The Ultimate Question

“And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” Matt 7:23

In March of 2003, the University of Georgia did not renew Jim Harrick’s contract as assistant men’s basketball coach. The decision was based upon allegations against the school for NCAA violations involving Harrick.

Harrick taught a class called “Coaching Principles and Strategies of Basketball” during the fall of 2001. All the students in the class, including three basketball players, received an ‘A’ after taking only one test which was a twenty-question multiple choice final exam.

The test asked simple questions like: “How many goals are on a basketball court? How many quarters are in a high school basketball game? How many points does a 3-point field goal account for?”

It would be tough to fail Mr. Harrick’s exam, and many people believe God’s final judgement will be equally easy. According to the Bible, we will be judged upon one true or false question: “Did you receive the love and forgiveness of God through Jesus Christ?”

It’s a pass or fail test that will dictate our eternal destiny.

Many people will fail the test because they never really knew Jesus. There is a tremendous difference between knowing Jesus with your head and knowing Jesus with your heart. When Jesus says, “I never knew you,” that word means intimately.

Remember this: While God is everyone’s Creator, He is not everyone’s Father. For God to be your Father, you must be adopted into His family, and that comes through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. So here’s the question, not 'do you know about Jesus,' but 'do you know Jesus as your personal Savior and Lord?'