“All things have been delivered to me by my Father, and no one fully knows the Son but the Father, neither does anyone fully know the Father but the Son and anyone to whom the Son is willing to reveal him.” (Matt. 11:27)

¹⁰ What does it mean to “know” the Father? Does it mean to know that God exists? or, further, to recognize God as Sovereign and to be baptized as a servant of his? Knowing these things, yes. But much more is meant. The Greek word translated “to know” carries a deeper meaning than our English word “know” generally implies, though often when we say we know a person we mean that we understand him and his qualities. In these Bible contexts the verb form of “to know” means “to come to know, to get acquainted with, to understand.” In John 17:3 it indicates a continuing relationship between God and the person that brings ever-increasing knowledge of God and Christ; what is known about God is not merely partial information but is of value or importance to the one who grows in knowledge. It also implies a closeness of trust and confidence. (John 17:3, Kingdom Interlinear) In fact, the apostle John says: “He that does not love has not come to know God.”​—1 John 4:8.

11, 12. What, then, will a person be like who knows God?

¹¹ So to know Jehovah God would be to attain to an understanding friendship with him. Since heart knowledge, not mere head knowledge, is meant, to know God the Christian would be in tune or “rhythm” with God and his ways. He would feel as God feels about matters. He would see things through God’s eyes, as it were. And he would immediately “sense” something wrong when confronted by false notions about God and His ways. He would not blame God for his trials and hardships.​—Jas. 1:13.

¹² The Christian who knows God will be a person who ‘through use has had his perceptive powers trained to distinguish both right and wrong.’ (Heb. 5:14) He will not generally have to go to some Bible commentary or to someone else to see what is right or what is wrong about a matter. Because of his Christian training, it will become a part of him to love what God loves and to hate what God hates.​—Rom. 12:9.