Knowing people is crucial. We might think it is vital to know a person’s theological position. Yet many do not really have a position like that. Many belong to groups which are not defined by a theological or doctrinal position. We can still know them. We can do good to them and see what happens. The outcome can give us knowledge about them: Whether they have the love of God in their hearts. Many surprise us. People we thought were on a pathway of success turn out to not have the love of God in their hearts. Their path will become a downward one of deterioration, as the road they walk goes unmaintained and eventually crumbles under their feet, even when they think they are high and dry. Then we are surprised when those who, rather like the Good Samaritan of the famous parable of Jesus, are to our minds theologically hopeless or ignorant, yet we find they love God and it shows in their actions. Their pathway might look doomed and dying but it will be a pathway of resurrection. We might be unknown but we can know people. We can know their love for God, or lack of it.
