Knowing God or Knowing Yourself?

The ancient Greeks called upon man to take the journey of self-discovery. The goal being "self-actualization" and a total awareness of ourselves. They urged us to "Above all, know thyself." The assumption being that through introspection and courageous soul-searching one could come to the realization of who he is, and his purpose in life. Most of western civilization for the past one hundred years have followed the ancient Greeks down this road, seeking to "find ourselves" and thus achieve personal fulfillment and happiness. The problem is that this road never reaches its intended goal, and rather than leading us to personal fulfillment and happiness, it brings us to disappointment and depression.

The goal of "knowing thyself" is rooted in humanistic thinking that places man at the center of his own narcissistic world. The journey of self-discovery is destined to fail because it was never God's intended journey for man. The true journey is to "know God." In the pursuit of knowing God, I will discover many things about myself, but that is not my aim. To aim at knowing yourself is to aim at the wrong target.

The reality is that modern man in his quest for self realization and ignoring his Creator, finds himself in a quagmire of disillusionment. His life appears purposeless and he becomes, more and more self-centered, and as a result depressed and suicidal. He actually becomes more detached from himself and reality.

Jesus said in John 17:3, as He speaks to the Father, "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent." The ancient Greeks had it wrong. Jesus points us away from inward focusing to focusing on knowing the Father and the Son.