I think one of the problems facing mainstream Christianity is a watered down faith that misrepresents the Biblical concept of Faith. John 17:3 states: "Now this is eternal life that they may know you the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." This is the crux of eternal life, that we are in a relationship with Yeshua/Jesus and out of that relationship will flow certain tangible traits. We are saved by Grace through faith and not works so that no one can boast. One must ask, what does it really look like when we Know God/Jesus as He defined in John 17:3? The concept of relationship is related to covenant, meaning God expects certain things from us.
For Jeremiah, King Josiah was one of the most praiseworthy kings. This is because King Josiah kept the covenant of Yahweh in all manners and ways to the best of his ability. In short, King Josiah had what we call, a heart for God. Doing just and righteous acts is here equated with knowing God. Jesus said if you love me keep my commandments. 1 John 3:16-17, Jesus demonstrated his love by the act of laying his life down, and based on this we are to take pity on the people around us. James also equates true faith with actions. We are not saved by the actions, but our redemption will necessarily result in good actions. While a post like this one cannot cover a subject about which many books have been written, I believe this is a representation of at least part of what it means to know God.
