Know Thyself

A.W. Tozer wrote: “We can never know who or what we are till we know at least something of what God is.” It is a profound and true statement, but why is it so?

The Bible teaches very clearly that God is Creator. If we look at the specifics revealed in Genesis, we discover that mankind is a unique creation of God. We bear His image. He love us and made us to be in right relationship with Him. If we do not understand this, then we will have a hard time understanding very much about humanity.

To consider who we are as people without understanding anything about God’s character and will, will give us a distorted view of humankind. We are not merely a cosmic accident. If you can read this you need to realize that your value is not determined by what you can contribute to society, rather your worth comes from the fact that you are a unique creation of God who bears His image.

The Bible also teaches that all of us are sinners. God’s original design for all of creation was marred by the entry and continuation of sin in the world. Sin is in opposition to God’s will for our lives and has consequences during our lives on earth and beyond.

Sin separates us from the relationship God desires to have with us, and we are helpless to fix it; yet God loves us so much that He Himself provided the way for our sins to be forgiven and our relationship with Him restored. He sent His Son Jesus, God in the flesh, to pay the price for our sin on the cross so that those who would put their faith in Him would have life abundant and eternal.

To know that God is both Creator and Redeemer is essential if we are to understand who we are – men and women created in His image, distorted and estranged by our sin, and redeemed by His loving sacrifice. Greek philosophy teaches, “Know thyself.” You cannot truly know yourself until you know something about God. In fact, the better you know the Lord, the better you will know yourself.