In 1969, singer songwriter Bobby Vinton made popular the song To Know You Is To Love You. The song, originally written by Phil Spector, was inspired by knowing his father and became a hit in the early 1950s. Later Vinton rearranged the words and title of the song, which also hit the top of the charts.
Some of the lyrics include “To know know know you is to love love love you and I do and I do and I do." It appears the writer is really driving home the fact that to truly know someone special in your life is to love that one.
Maybe we have been fortunate to have that someone special in our lives who we have come to know and appreciate over the years. Being in this type of relationship is obviously something we definitely would appreciate.
The song is lighthearted and somewhat of a puppy love song. Its depth is a bit shallow but still the words ring out: "To know is to love.” To know takes takes time and effort with giving and taking on both sides in order to make things work. This giving and taking tends to grow us in our relationships which goes beyond the puppy love stage.
As we grow in this bond of love, those things that we may have thought as giving and taking are seen in a different light. Maybe now the concept is more of an unconditional love in that it's not a matter of giving things up but a matter of service to our loved one. This would not be a service of duty but one of humility. Humility in that we put their needs before ours.
In Scripture, we see Paul speaking of this kind of unconditional love. We read in Phip 3:10 ..."That I may know Him and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of His suffering being made conformable unto His death."
Here, Paul is talking about relationship and what that looks like. He is saying to know denotes relationship. He takes us further and describes relationship as discovery. He wants to know the power in a relationship, a relationship that brings us through suffering and a relationship that actually conforms us to an unconditional love.
We see in this Scripture that to know is relational and growth. Growth can be considered knowledge gained through experience in which we truly begin to know ourselves and that someone special in our life.
By choice or circumstances, not all of us are in relationships of intimacy but Paul in this Scripture is talking about our relationship with Jesus as the ultimate relationship. Paul is proclaiming that there is one relationship that he longs to become more intimate in and that is with the Lord Jesus Christ.
The good news is that no matter our situation and circumstances, Jesus sings, "To know know know you is to love love love you and I do and I do and I do.
