Knowledge is Fundamental

From my files is a collection of supposed answers that children have given to their Bible class teachers through the years.

The first book of the Bible was Guinness.

Noah’s wife was called Joan of Ark.

Sampson slated {sic}the Philistines with the axe of the apostles.

Moses went up on Mount Cyanide to get the Ten Amendments.

Solomon, one of David’s sons, had 300 wives and 700 porcupines.

While this may be fictitious, I once gave a group of teens a Bible quiz. One of the True or False questions was “The epistles were the wives of the apostles.” Two kids marked “True.”

All of this reminds me of the Prophet Hosea’s lament, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” It also underscores that knowledge is fundamental to our faith.

Last week we begin a series from 2 Peter 1:5-7 about those qualities we should add to our faith. The first was virture. Added to virtue ought to be “knowledge.”

The Greek word is gnosis, which Barclay say is “practical knowledge.” He adds it “is that knowledge which enables a man to decide rightly and to act honourably and efficiently in the day to day circumstances of life. So, then, to faith must be added courage and effectiveness; to courage and effectiveness must be added the practical wisdom to deal with life.

Wiersbe calls it “full knowledge” or “knowledge that is growing.” He suggests that is involves “discernment.”

C. D. Hamilton observed that “Ignorance of the Word of God would make it impossible to achieve moral excellence.” One must understand what the will of the Lord is (Eph. 5:17). And he must be able to discern between right and wrong (Heb. 54:12-14). Hamilton also reminds us that knowledge “does not come by accident or happenstance.” It requires time, effort, and commitment to reading, studying and meditating on the Word.

We live in an age of access to an incredible amount of information, however not all of it is accurate. Religiously, what we read, believe, and practice must be measured by the standard of the Bible, God’s Word. It is divinely inspired. And will teach us what is right. Show us what is wrong. Help us get right. Help us stay right. And equip us for every righteous work (2 Tim. 3:16-17).

When we think of the fundamentals of faith, though not an exclusive list, here are a dozen things we need to know.

• Knowledge of how to study the Bible and rightly divide the Word.
• Knowledge of the character, nature, and personality of God.
• Knowledge that Jesus is the Lord of my life.
• Knowledge that the old man is crucified with Christ.
• Knowledge of His commandments for Christian living.
• Knowledge of the work and worship of the Lord’s church.
• Knowledge of my personal responsibility in the church Family.
• Knowledge of the process of discipleship.
• Knowledge of effective evangelistic outreach.
• Knowledge of my relationships in the church, the home, the work place, the government, and the community.
• Knowledge of cardinal Bible doctrines such as grace, mercy, faith, and works.
• Knowledge of God’s purpose for my life and my ultimate destiny.

Be advised that adding this knowledge is not just an academic exercise. As the word “knowledge” in this text implies, there must be an application in our lives. A discernment that allows us to make good choices. And a perceptiveness that spurns poor choices. Howard Hendricks once quipped, “God didn’t give us the Bible to make us smarter sinners.” Or as D. L. Moody wrote, “The Bible was not given {solely} for our information, but for our transformation.”

In the words of the 13th century Persian poet, Saadi, “Whoever acquires knowledge and does not practice it resembles him who plows his land and leaves it unsown.”

– Ken Weliever, The Preacherman