Connected in The Word 10-27-25
See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1
Many of you have heard me moan and groan about studying Greek. I’ve never been a languages guy and Greek is hard for me. I often feel like I put in twice as much work and know half as much stuff than many of my pastor friends. The more I think about it, this is true whenever I try to use my brain. My heart and hands generally work better than my brain. But that’s a devotion for another day. Even though Greek is tough for me, now and then I stumble upon a word that really gets me excited. One of those words is γινώσκω (you would pronounce it “ginōskō”). This is the word for “know” and it occurs twice in the verse above. It’s rich in meaning (and just fun to say).
Apparently, the apostle John liked γινώσκω as well. John uses it 75 times throughout the New Testament books he authored. It only occurs 222 times in the New Testament, which means John accounts for 33% of its usage. So, what’s the big deal about γινώσκω?
Thankfully you don’t need to learn Greek to appreciate the depth of this word. I think the English verb “to know” carries as much depth and richness as its Greek equivalent. There are things we “know” and then there are things we “KNOW”! There are people we “know” and then there are people we “KNOW”! This word is a big deal theologically as well. As a child of God, we “KNOW” God and God “KNOWS” us in and through Jesus. It’s a good thing to “know” and be “known”. But it’s a beautiful, life-changing thing to “KNOW” and to be “KNOWN”!
Read More: https://connectedintheword.beehiiv.com/