Subject: The Christian's Greatest Need
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Date: Sat, 24 Dec 2005 21:39:04 +1000

THE CHRISTIAN'S GREATEST
NEED
E. W.
Bullinger

There is one thing that the
Christian needs more than he needs any other thing.  One thing on which all
others rest; and on which all others turn.

It is certain from the Word of
God, and also from our own experience, that "we know not what we should pray for
as we ought."  But "the Spirit Himself helpeth our infirmities" (Rom.
8:26).  He knoweth what we should pray for.  He knoweth what we
need.  He maketh intercession for us and in us.  He teacheth us how to
pray, and in Eph. 1:17, we have His prayer set forth in these words: "that the
God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit
of wisdom and revelation in
THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM."

This, then, must be our greatest need: A true knowledge of God.

If the Holy Spirit thus puts it
before all other things, it must be because it is more important than any other
thing; yea, than all others put together.

This, it is, that lies at the
foundation of the Christian Faith; at the threshold of Christian life. It is the
essence of all trust.
We cannot
trust a person if we do not know him.  At least, it is safer for us not to
do so; and as a rule we do not.  But on the other hand, when we know a
person thoroughly well, we cannot help trusting him.  No effort to
trust is required when we perfectly know a person.  The difficulty then is,
not to trust.
Why, then, do we
not thus trust God?  Is not the answer clear?  It is because we do
not know Him!
Thus we
see how this knowledge of God is our greatest need; the very first step of our
Christian course. Our trust will ever be in proportion to our knowledge.

If we knew, for example a
billionth part of God's infinite wisdom, we should see our own to be such
utter folly, that we should not merely be "willing" for His will, but we should
desire it.  It would be our greatest happiness for Him to do and
arrange all for us.  We should say, 'Lord, I am so foolish and ignorant;
and I know nothing, and can do nothing; I can see only this present moment; I
know nothing of tomorrow.  But Thou canst see the end from the
beginning.  Thy wisdom is infinite, and thy love is infinite; for, our
Saviour and Lord could say of us to Thee, as Thy beloved Son--"Thou hast loved
them, as thou hast loved me" (John 17:23).  Do, then, Thine own will.
This is my desire, the desire of my heart.  This is what I long for above
all things.'
This is far beyond
being "willing".  We may be willing for a thing, because we cannot help
it.  It may be even a low for m of Christian fatalism.  A Mohammedan
may be thus resigned to the will of his god.

But what we are speaking of is
far, far beyond the modern gospel of holiness; far in advance of merely being
"willing".
Those who are in the
still lower condition; not "willing," but "willing to made willing," do not see
that his condition arises from not knowing God; not knowing how infinite is His
love, how vast is His wisdom, how blessed and how sweet is His will.  If
they did but know something of this, they would yearn for His will.  It
would be the one great earnest desire and longing of their hearts for Him to do
exactly what is pleasing in His own sight, in us, and for us, and through us.

Not knowing this secret,
Christians everywhere, are striving and laboring to be "willing" by looking at
themselves; and by some definite "act of faith" to do something of
themselves.  Instead of thinking of His wisdom and His love, they are
thinking of themselves and of their "surrender".

But this is labor in vain.
Even if it should seem to accomplish something, it is only like tying paper
flowers on a plant.  They may look natural and fair; but they have no
scent, and no life; no fruit, and no seed.  It is an artificial, fictitious
attempt to produce that which, if they did but know God, would come of
itself, without an effort: yea, the effort would be to stop or hinder the
mighty power of a true knowledge of God.

The trouble with us is, if we
prove our hearts to their depth, that, at the bottom, we think we know
better.  We would not say it for the world, we would hardly admit it to
ourselves.  But there it is; and the difficulty of being "made willing" is
the proof of it.
If we really
knew Him, and believed that He knows better than we do what is good for us,
there would be no effort whatever, but only a blessed irrepressible
desire for His will.

