To Know Him is to Love Him

Growing up in the 1950’s and 1960’s, I recall a song written by Phil Spector and recorded by The Teddy Bears. It begins this way:

To know, know, know him.
Is to love, love, love him
Just to see him smile
Makes my life worthwhile
To know, know, know him
Is to love, love, love him
And I do

The simple, uncomplicated, yet tender and memorable lyrics resonated with that generation and climbed to #1 on the Billboard charts, where it remained for three weeks. The song’s theme was clear–love grows out of knowledge. The more you really know someone, the more naturally love can grow, deepen, and flourish.

The idea of this teenage ballad, however, touches a profound spiritual truth that speaks to our writing and preaching theme this year.

The Bible often connects knowing God with loving God.

In 1 John 2:3-4, John, often identified as “the apostle of love,” penned, “And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. Whoever says, “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

In John 14:15, Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commandments.”

Loving God must be based on knowing God. And knowing God can only be fully learned through Scripture, which leads us to an obedience to His Word. You don’t love someone when you ignore what is important to them, what is at the heart of their character, what is the core of their values, and what is their desire for your relationship with them. That’s true in a physical relationship, and it’s true in our spiritual relationship with God.

Jesus said, “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3). As one author observed, “Eternal life is not merely a destination; it is a relationship. And relationships do not flourish without knowledge.”

We often hear people express love for God, yet too many fail to invest time, effort, and energy in learning about God and in knowing His heart, His character, His will, and His purpose for our lives, as revealed in His Word. It’s easy to express love in theory or at a distance, but it’s more difficult to actually develop an intimate knowledge of Him that deepens our love for him.

Just as our obedience flows from the love we have for the Lord, so does our trust in Him. The psalmist declared, “Those who know Your name trust in You” (Psalm 9:10). The more you know God, the more you trust Him, and the more you love Him. It’s not a fleeting, mushy emotion, but a love of the will that is rooted in relational commitment and expressed beyond words, in attitude and actions.

We know God’s love because it’s revealed in Scripture. The children often sing a song that goes like this:

Jesus loves me, this I know,
for the Bible tells me so

“We love because He first loved us”(1 John 4:19). How do we know He loved us? From Genesis to Revelation, we learn of God’s love through His creation, His covenant, His promises, and the unfolding of His plan to save mankind from sin. Divine love is expressed in the incarnation of Christ. And it is manifest in His life, in His compassion, patience, and kindness. Of course, it is ultimately consummated in Jesus’s sacrifice for our sins as expressed in these two significant passages.

“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16).

“But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Rom. 5:8).

When we really know and deeply feel God’s love for us, our love for Him is awakened, nurtured, nourished, and sustained.

Furthermore, it becomes a foundation for our ability to love all those created in His image and after His likeness. Not just those for which we have a natural affinity, but even for others who may be unlovable. If God loves them, and I love God, shouldn’t I also love the unlovable?

Phil Spector’s 1958 ballad expressed a Truth far different and more profound than that of another teenage love song. It’s a principle that speaks to our spiritual longing–to know Him is to love Him.

–Ken Weliever, The Preacherrman