Tú sabes Jesus, o tú conoces Jesus?
Have you ever been sitting somewhere for a long period of time, listening to a lecture or a sermon, and your mind keeps wandering off into what you have to accomplish that day, or current life situations happening in your life? Well that happens to me. All. The. Time. Sometimes, no matter how hard I try, I just cannot keep my mind focused on the task at hand. Honestly, I think it is a blessing and a curse, because even though I can't stay focused, I am able to relate the topic of conversation to something else that is relevant in my life. In doing this, I gain new understanding and insight as to the topic being covered.
Well tonight was one of those 'can't stay focused, my mind is wandering everywhere' type of nights. I was sitting at my campus ministry listening to our pastor give a message on Colossians 2. He was talking about how there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Jesus and His Gospel on a personal level. As soon as he said this, my mind immediately thought of something that I learned in Spanish class a few weeks back.
In the Spanish language, there are two different verbs for what is translated into "to know" in English; saber and conocer. These words mean basically the same thing when translated into English, but in Spanish they are used completely different and the distinction between the two must be made clear. Saber means "to know," but in the sense of having knowledge about someone or something. For example, I know(saber) that my roommate lives in Arizona. Conocer, on the other hand, means "to know," but in the sense of personally and physically knowing something or someone. For example, 'I know(conocer) Arizona.' While both of these statements use the same exact word "know," the first is implying that I have knowledge about, and the second is meaning that I have traveled to Arizona and physically know its geography on a personal level.
This saber vs. conocer concept was foreign to me at first, and I really struggled to wrap my head around when to use which word. However, after utterly failing a quiz and studying extra hard to compensate for that failed quiz, I have finally come to understand this concept. The understanding of these words is pertinent to learning the Spanish language because it is one of the central concepts used throughout, and I wouldn't be able to pass Spanish class without this understanding.
It is the same concept with Jesus Christ and the Gospel. There is a big difference between knowing the Gospel in a saber type of way and actually knowing the Gospel in a conocer type of way. In the same way that understanding the difference of saber versus conocer is pertinent to the Spanish language, understanding the difference between knowing Christ, and knowing Christ, is pertinent to having a strong faith. Therefore, this distinction must be made clear in our lives. In order for our faith to be true and to endure the test of time and of trials, we must have that conocer level of faith- putting our complete trust in Jesus Christ and accepting His atonement for our sins. "If the Gospel is nothing more than divine sentimentality, then it will not endure anything(Tyler Velin)." Make the Gospel more to you than just divine sentimentality, see it as truly beautiful on a personal level, and live your entire life for the glory of Christ.
Well tonight was one of those 'can't stay focused, my mind is wandering everywhere' type of nights. I was sitting at my campus ministry listening to our pastor give a message on Colossians 2. He was talking about how there is a difference between knowing about Jesus and truly knowing Jesus and His Gospel on a personal level. As soon as he said this, my mind immediately thought of something that I learned in Spanish class a few weeks back.
In the Spanish language, there are two different verbs for what is translated into "to know" in English; saber and conocer. These words mean basically the same thing when translated into English, but in Spanish they are used completely different and the distinction between the two must be made clear. Saber means "to know," but in the sense of having knowledge about someone or something. For example, I know(saber) that my roommate lives in Arizona. Conocer, on the other hand, means "to know," but in the sense of personally and physically knowing something or someone. For example, 'I know(conocer) Arizona.' While both of these statements use the same exact word "know," the first is implying that I have knowledge about, and the second is meaning that I have traveled to Arizona and physically know its geography on a personal level.
This saber vs. conocer concept was foreign to me at first, and I really struggled to wrap my head around when to use which word. However, after utterly failing a quiz and studying extra hard to compensate for that failed quiz, I have finally come to understand this concept. The understanding of these words is pertinent to learning the Spanish language because it is one of the central concepts used throughout, and I wouldn't be able to pass Spanish class without this understanding.
It is the same concept with Jesus Christ and the Gospel. There is a big difference between knowing the Gospel in a saber type of way and actually knowing the Gospel in a conocer type of way. In the same way that understanding the difference of saber versus conocer is pertinent to the Spanish language, understanding the difference between knowing Christ, and knowing Christ, is pertinent to having a strong faith. Therefore, this distinction must be made clear in our lives. In order for our faith to be true and to endure the test of time and of trials, we must have that conocer level of faith- putting our complete trust in Jesus Christ and accepting His atonement for our sins. "If the Gospel is nothing more than divine sentimentality, then it will not endure anything(Tyler Velin)." Make the Gospel more to you than just divine sentimentality, see it as truly beautiful on a personal level, and live your entire life for the glory of Christ.
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