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Part Three: The Biblical Meaning of "Know"
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Let Scripture Define the Word
Before interpreting Christ’s declaration, “I never knew you,” we must first answer an important question. What does the Bible mean when it speaks of God “knowing” someone? This question cannot be answered from English usage alone.
Throughout Scripture, the words know, knew, and known are often used in ways that extend beyond simple awareness or intellectual knowledge. Frequently they describe relationship, covenant, approval, recognition, intimacy, or acknowledgment. Therefore, before returning to Matthew 7, we must allow Scripture to establish the range of meaning that God Himself assigns to these expressions. Only then can we interpret Christ’s words responsibly.
God Knows Everything
The first principle is foundational. God is omniscient. Nothing has ever escaped His knowledge. Nothing has ever surprised Him. Nothing has ever entered His awareness as though He were learning something new. The Psalmist declares:
Psalm 139:1–4
1 O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me.
2 Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off.
3 Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways.
4 For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether.
This passage establishes that God’s knowledge is complete. He knows every thought. Every motive. Every word. Every action. No person has ever existed outside His perfect knowledge. Therefore, whatever Christ means by, “I never knew you,” He cannot mean that He doesn’t physically know them or that He lacked information about these individuals. The omniscience of God excludes that interpretation.
The Scriptures go even further. God knew His servants before they entered the world.
Jeremiah 1:5
5 Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.
God’s Covenant Knowledge
One of the clearest examples appears in the words spoken to Israel.
Amos 3:2
2 You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities.
This statement cannot mean that God was unaware of the other nations. He created them all. He governs them all. He judges them all. The meaning therefore is covenantal.
Israel alone had entered into a unique covenant relationship with Him among the nations. Thus, God’s knowledge here expresses His special acknowledgment of a covenant people. This passage is extremely important because it demonstrates that the biblical concept of “knowing” extends beyond intellectual awareness to covenant spiritual relationship and recognition.
The Good Shepherd
“I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.” — John 10:14
Jesus Himself uses similar language.
John 10:14
14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.
Again, Christ does not mean that He merely recognizes the existence of His sheep. He speaks of an ongoing relationship between Shepherd and flock. His sheep hear His voice. They follow Him. He knows them. They know Him. The relationship is living, active, and continuous.
“Their Sins Will I Remember No More”
One of the greatest promises of the New Covenant is expressed in the book of Hebrews.
Hebrews 10:16–17
16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
17 And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.
This promise does not suggest that God loses knowledge of our former sins. Rather, it declares that, through the atoning work of Christ, those sins are no longer brought forward as the basis of condemnation for those who remain in the blessings of the New Covenant. The language is judicial. The record has been satisfied through the blood of Christ.
The Parallel in Ezekiel
The language of Hebrews is remarkably similar to Ezekiel, though the subjects are different.
Ezekiel 18:24
24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
Ezekiel 33:13
13 When I shall say to the righteous, that he shall surely live; if he trust to his own righteousness, and commit iniquity, all his righteousnesses shall not be remembered; but for his iniquity that he hath committed, he shall die for it.
In Hebrews, God promises not to remember sins. In Ezekiel, God declares that the righteousness of one who turns away shall not be remembered. Both passages employ the language of remembrance within the context of divine judgment.
- God promises not to remember sins.
- God declares that the righteousness of one who turns away shall not be remembered.
The Book of Life
Scripture also introduces another important image. God keeps a record. Throughout both Testaments, we encounter references to books being opened before God. Among them is the Book of Life. The first reference appears in Moses’ intercession for Israel.
Exodus 32:32–33
32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.
33 And the LORD said unto Moses, Whosoever hath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book.
These verses introduce a striking biblical concept. God speaks of names being written. God also speaks of names being blotted out. The imagery is judicial and covenantal. The passage does not yet explain every aspect of the Book of Life, but it establishes that Scripture itself uses the language of removal. Yes, those who were once deemed righteous, can and will be blotted out of the Book of Life should they sin against God.
Psalm 69:28
28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living, and not be written with the righteous.
Here again we find the imagery of names associated with the righteous and the possibility of being blotted out. I want you to consider all the ramifications of a name being blotted out of the Book of Life. Those whose names are in the Book of Life were chosen in eternity; before the foundations of the world were laid. Therefore, to be blotted out is to have never been listed with the righteous.
Divine Remembrance and Divine Judgment
Throughout Scripture, God frequently speaks of remembering and not remembering. At first glance, these expressions may seem puzzling. The God who knows all things cannot literally forget. Nothing ever passes from His knowledge. Therefore, when Scripture speaks of God remembering or not remembering, it is describing God’s covenantal dealings with mankind rather than any limitation in His omniscience. The language is judicial. It speaks of what God acknowledges in His dealings with men. This distinction becomes essential for understanding both Ezekiel’s warning and Christ’s declaration in Matthew 7.
The Book of Remembrance
Malachi introduces yet another book.
Malachi 3:16
16 Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
The expression “book of remembrance” is profoundly significant. God chooses to record the conversation of those who fear Him. The imagery emphasizes divine acknowledgment. Those who fear the Lord are remembered before Him. The theme of remembrance therefore extends beyond judgment. It also expresses God’s delight in those who faithfully walk before Him.
The Final Judgment
The imagery reaches its fullest expression in Revelation.
Revelation 20:12
12 And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
Here the books are opened before the Great White Throne. Every work is examined. Every life is evaluated. Every judgment is rendered with perfect righteousness.
The imagery of books, remembrance, and judgment converges at the final court. Therefore, when Jesus says, “I never knew you,” it is not because the individual was never truly saved or born again, but it is because that person’s name was blotted out of God’s Book of Remembrance. His or her righteous deeds and servitude are not recorded, they are not mentioned in the Book of the Righteous. Thus, regarding His covenant relationships: Jesus is pressed to say, “I never knew you.”
Beloved, let not these be the words you hear on that great day. But rather, “My good and faithful servant, enter into my rest.”