“What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” ― A.W. Tozer
God has gone to great lengths to reveal himself to mankind. Creation itself is a loud testimony of God’s creative power (Rom.1:20) as does the psalmist, “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Ps. 19:1). Paul reminds us of the in-born knowledge of God through the conscience (Rom.2:14-16). Perhaps no greater emphasis on the importance of knowing God is from the pen of Jeremiah:
23Thus says the LORD: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the LORD.” (Jer.9:23-24)
Notice that the Holy Spirit, through Jeremiah’s pen addressed the natural pursuit of the heart of man, namely 1) what one knows (wisdom), 2) what one can do (might) and 3) what one has accumulated (riches) and calls us to seek understanding and knowing God as being the greatest value. The greatest intimacy one could desire and pursue is understanding and knowing God.
Therefore, the Bringing the Bible to Life™ series begins with the foundation of a robust theology of God and an attempt to address the “Why Does it Matter?” question. The ministry of biblical SoulCare is only as effective as the person’s view of God and the practical implications of His Name, His Word and His character and purposes in the storyline of history. A person’s understanding or view of God determines every response to all experiences in life. We believe that the study of the knowledge of God must move beyond mere intellectual pursuits to intimate embracing of His character, nature and promises for the believer. Merely knowing about God does not change a person’s perspective of life, nor does it change a person’s character and responses to life’s hardships and challenges.
This brings us to the question, Why Does Knowing God Matter? The answer may seem obvious, but from the biblical counselors’ experience in the ministry of SoulCare, we observe that many Christians’ knowledge of God doesn’t seem to make a difference in their responses to life’s hardships. The ministry of SoulCare must make practical applications of an accurate understanding of who God is AND a practical application of how knowing God equips and enables a God-honoring response to sin and suffering.
Consider Daniel’s answer to “Why it Matters?”:
“but the people who know their God shall stand firm and take action.” Daniel 11:32 (ESV)
Peter’s writings teach us that when our hearts embrace what is revealed to us about God, i.e., our intimate knowledge of God, results in receiving the tangible promises of God, namely: grace, peace, power, fruit, sanctification, stability, hope and grace to persevere (2 Pet. 1:2,3,5,6,8; 2:20). Consider Peter’s descriptions of the life-transforming power of knowing God:
May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins. (2Pet.1:2-9)
Hosea warns of the results of rejecting and forgetting the knowledge of God:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.” (Hos. 4:6)
D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones summarizes the essential nature of the pursuit of knowing God:
“If I were asked to name the greatest trouble among Christians today, including those who are evangelical, I would say that it is our lack of spirituality and a true knowledge of God.”i
Therefore, the Bringing the Bible to Life™ series begins by answering the questions “Who is God?” and then make applications of “Why Does it Matter?”. The ministry of biblical SoulCare and counseling constantly addresses the complications of the struggle with sin and suffering. Any attempt at dealing with these issues that does not begin with a robust and biblical perspective of who God is and how the knowledge of God is central to life, offers false hope and fails to give true and lasting hope to the sufferer.
Who Is God? And Why it Matters is addressed in the first session using the acronym S.H.A.L.O.M.E.ii.
S – God is SOVEREIGN. (Ex. 4:11-12; Amos 3:6; The Gospel of Mark)
God is supreme and therefore superintends all things, events and creatures (from eternity past through eternity future), doing whatever He chooses without frustration to His plan or purposes. There is nothing, no person or power that is equal to Him or that can limit, frustrate or prevent His plan or purposes.
His sovereign acts will never contradict His character and will always perfectly reflect His nature.
Why it matters:
When you surrender your heart to the truth that God is sovereign you will become meek, accepting God’s orchestration of all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has ordained it to be so for your eternal good and His glory.
H – God is HOLY. (Is. 6:3; Ps. 99:3,5,9; Ps.71:22)
God is separate from His creation. There is none like, nothing like this God. God is “other”.
God is free from all sin, He didn’t create evil, He does not tempt with evil, God is the presence and essence of everything good and eternally maintains His moral excellence. If God were not holy, righteous and good, His sovereignty would be terrifying.
Why it matters:
When you surrender your heart to the truth that God is holy, you will accept all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has perfectly ordained it to be so in the just pursuit of His honor and praise (Rev. 5:13) in perfect, moral flawlessness (Deut. 32:4) without evil intent or action, again for your eternal good and His glory.
A – God is ACTIVE. (Deut. 8:1-10; Jer. 23:23-24; Acts 17:26-28; Rom. 8:26-35; Rom.16:25)
As opposed to many who believe God is aloof and apart from His Creation, Scriptures repeatedly proclaim that God is not only sovereign and holy, transcendent and separate, yet He is present and active in your life (immanent).
Why it matters:
When you surrender your heart to the truth that God is truly active in your life, you will find great comfort knowing that He is near you and is involved in every detail of your life. You will accept all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has ordained it to be so with full awareness of your situation and needs. You will trust that what you’re experiencing is for your eternal good and God’s glory.