Before we proceed further to consider some other of the practical effects of
this knowledge, let us notice the fact that there are two words in the original
for this knowledge of God.  Two verbs which mean to know.  As
these are used sometimes in the very same verse, it is very important that we
should carefully distinguish that which the Holy Spirit has so especially
emphasized.
There are, indeed, six Greek words which are translated to
know, but these two are the most common.

1.  The one, oida,
means to know without learning or effort; and refers to what we know
intuitively, or as a matter of fact or history.

2.  The other,
ginosko, means to get to know; by effort, or experience, or learning.

This difference will be clearly
seen, if we examine one or two passages:

John 13:7, "What I do thou
knowest not now."  this is the former of these two words, and tells us
that Peter had no intuitive knowledge of what the Lord was doing; and had no
means of knowing.  It was impossible.  The Lord, however, goes on to
say, "but thou shalt know (i.e. get to know) hereafter."  Peter would
learn, and find out, by experience and revelation, what the Lord was then doing.

John 8:55.  "Ye have not
know him (i.e., gotten to know him.  No. 2 of these two words); but I know
him (No. 1) him not, I shall be a liar like unto you; but I know him (No.
1)."  Here the Lord declares His imminent knowledge of the Father; and
declares that hose whom He was addressing, not only had no such innate knowledge
of God, but had not even attained to that knowledge.

1 John 5:20. "We know (No.
1, i.e., we know as a historical fact, without learning it) that the Son
of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know
(i.e., get to know, No. 2) him that is true."

Here the truth is taught that,
before any one can get to know God, he must have a spiritual
understanding imparted to him.  With this agrees 1 Cor. 2:14.  "The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are
foolishness unto him; neither can he get to know them."  Why
not?  Because "they are spiritually discerned."  The naturall man has
no means of getting to know spiritual things.  A spiritual understanding
must first be "given" to him.  Then he is able not only to discern, but to
love and delight in the revelation of spiritual things, and to get to know Him,
"the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent."  "This is life
eternal" (John 17:3).
The
importance of getting to know God is thus again wondrously emphasized as
our one great need.  This knowledge is not only the basis of trust in God;
not only the foundation of Christian faith; but of Christian life.
Practical life and walk will be in direct proportion to our knowledge of
God.  Look at Col. 1:9,10, where we have the practical outcome of hte
prayer in Eph. 1:17.  In Eph. 1:17 we have the prayer itself.  In Col.
1:9,10, we have it applied for our correction and instruction.  Carefully
weigh the words.  "For this cause, we also, since the day we  heard
it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire" --- Desire what?  "that ye
might be filled with the knowledge (the noun from No. 2, i.e., acquired
knowledge) of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
Why?  For what purpose?  To what end?   "THAT YE MAY WALK
WORTHY OF THE LORD UNTO ALL PLEASING, being fruitful in every good work, and
increasing in THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD."

Then, to walk worthy of the Lord,
I must know Him?  Exactly so.  If I would please Him in all things I
must know how to please Him.  Is this all that is required?  All that
I have to do?   Yes, this is all.  Then I have not to rush hither
and thither; from Convention to Convention?  No, I have to sit down before
God's Word, and get to know Him through that.  There is no other way
of getting to know Him.  And He has given us His Word, and revealed Himself
therein, on purpose that we may study it and find out what it is that pleases
Him; what it is He loves; what it is He hates; what it is He does.  To get
to know His wisdom, His will, His infinite love, His almighty power, His
faithfulness, His holiness, His righteousness, His truth, His goodness and
mercy, His long-suffering, His gentleness, His care, and all the innumerable
attributes of our great and glorious God.

See how this knowledge is
absolutely necessary, if we would please God.

