The apostle Paul tells me something that makes my heart rejoice. He says, "The Lord knoweth them that are his." He knows them in the sense that he "loves" them. He knows them in the sense that he chose them. He knows them in the sense that he has satisfied himself on their behalf through the righteousness of his Son. He knows them in the sense that he regenerates them, calls them and reveals Christ in their hearts through the gospel. They are blood-bought. He has made the righteousness of Christ to be theirs by imputation. He accepts them totally "in the Beloved." He knows them!
Now this is especially wonderful to me in hours when it seems that things grow dreadfully dim. If I listen to the words of men as they so easily determine who is a child of God and who is not, I wonder what they count me as. Could they count me as one of God's had they seen me on this occasion or that; or if they heard the words I uttered in anger; or if they based it upon a sermon I preached or an article I wrote? I am afraid that many would and probably do count me as a mere professor of religion. But I do not stand or fall before God by what they think but by what God knows! God knows me and accepts me in Christ. His righteous obedience before God is counted as mine. God knows his Son and as he is, so am I in this world. He knew me before he found me lost in religion. He knew me and brought someone to preach the gospel to me. He revealed to me that salvation is of the Lord, that it depends solely upon the accomplishments of Christ, and he gave me faith to trust him alone as all my righteousness. He brought me to know him - not in some mystical way but by a clear revelation of the knowledge of truth. I know him because of who he reveals himself to be in his Word. I base my knowledge of him on the Scriptures alone. He is all he says he is, nothing more and nothing less. By his grace I know him. I know him because he first knew me. If he ever knew me, he knows me now. You may not know me, but the Lord knows me!