L – God is LOVE. (1Jn. 4:7-12; Ex. 34:6; Lam. 3:20-24; Ps. 94:18)
Love is …
contra-conditional (Eph.2:4-5)iii,iv,
other-focused (Rom. 13:8v;15:2vi; Galatians 5:6,13-14vii),
selfless giving (John 3:14-18; 15:13)viii
for the eternal good of the other person, (Rom. 5:8)ix
to the end that God is glorified (Jn. 15:8)x.
Why it matters:
When you surrender your heart to the truth that God is truly love, you will accept all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has ordained it to be so as an expression of his holy love for you (Rom. 5:5; Heb. 12:1-14).
Knowing God’s love truly will result in meek surrender to all that He ordains, knowing that if there was a more loving option, God would have graciously given this to you. You can/will trust that any hardship is what is best for your eternal good and God’s glory.
O– God is
OMNISCIENT – all-knowing, he is perfectly aware of all probabilities in your situation (Ps. 33:13-15; 11:4; Heb. 4:12-13; Acts 2:23).
OMNIFISCIENT – unlimited creativity, he has perfectly considered any and all of the most “unconventional” possibilities for your life (Gen. 1; Is. 43:7; Ps. 8: Job 38:4-41:34).
OMNISAPIENT – all-wise, meaning that God knows the one, most effective, most beneficial option for you and for His eternal purposes (Job 12:13; Ps. 147:5; Ps. 8; Rom. 16:27).
OMNIPOTENT – all-powerful, unlimited ability and power to accomplish all that He pleases. God even has “Dead-raising power”xi (Dan. 4:34-35; Job 9:12; 36:23).
OMNIPRESENT – ever present, He is always near, with you in any trial or pain (Ps. 139:8; Acts 17:27; Phil. 4:5).
Why it matters:
When you truly embrace the true nature and character of God, you will naturally surrender your heart and rest in His sovereign orchestration of any and all of His actions in history and in your personal life.
Because you trust a God who perfectly knows everything about everything in the universe, including you and all of your circumstances (Ps. 103:1-6; Job 37:16).
Because you trust a God who perfectly rules the universe, in perfect wisdom, always ordaining the wisest, best course of action (Is. 55:8-9; Rom. 11:33; Eph. 1:11-12; 3:10), knowing what is best for every, intimate detail of your life as He works for your good (Rom. 8:28).
Because you trust a God who accomplishes anything that He pleases as he rules the universe with absolute power (Job 36:23; Dan. 4:34-35).
Because you trust a God who is everywhere, knowing all things that may take place and He was/is/will be near you at all times (Ps. 139:7-20; Phil. 4:4-6).
Because you trust a God who has unlimited creativity, therefore there is no idea or possibility for your circumstances that would be better than the one God has ordained for you (Exod. 35:25-32; Eccl. 3:11).
M – God is MERCIFUL (Exod. 34:6-7; Mk. 5:19; Mt. 9:36; Neh. 9:31)
Mercy is love-driven pity, tenderness, lovingkindness and compassion that meets us in our pain and suffering.
Mercy responds to insult and injury with grace, compassion and benevolent forgiveness instead of righteous judgment and vengeance.
God’s mercy could not be known if it were not juxtaposed with sin, suffering, pain and grief.
Why it matters:
If you truly believe that God is merciful, you will accept all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has orchestrated it to be so in his perfect, loving mercy toward you, everywhere, all the time, doing what is always best for you (Ps. 119:65-75).
E – God is ETERNAL. (Is. 57:15; Deut. 33:27; 1Thes. 4:16b-18; 1Chron. 16:36; Is. 9:6; Is. 46:8-10; Rev. 1:8)
“The Bible asserts the fact that God is eternal; His existence had no beginning and will have no ending; He always was, always is, and always will be.”xii
Why it matters:
If you truly believe that God is eternal, you will accept all things in your life, knowing that they have come “across your path” because God has orchestrated it to be so as he rules the universe and your life with plans that unfold with eternity in mind, without time-constraints or boundaries (Jn. 17:3).
The heart that embraces and rests in the character of God will be humble and meek in response to the greatest of suffering and evil.
“Meekness is an inwrought grace of the soul; and the exercises of it are first and chiefly towards God.
It is that temper of spirit in which we accept His dealings with us as good, and therefore, without disputing or resisting;”xiii
©Kent Kloter July 23, 2025
i The Unsearchable Riches of Christ: An Exposition of Ephesians 3 (Grand Rapids: Baker 1979), as quoted in Lloyd-Jones on the Christian Life: Doctrine and Life as Fuel and Fire, (Wheaton: Crossway 2018)
ii Using the liberty of an acronym, the “e” is added with confidence in Thomas Jefferson’s rule, “No one is truly educated unless he can spell every word at least two different ways.” 😉
iii 4But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
iv Contra-conditional love means to love with full awareness and acknowledgement of the conditions of the other person and yet still moves toward the other person for their good and God’s glory. Contra-conditional love is infinitely more valuable, more praise-worthy and more incomprehensible than unconditional love.
v 8Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law
vi 2Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.
vii 6For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love. 13For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. 14For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
viii Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.
ix 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
x 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.
xi Quoting Pastor Matt Morgan
xii Emery H. Bancroft, Elemental Theology: An Introductory Survey of Conservative Doctrine, Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, MI 1996
xiii One of the elements of the fruit of the Spirit, namely love. [the Greek word “prautes”; Strong’s #4240] Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words