We cannot please any of our
friends unless we know what they are pleased with.  If we would make a
present to one of them, we naturally think, or try to find out, what it is he or
she needs or would be pleased to have.  If we are receiving a guest, we
naturally try to remember or find out what pleases him in food or drink, in
occupation or recreation.  If we cannot find this out, then we have to
guess at it, and we may or maynot succeed in our effort to please.  We may
take the greatest trouble and pains, and yet, after all, we may arrange for or
provide the very thing which is most disliked.

It is even so with our God.
How are we to find out the things that please Him?  How are we to discover
the things He approves?
ONLY FROM HIS WORD.

There, and there alone can we
get to know Him.  There alone shall we learn the fullness of the
Spirit's prayer for us in Eph. 1:7; and the blessed practical outcome of it in
Col. 1:9,10.
No man has this
knowledge of God intuitively.  No minister can even help in imparting it,
except in and by the ministry of that Word.  His own thoughts are
valueless.  Only so far as he enables us to understand that Word can he be
of any assistance to us.  He may be mistaken by himself, and very easily be
a hindrance instead of a help.  God has revealed Himself in His written
Word, the Scriptures of truth; and in the Living Word, His Son, Jesus
Christ.  And it is by the Communicated Word revealed in our hearts by the
Holy Ghost that we begin thus to get to know Him, whom to know is Life
Eternal.
This is the one great
reason why the written Word is given to us.  It is not given merely as a
book of general information, or of refernece; but it is given to make known the
invisible God.
Why do we read
it?  Why do we open it at all?  What is, or ought to be, our object in
reading it?
Do we read a portion
that someone else has selected for us?  Do we read that portion because we
have promised someone we would do so?  Or do we open it, and sit down
before it with the one dominant object to find out God; to discover His
mind; to get to know His will.

Those who are not thus engaged make their own god out of their own thoughts and
imaginations.  They have to fall back on what they think their god
likes!
Thousands make their gods
with their hands, out of wood, or stone, or bread.  Thousands more make him
out of their own heads.  But, being ignorant of God's Word, they are alike
ignorant of the God Who has there revealed Himself.

See the power of this truth as it
is applied to what is called "Public Worship" or "Divine Service".  How
many will still worship "the unknown God"; and serve themselves; and do what is
pleasing in their own eyes, studying only their own tastes!  Ignorant of
that great rubrick, John 4:24, "God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him MUST
worship Him in spirit and in truth" (i.e., truly in spirit), they talk of
the kind of service they prefer, and say, "I don't like that at all"; or, "I do
like that so much"; as though "places of worhsip," so-called, were opened merely
for persons to go in and do what pleases themselves, forgetful of that word
"MUST," which dominates the whole sphere of what we call worship.

Worship "must" be only with the
spirit.  We cannot worhsip God--who is a Spirit--with our eyes, by
looking on at what is being done.  We cannot worship God with our
noses, by smelling incense, whether ceremonially or otherwise used.
We cannot worship God with our ears, by listening to music, however well
it may be "rendered".  No! worship cannot be with any of our senses;
or by all of them put together.  It must be spiritual, and not
sensual.  The worshippers must be spiritual worshippers, for "the Father
seeketh such to worship Him." (John 4:23).

How many of such worshippers
frequent our churches and chapels?  How many are still worshipping "the
unknown God" (Acts 17:23)?
Is it
possible that, if the true God were known--the great, the High and Holy God, who
dwelleth not in temples made with hands; the God who inhabiteth eternity; the
God in whose sight the very heavens are not clean, and who chargeth His angels
with folly--is it possible, we ask, that nay who know Him could imagine, for one
moment, that, He "seeks" or could be pleased with, or accept, or regard a
congregation turning the Bible into "a book of the words," and listening, for
example, to a girl singing a solo, getting as high a note as she can, and
holding it out as long as she can!  Is THAT what The Great and Infinite God
is seeking?  Is that the occupation of the hearth with Himself which He
says He "MUST" have?  No indeed! and the greater the ignorance of God, the
deeper and more degraded will become the accompaniments of what is called
"Public Worship".
Consider
further, the effect of this great truth on our daily life.  What rest and
peace it brings.  Look at its influence on our prayers.  What is
prayer for?  Why are we told so often to pray?  Why?  Because
prayer is intended to humble us by putting us into the place of helplessness and
dependence.  Prayer is meant to put us with our faces in the dust before
the Mighty God.
Instead of that,
what do we find?  We turn that place which is meant to humble us and keep
us in the low place, into a Throne, from which we dictate to God what He shall
do in our affairs, how He shall help to carry out our plans, what He shall do
among the governments and political affairs of the world.  That is the
outcome of the pride of the "old man" within us.  So that we, who cannot
manage our own affairs, do not hesitate to take on ourselves the management of
the universe, and "move the hand that moves the world."

