Knowing God is more than knowing about him; it is a matter of dealing with him as he opens up to you, and being dealt with by him as he takes knowledge of you. Knowing about him is a necessary precondition of trusting in him (‘how could they have faith in one they had never heard of?’ [Romans 10:4 NEB]), but the width of our knowledge about him is no gauge of the depth of our knowledge of him (pp. 39-40). J.I. Packer
About This Quote

This quote is one of the most widely quoted in Christian literature. It is often attributed to Bonhoeffer, though there is no concrete evidence that this is the case. It is more likely that this was written by someone else and then popularized by Bonhoeffer. Regardless, it captures the heart of what it means to know God. Here, Bonhoeffer uses the phrase “knowing about him” to mean knowing about him “as he opens up to you,” and “being dealt with by him as he takes knowledge of you.”

Source: Knowing God

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