Knowing and Believing -- a Christian Perspective

[DanielGarneau]

How should the relationship between knowing and believing viewed from a Christian perspective? I just published a video on YouTube that skims the edges of this question : Knowing and Believing -- a Christian Perspective. What would you like to be told about this question?

Have a great day. I have not visited this forum for quite a while now, and am very impressed of how it now looks.

Daniel Garneau
Savoir et croire .ca

 

[Quantrill]

I don't know of anything I would like to be told about knowing and believing. I have my own view of the interaction of the two. Concerning the Christian faith, knowing and believing are almost synonymous terms.

We know and so we believe. We believe because we know.

Quantrill

 

[for_his_glory]

Knowing is having a personal relationship with Christ as we believe He is the Son of God, Savior unto the world of iniquity. We can believe in the name of Jesus as even the devils believed and trembled at His name, but it takes that personal relationship/fellowship to really get to know and understand all He has for us.

 

[humble soul]

Had a look for 10 minutes. Sorry not my cup of tea . Thanks anyway.

 

[Quantrill]

Atheist's often use 'knowing' and 'faith' as a line of argument against the believer.

They will say, you believe it, but you don't know it. I will tell them I do know it. But, because they don't know it, they can't possibly allow you to know it.

Their, the atheist's, knowing comes from the scientific method of learning. Seeing, and proving, and testing.

But, such methods cannot be applied to knowing God. God is only known if He wishes to be. He hides Himself. He reveals Himself at His will. And He opens the eyes of who He wants to, to see, to know, to believe. (Matt. 16:17)

God reveals Himself to man through the Spirit to man's spirit. Thus the man whose eyes are opened believes, as he now knows. It is a knowing completely separated from the worlds method of knowing. But it is knowing none the less.

The atheist is void of such knowing. It makes no sense. Indeed the 'senses' of the flesh are not it's origin.

The believer who knows God and Christ, also knows the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God. The believer knows it as He reads it. The miraculous work of the Holy Spirit takes that written Word of God and digests it into the life of the spirit of the believer as He wants to. The believer may not always be able to explain it. But he knows it.

If you believe, if you know, praise God, for He it is Who has opened your eyes.

Quantrill

 

[DanielGarneau]

Atheist's often use 'knowing' and 'faith' as a line of argument against the believer.

They will say, you believe it, but you don't know it. I will tell them I do know it. But, because they don't know it, they can't possibly allow you to know it.

Their, the atheist's, knowing comes from the scientific method of learning. Seeing, and proving, and testing.

But, such methods cannot be applied to knowing God. God is only known if He wishes to be. He hides Himself. He reveals Himself at His will. And He opens the eyes of who He wants to, to see, to know, to believe. (Matt. 16:17)

God reveals Himself to man through the Spirit to man's spirit. Thus the man whose eyes are opened believes, as he now knows. It is a knowing completely separated from the worlds method of knowing. But it is knowing none the less.

The atheist is void of such knowing. It makes no sense. Indeed the 'senses' of the flesh are not it's origin.

The believer who knows God and Christ, also knows the Word of God. The Bible is the Word of God. The believer knows it as He reads it. The miraculous work of the Holy Spirit takes that written Word of God and digests it into the life of the spirit of the believer as He wants to. The believer may not always be able to explain it. But he knows it.

If you believe, if you know, praise God, for He it is Who has opened your eyes.

Quantrill

Hello Quantrill,

You're exactly right, and that's exactly the problem I am attempting to address in that video. So, if yourself or other members of this forum are interested in contributing to my effort, you might want to subscribe to the YouTube channels where I propose non-Christian to take a closer look at what they think they know, and realise that, as we place our trust on the Word of God as a source of knowledge as well as the inner testimony of the Holy Spirit, so too, they rely on sources based on trust: They trust scientists to tell them the truth about God, for example. That is faith. But that kind of faith prevents them from even considering that there is a personal God who loves and invites them.

God bless.