Photo Credit: Ben White
"Knowledge"
“For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love.” – 2 Peter 1:5-7
Add to knowledge, self-control…
Knowledge is another vital faith supplement and today we will be looking at how this supplement works. Let’s examine a few scriptures.
Hosea 4:6-7
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children. The more they increased, the more they sinned against me; I will change their glory into shame.
Hosea speaks of the law of God in this prophecy; could the law be linked to knowledge? Could it be that because they forgot about the law, they invariably rejected knowledge?
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Here above, we see knowledge being described as wisdom and instruction; all of which are preceded by the fear of the Lord.
There is a more popular scripture that says, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of Wisdom.”
Many years back, when I first got into the university, I had a system with which I studied the Bible. I called it Spiromatics (i.e. spirit + mathematics). Now, according to Spiromatics, if the fear of the Lord = the beginning of wisdom, and the fear of the Lord = the beginning of knowledge, then the beginning of knowledge = the beginning of wisdom.
If that is so, then what Proverbs 1:7 is telling us is this; the beginning of knowledge yields “wisdom and instruction.”
Proverbs 3:1-5 tells us about the law of God, His teaching, and how we should write it on the tablets of our heart and bind it around our neck…it says we should trust the Lord…and in all our ways acknowledge Him for He will direct out path.
To have knowledge is to “remember” the law of God, which is His word (His teaching and His instruction to us) How do we “remember” God’s word? We put His word into action. We live out His word. We demonstrate His word. That is how His word becomes flesh. We remember God’s word by our actions. We remember God’s word by being doers of the word. The person who isn’t a doer of the word is said to have forgotten the law of God. Such a person has rejected knowledge. Applying God’s word gives wisdom. Wisdom directs your path, teaches you which way to go. And the fear of the Lord causes us to seek after Him; and this leads to knowledge of God’s word in our hearts. You cannot know the law of God if you do not have the fear of God.
Now back to our text, add to knowledge self-control… 2 Peter 1:5-7
Last week we learned that biblical self-control is the ability to control oneself (through the strength that Christ gives), in particular one's emotions and desires or the expression of them in one's behavior, especially in difficult situations: restraint, temperance, moderation. It is the ability to exercise restraint, temperance and moderation through Christ who strengthens us.
Therefore, for your faith to grow, make every effort to add to knowledge, self-control and to self-control, perseverance… take note of the phrase “make every effort.” Apostle Paul reminds us yet again that growing faith isn’t a walk in the park. Remember, faith without works is dead. We have to put in 'not just an effort' but ‘every’ effort.
So, let’s make another attempt at Spiromatics here; therefore, make every effort to add to demonstrating the law of God, restraint, temperance and moderation through Christ who strengthens us, and to that add steadfastness in ‘doing the word’ despite difficulty or delayed success, be resolute and dutifully firm and unwavering.
Where demonstrating the law of God = knowledge, temperance and moderation through Christ who strengthens us = self-control & steadfastness in ‘doing the word’ despite difficulty or delayed success, be resolute and dutifully firm and unwavering = perseverance.
May the Lord grant us understanding in Jesus name. Amen.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
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