A true knowledge of God would
lead to a very different condition of things.  Our prayers would be
frequent indeed, but we should be so filled with a sense of God's wisdom, and
power, and goodness, that we should cease to pray as though we has more
compassion than He had; as though we were more concerned about sins and sinners
than He is; as though we were more interested in His work than He is.

We should be "definite" indeed,
as well we may be in many things where from His Word, we know "what to
ask."  But we should be equally "definite" in leaving all our cares with
Him.  We should cease to take the responsibilities of life upon
ourselves.  We should say, 'Lord, what Thou wilt!  Do not heed my
requests it Thou seest they are not good.  Do not do or give this or that
because I ask it or think it good.  Withhold it, if Thou, who seest the end
from the beginning, seest it will not be for my good.  I am so foolish and
ignorant before Thee: and Thou art so wonderful, so wise, and so good: Goodness
and mercy itself; and Thy love is so infinite that Thou canst do only what is
right, and wisest, and best.  Thy will is love itself.  Oh that I may
be filled with such a knowledge of Thy will, in all wisdom and spiritual
understanding, that I may enjoy the perfect rest which that knowledge will
give.'
In proportion as we have
this knowledge of God and of His will, shall we thus pray without ceasing; and
in this manner make known our requests unto Him.

When we pray definitely for our
will to be done in any matter, it means (if we are honest enough to confess it),
that we are willing to take all the responsibility if that request be
granted.   Oh, what a solemn responsibility! and how unnecessary, when
God had provided us with One who is our Surety, and who is responsible for us in
life and in death (John 6:39).

How much better to leave our affairs in His hands.

When we employ a person to do any
labour for us, and we ask him how much we are to pay him? he replies, "I will
leave it to you, Sir."  Why?  Because he knows perfectly well that
we shall be very likely to give more than he would dare to ask.

It is even so with our God.
if we know Him well enough we can surely say, in making our request, "I will
leave it to Thee, Lord."  We have His assurance that He is "able to do
exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).  If
we do the thinking we shall surely limit Him.  How much
better to leave the limit to Him: and we shall do this in proportion as we know
Him.
Take another
illustration.  Here is a friend in great difficulties; and we have a plan
that will life him right out of them, and set him on his feet again.  He,
meantime, comes to us and to borrow some small sum that will only give temporary
relief, and leave him to struggle on still with his difficulties. He limits
our power.  His poor thoughts cannot rise to the extent of what we are
able to do exceeding abundantly.  If we answer his prayer, and grant him
his request, and lend him what he asks, how small will be his blessing.
Why does he not "ask or think" more "worthy" of our ability and love?
Because he does not know us well enough!  This is the secret, and that is
why he is not delivered.  He thinks he knows better than we do; and
measures our willingness to give by his poor power to ask.

