8
Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.
1 John 4:20
If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen.