In reference to knowing God biblical knowledge is not information but relationship — not abstraction but communion.
But here is something even more profound:
Our knowledge of God begins with His knowledge of us.
Before we ever sought Him, He sought us. Before we ever understood Him, He already understood us.
To grasp this is to understand the foundation of grace.
Genesis 3:9 Explained — The God Who Comes Looking
After Adam and Eve sin, they hide.
Fear replaces fellowship. Shame replaces trust. Distance replaces communion.
Yet the first movement in the story is not humanity searching for God.
It is God searching for humanity.
“But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, ‘Where are you?’” (Genesis 3:9)
This question is not informational. God is not confused about Adam’s location.
It is relational.
God initiates restoration before Adam initiates repentance.
The biblical meaning of being known by God begins here:
He moves toward us even when we move away from Him.
This reflects the goodness you’ve been tracing through creation. The same God who declared creation “very good” does not abandon it when it fractures. His pursuit flows from His character.
Galatians 4:9 Meaning — Known by God
Paul sharpens this truth in Galatians:
“But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God…” (Galatians 4:9)
Notice Paul’s correction.
He interrupts himself.
“You have come to know God — or rather, to be known by God.”
Why the clarification?
Because even our knowledge of God is grounded in His prior knowledge of us.
We do not climb toward heaven through insight.
We awaken to a God who has already set His love upon us.
Being known by God means:
- He sees fully
- He loves personally
- He calls intentionally
- He pursues patiently
This dismantles spiritual pride. Knowing God is not an achievement. It is response.
The Pattern of Divine Initiative
Throughout Scripture, this pattern repeats:
- God calls Abraham out of obscurity.
- God reveals Himself to Moses in the burning bush.
- Jesus calls fishermen before they understand who He is.
- The Spirit awakens hearts before they can articulate faith.
God initiates relationship.
This is not cold determinism. It is covenant love.
It also reframes spiritual growth. We are not manufacturing intimacy. We are responding to pursuit.
Why This Changes Everything
If knowing God begins with being known by Him, then:
- Your faith is not self-generated.
- Your salvation is not self-secured.
- Your spiritual hunger is evidence of prior grace.
Even your desire to know God is a response to His movement toward you.
This aligns deeply with your larger theological theme: God’s goodness is not reactive. It is proactive. Creation itself was divine initiative. Redemption is the continuation of that same goodness.
God does not wait for worthiness.
He moves first.
Being Known and Fully Seen
There is something both terrifying and comforting about being fully known.
Psalm 139 declares that God searches and knows us — our thoughts, our words, our ways.
To be known by God means there is no hidden corner of your story beyond His sight.
And yet, He stays.
This is the heart of grace.
He knows your weakness.
He knows your doubt.
He knows your history.
And He calls you despite this knowledge.
The invitation to know God rests on the security of being known by Him.
How Does God Pursue Us Today?
God’s pursuit may not look like a burning bush, but it is no less real.
He pursues through:
- Scripture that confronts and comforts
- Circumstances that unsettle self-reliance
- Conviction that awakens conscience
- Beauty that stirs longing
- Suffering that exposes false foundations
Often, what feels like disruption is divine invitation.
In your writing on Sabbath and rest, you’ve emphasized that God unsettles systems that compete with His goodness. That same dynamic appears here. God dismantles what distances us from Him — not to control us, but to restore communion.
The Comfort of Being Known
If you struggle with doubt, remember this:
Your relationship with God does not rest on the strength of your grip on Him.
It rests on His grip on you.
The Christian life is not sustained by intensity of pursuit, but by response to pursuit.
Before you prayed, He knew.
Before you confessed, He called.
Before you trusted, He loved.
To know God is to live inside that reality.
Reflection Questions
- Do I live as though my relationship with God depends on my performance?
- Where might God already be pursuing me?
- What would change if I rested in being known before striving to know?
Closing Prayer
Father,
Thank You that You sought me before I sought You.
Thank You that my faith rests not in my strength but in Your initiative.
Teach me to rest in being known.
And from that security, teach me to know You more deeply.
Amen.
What does it mean to be known by God?
To be known by God means He fully sees, understands, and loves you personally. In Scripture, being known by God precedes our knowing Him and forms the foundation of grace.
What does Galatians 4:9 mean?
Galatians 4:9 teaches that our relationship with God begins with His initiative. We know God because He first knows and calls us.
Why does God ask “Where are you?” in Genesis 3:9?
God’s question is relational, not informational. He initiates restoration by inviting Adam out of hiding.
The Everlasting Journey of Knowing God