Oh to know the love, and power,
and wisdom of our God.  What a revolution it would make in our prayers, as
well as in our lives.
But look
again at another effect of this knowledge of God as applied to missionary
work.  What is the work of the missionary?  He offers himself and is
accepted.  He is trained for his service, and he learns the particular
language.  The moment at length arrives when he is able to speak that
language, and the opportunity comes to speak.  Now, what is he going to
say?  What is the first thing that must come from his opened lips?  Is
it not to explain his God to that heathen man or woman?  Is it not to show
how far the living God is above all their ideas?  is it not to tell how God
has revealed Himself in His Word? and to explain that revelation, and to
minister that Word.
We thus
see how a true knowledge of God lies at the threshold of all missionary
work.  How can a man explain God unless he knows God? and how can God be
known apart from His Word?  Hence the supreme necessity of so studying that
Work that we may not only enjoy but be able to speak of Him of Whom that Word is
sent to testify.
So far we have
spoken only of a knowledge of God--the Father.  But it is also of the
greatest importance that we should have a true knowledge of Christ.

This is the Christian's one
object, as well as his greatest need.

This is set forth with remarkable
clearness and force in Phil. 3.  In the ninth verse we have our standing in
Christ expressed in the words

"FOUND IN HIM."

This is explained as not having
our own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ; "the
righteousness which is of God by faith."

Clothed in this righteousness,
nothing of self is seen by God.  Like the stones in the  Temple, they
were covered over first with cedar-wood; and the cedar-wood was covered over
with gold.  Then it is added, "there was no stone seen."  These words
are not necessary either for the grammar, or for the sense; for how could the
stone be seen if thus doubly covered up?  No! the words are graciously
added to emphasize the antitype, and to impress upon us the blessed fact that,
when covered with Christ's righteousness there is nothing of self seen in our
standing before God.  We are already "in the heavenlies, in Christ"; and
are comely in all His comeliness, perfect in all His perfection, accepted in all
His merit, righeous as He is righteousness; yea, holy as He is holy, and loved
as He is beloved.  All this is included in those words, "found in Him."

And being thus "found in Him" for
our standing, we  have in verses 20, 21 our hope; which, is
to be

LIKE HIM

in resurrection and ascension glory at His coming.  Hence "we look for
the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may
be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able to subdue all things unto himself."

This is our "blessed hope."
We have referred to it here, and not in the order in which it stands in this
chapter, in order in which it stands in this chapter, in order to show what it
is that lies between the two--the beginning and the end of our Christian
course.  What is that is to fill the place between these two?  What is
to occupy our hearts from the moment when we were in Christ, who is our life, to
the moment when we shall be like Christ, who shall be our glory?  What is
the one object that is to ever fill our hearts and occupy our minds?

"THAT I MAY KNOW HIM."

This is henceforth the Christian's
great object.  Nothing but this aim to get to know Christ (for this
is the word used here, in Phil. 3:10).

As verse 9 contained the
explanation of the words "found in him," so this verse (10) contains the
explanation of how and why we are to get to know Christ.

We are henceforth no longer to
know Him after the flesh, but to get to know Him as risen; the head of
the New Creation in resurrection (2 Cor. 5:16,17).

For this is how this knowledge is
explained: "that I may get to know him and the power of his resurrection."
Not to know merely the historical fact of his resurrection, but the "power" of
it: i.e., what its wondrous power has done for us.  But how can we get to
know this "power"?  Ah! only by experiencing "the fellowship of His
sufferings": by learning that when He, the Head of the Body, suffered, all the
members of that Body suffered in mysterious and blessed "fellowship with
Him."  Thus shall we get to know how we were "made conformable to Him in
His death."  Only when we have thus learned that we suffered when He
suffered, and died when He died, can we begin to learn how we have risen also
with Christ; and "get to know the power of His resurrection."

How few of us know what this
"power" is, as it takes us out of the old creation and sets us in the new
creation, where "all things are of God" (2 Cor. 5:17).

This then is our object, to get
to know all that Christ is made unto us in resurrection power.

