Barbara Benfield Blog

I was recently approved as a staff writer for GotQuestions.org, and decided to share this question and my response:

Question:

What does the Bible mean by “know the Lord” in Jeremiah 31:34, Hebrews 8:11, and elsewhere? Is to know God to be saved?

Answer:

The answer to your question, “Is to know God to be saved,” invokes an immediate response of yes. However, it might be beneficial to go into what Jeremiah is prophesying about and what it means to know God.

There were several Messianic prophecies in Jeremiah fulfilled by Jesus. The Old Testament predicts the coming new covenant, and the New Testament describes how it has been established and what it means. Jeremiah prophesied that the coming Messiah would establish a new covenant with His people. This one would be everlasting, and God would write His instructions on our hearts. Jeremiah 31:34 is a prophecy that this coming Messiah would completely forgive our sins.

In Matthew 26:28 Jesus says, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (emphasis mine). Hebrews 10:16-18 says, “’This is the covenant I will make with them after that time,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my laws in their hearts, and I will write them on their minds.’ Then he adds: ’Their sins and lawless acts I will remember no more. And where these have been forgiven, sacrifice for sin is no longer necessary.’”

The verse, Hebrews 8:11, “No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest” is referring to the fact that a person can come to know Jesus Christ personally, and through that relationship with Jesus Christ, they will inherit eternal life (John 4:14). In the Old Testament, the people had the law and were instructed to make sacrifices, through the priest, for the forgiveness of sins. This was not a complete system of forgiveness. The people would have to go back through this again on a regular basis. In the New Testament, Jesus Christ made the ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of sins, once and for all, “in fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness” (Hebrews 9:22).

Jesus tells us to “Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1:15), and in John 17:3 Jesus prays to the Father, “this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” In John 17:8, Jesus prayed to the Father concerning the disciples, “For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.”

As you can see, Knowing the Lord is synonymous with believing and trusting in Jesus Christ. It means recognizing our sinfulness and His holiness and understanding that our righteousness comes from Him (Philippians 3:9). “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). If we are saved (justified), He comes and dwells with us through sending the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit unites us with Christ and leads us into all truth (John 16:13). Jesus said, “if you love me, obey my commands” (John 14:15). To know God is to love God, and to love God is to obey God while putting our faith and trust in Jesus Christ.

All Scriptures from New International Version (NIV).