KnowledgeVsKnowledge
Knowledge Vs Knowledge
Do we have the Life-Saving knowledge that is spiritually based? It is possible to have knowledge that is contrary to God’s Righteousness? A wrong kind of knowledge would be the kind that leads to self-righteousness or converting God’s righteousness into our own religion. The underline factor from the start of mankind is “whom do we serve”? Do we listen to God’s true knowledge and wisdom or do we manipulate things into our thinking? Does mankind have the right to set the standard of right and wrong?
Considering the Jewish nation it can be said that no other group of people has been more concerned about religious truth. Their youth, especially the boys, were given instruction of the Jewish tradition. However, some of it was wrongly interpreted and even in contradiction to the Old Testament. The scribes were given a higher position in Jesus day than the high priest. The Scribes were given the title of “rabbi” and their word became law.
What has the Bible spoken about the Jews history? Their history showed they thought they knew God’s truth. Isaiah declares: Isaiah 1:2–4 (NASB95)
2 Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, But they have revolted against Me. 3 “An ox knows its owner, And a donkey its master’s manger, But Israel does not know, My people do not understand.” 4 Alas, sinful nation, People weighed down with iniquity, Offspring of evildoers, Sons who act corruptly! They have abandoned the LORD, They have despised the Holy One of Israel, They have turned away from Him.
Same point declared in Psalm 95:10 (NASB95)
10 “For forty years I loathed that generation, And said they are a people who err in their heart, And they do not know My ways.
Jesus acknowledges to the ‘women at the well’ that salvation comes from the Jews, yet it must be the right form of worship. Note: John 4:22 (NASB95)
22 “You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
In order to get the context of John 4:22 – John 4:19-26 when Jesus speaks to the woman at the well.
19 The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.”
Being zealous for God is not sufficient for it can be said that the Jews had an ignorant zeal for God.
Romans 10:2 (NASB95)
2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.
Our words: Knowledge (gnosis) Vs Knowledge (epignosis)
1 Corinthians 8:1(ESV)
1Now concerning£ food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” This “knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up.
Note the word knowledge is from the Greek word: (gnosis) with the sense being: cognitive content
Ephesians 1:17-18(ESV)
17that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him,
18having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
Note the word knowledge here is from the Greek word: (epignosis) with the sense being: Personal recognition
Note the word knowledge here is from the Greek word: (epignosis) with the sense being: Personal recognition
The Jews had a certain degree or kind of knowledge (gnosis), an intellectual awareness of the outward demands of God’s law. But they lacked a discernment of what was really a spiritual knowledge (epignosis), one that only comes from a saving relationship with God. Their knowledge (gnosis) was a superficial kind that only led to pride and arrogance. They had a ‘knowledge about God’ but it did not produce humility and holiness.
Looking at Romans 10:1-3(ESV)
1Brothers,£ my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. 2I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.
The word “knowledge” was the Greek word (epignosis) as that was the kind of knowledge that the Jews were to have, but instead they sought their own righteousness. Their having the wrong kind of knowledge was shown in verse 3 by the word “ignorant (agnoeo) with a sense of: “to be uncomprehending”.
A lack of knowledge is tied to a lack of faith. The Jews were going after a law of righteousness and missed the point as they were not pursuing it by faith, but trying to get it by works. God rejected them because they sought Him with pride of self-achievement and a doing of works (their way) to earn His approval.
It would be well to note that God did not reject Israel due to an arbitrary divine election as if He withheld His grace from His chosen people. The entire Jewish history shows how God kept calling Israel to Himself by various means and the prophets themselves. Israel was willingly ignorant of God’s righteousness because they sought to establish their own righteousness and refused to subject themselves to the righteousness of God. Today, right now, we want to avoid that pitfall in our walk with God.
The key factor of their ignorance was in not understand the righteousness of God. God’s righteousness would be the central nature of His personhood. Instead they sought to establish their own righteousness and refused to subject themselves to God. They would underestimate God’s holiness and righteous perfection by bringing God’s holiness and purity down to their own sinful level. Their basic spiritual and moral flaw was in thinking that God was less holy and more tolerant of sin than He was. (This was brought to our congregation’s attention as we studied that some sin and call them ‘respectable sins’ and thus excusing ourselves from changing. Such as ‘worry’ is considered Okay, everyone does it, but the Bible says not to worry as God is in control.)
From the beginning God has declared His righteousness and would not tolerate any sin no matter the degree. Yes, a “white lie” would be a sin. Jesus went on to say that ‘wrong thoughts’ are sinful – Matthew 5:28(ESV) 28But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
The key is to having an understanding of God’s truth and maintain a faith in it. The prophet warned the Jews and us today. Jeremiah 9:23-24(ESV)
23Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, 24but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.”
One can get a better picture as to why the Jews rejected Jesus as their Messiah in view of their attitude of being declared righteous by their works. Since they felt no need for a Messiah to save them from sin but rather to have a Messiah to deliver them from their earthly oppressors, the Romans. They misjudged out of ignorance the fact about God’s righteousness and their own unrighteousness as they based their faith in the whole system of legalistic self-righteousness. Because of their rabbinical traditions they had brought the infinitely holy standards of God down to a manmade level which they could achieve without divine grace. It is a fact that no man can achieve a righteous stand before God on their own efforts. They need the life-saving blood of Christ’s sacrifice.
What form of knowledge do we seek? Do we just want to have a cognitive knowledge of God? If not, then we’d seek God at a level of understanding His grace. To do that means to subject one’s self to His direction and spirit. We want to have a spiritual form of knowledge that is only arrived via God’s Holy Spirit in operation in our lives.