How startling must these words
have been as they fell upon the ears of Greeks (for this is the first city Paul
set his foot in in Europe).  They had been brought up on the great motto of
Solon, the wisest of the seven wise men of Greece.  His motto was supposed
by them to embody in itselft the essence of all wisdon; and it consisted of only
two words, which were carved over the entrance to the schools and colleges of
Greece:  gnosthe seauton---

"KNOW THYSELF"

But yet, how foolish are
those words.  For how can one know anything of himself by considering
himself?  If he looks at others, then he can see how different he is from
them; and how much better or worse he may be than they.

But it is only when we compare
ourself with Christ, who is the wisdom and glory of God, that we learn what we
really are; and how far short we come of that glory (Rom. 3:23).  It is
only as we see ourselves in "the Balance of the Sanctuary," or by the side of
the plumb-line of that Perfection, that we see, and get to know, our absolutely
lost and ruined condition.  Hence this new motto was thundered from heaven
into the ears of those who sought to know themselves----

"THAT I MAY GET TO KNOW HIM."

Yes; this is our one object.
This it is that will have the mighty transforming power over our lives. Every
moment spent in seeking to know ourselves is a moment lost: and not only lost,
but used to keep us from the one thing that alone can accomplish our object and
teach us ourselves.  Trying to know ourselves, we not only fail in the
attempt, but we cease to learn Christ, which alone teaches us to know ourselves.

And yet, how many are spending
their lives in this vain search?  Running hither and thither to hear this
man and that man.  And, being constantly directed to this self-examination,
they are only led into trouble; or, into a joy which lasts only while the
excitement is kept up.
Oh! to be
occupied with Christ; to have Him for our object; and His resurrection power for
our lives.
This we shall have;
and have increasingly as we get to know Christ.

Again.  What was it that led
the heathen world into all its darkness, corruption, and sin?  Just this:
"they did not like to retain God in their knowledge.  Professing themselves
to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God
into the likeness of corruptible man" (Rom. 1:22,28).

Like people today who, ignorant
of God as He has revealed Himself in His Word, make their god, some with their
own hands, or out of their own heads, vainly imagining He is what they think He
is, and worshipping, like the heathen, "the unknown God," such an one as
themselves.
What was it that led
Israel astray and brought upon them all their sorrows and sufferings?
Isaiah opens with the Divine indictment, which gathers up in the briefest form
the one great cause which lay at the root of all:

"The ox knoweth his owner;
And the ass his master's crib;

But Israel doth NOT KNOW,

My People doth not consider."

See how the Lord Jesus confirms
this in Luke 19:42-44, as He weeps over Jerusalem.  All is summed up in the
opening and closing words:
"IF THOU HADST KNOWN!

even thou, at least in this thy day, the things that belong unto thy peace."

And then, turning to the reason
for that judgment, He adds: "Because thou KNEWEST NOT the day of thy
visitation."
And what is to be
the acme of Israel's glory in the day of her restoration?

Ah!  then it shall come to
pass that "they shall no more teach every man his neighbor saying, Know the
LORD: for they shall all KNOW ME, from the least of them unto the greatest of
them, saith the LORD" (Jer. 31:34).

And what shall be Creation's
glory: and the peace and joy of the whole earth?  This sums up all:

"The earth shall be full of the KNOWLEDGE OF GOD,
As the waters
cover the sea" (Isa. 11:9).

And what is the secret of our
being able to glory only in the Lord, and to enjoy His blessing in this the day
of our visitation?  It is given in Jer. 9:23,24:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,

Neither let the mighty man glory in his might,
Let not the rich man glory in
his riches:
But let him that glorieth, glory in this,
THAT HE
UNDERSTANDETH AND
KNOWETH ME."

We are thus brought round, and
brought back to the one great duty, which should henceforth absorb our hearts
and minds, and fill our days and years; viz., to be instant in our study of the
Word of God, which is given to us with the one great, express, commanding
purpose--the revelation of Himself, in order that we may
GET  TO  KNOW  HIM.

Study to shew thyself
approved
unto
God...
2 Timothy
2:15