Ladies and Gentleman, Mr. Packer.

J.I. Packer, Knowing God:

For His earthly disciples, knowing Jesus was directly comparable to knowing the great man in our illustration. The disciples were ordinary Galileans, with no special claims on the interest of Jesus. But Jesus, the rabbi who spoke with authority, the prophet who was more than a prophet, that master who evoked in them increasing awe and devotion till they could not but acknowledge him as their God, found them, called them to Himself, took them into His confidence, and enrolled them as His agents to declare to the world the kingdom of God.
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They recognized the one who had chosen them and called them...and the sense of allegiance and privilege which this knowledge brought transformed their whole lives...
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Jesus's way of speaking to us now is not by uttering fresh words, but rather by applying to our consciences those words of His that are recorded in the gospels, together with the rest of the biblical testimony to Himself. But knowing Jesus Christ still remains as definite a relation of personal discipleship as it was for the twelve when He was on earth. The Jesus who walks through the gospel story walks with Christians now, and knowing Him involves going with him, now as then.
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To know Jesus is to be saved by Jesus, here and hereafter, from sin, and guilt, and death.