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The Knowledge of God

For it is God who said, “Out of darkness light will shine,” who has flooded our hearts with the light of the glorious knowledge of God in the face of Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

The light that shone in our hearts was the glorious knowledge of God. We can say the glory of God is the knowledge of God. God wants to be known, "for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" (Isaiah 11:9). But "To whom will he teach knowledge, and to whom will he explain the message? Those who are weaned from the milk, those taken from the breast?.. therefore thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I am the one who has laid as a foundation in Zion, a stone, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone, of a sure foundation: ‘Whoever believes will not be in haste" (Isaiah 28:9, 16). "There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding" (Isaiah 11:1-2). "He has made known to us the mystery of His will according to the good pleasure of His will, which he purposed in Christ" (Ephesians 1:9). Yes, prophecy is fulfilled, the glorious knowledge of God has come in the face of Christ.

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understand; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. (Proverbs 2:1-5)

Receive my words and treasure them, seek wisdom and understanding like as searching for hidden treasure then you will find the knowledge of God. The kingdom of God is like a man finding hidden treasure and like a merchant searching for a pearl of great value, when found they will treasure it more than anything else (Matthew 13:44-46). Seek and you will find (Matthew 7:7-8). "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). I am seeking wisdom and understanding like treasure valued, it is with the whole heart I must seek to find God, but what or whom shall show me the way?

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. (John 14:6)

Jesus has become to us wisdom from God (1 Corinthians 1:30). "To those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God" (1 Corinthians 1:24). "Seek wisdom and understanding like as searching for hidden treasure then you will find the knowledge of God." Seek wisdom; seek Jesus.

"Receive my words and treasure them..." Jesus is the Word of God, the Word of Life, whose words exist eternal life, and who is the Holy One from God (John 1:1; 1 John 1:1-2; John 6:68-69) Jesus said eternal life is to know the Father, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom he sent, he is the one who made the Father's name known and has given us the Father's word (John 17:1-8). Jesus is the truth and God "wishes that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). Want to be saved? then come to the knowledge of the truth. Know truth, know Jesus.

Jesus is "the light of the glorious knowledge of God." Through Jesus we come to know the Father, he is the reason we can boldly approach and know the Father and be known, through Jesus, which goes far deeper in meaning, "he became for us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption" (1 Corinthians 1:30).

"My goal is that their hearts may be encouraged and knit together in love, so that they may have all the wealth of full assurance of understanding, for knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ" (Colossians 2:2). The ones given to Jesus by the Father, whom the Father has chosen, granted, or appointed unto eternal life, no one can snatch them from his hands. To know Jesus is to know the Father, for they are one (John 10:29-30). In Christ there is great wealth of assurance and understanding. 

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" (Proverbs 9:10). If "Jesus has become to us wisdom from God," and "the Holy One from God" and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding" then to know Jesus is the beginning of wisdom and understanding. "Receive my words and treasure them, seek wisdom and understanding like as searching for hidden treasure..." Seek the words of Jesus like treasure and you will find wisdom and understanding.

"In whom exist hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I tell you this so that no one may deceive you by fine-sounding arguments" (Colossians 2:3-5). 

Can we we say that knowledge was important in the old testament, quoting Hosea 4:6, "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" but that it is not important in the new covenant, what is important in the new is love. We could say that, if we based our reasoning upon a partial verse, lacking to add "because thou hast rejected knowledge," to Hosea 4:6 and not understanding what Paul was writing when he said, "knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). So in the first the rejection of the knowledge in of God was key to their destruction as Paul writes in Romans 1, they exchanged the knowledge if God for a lie. And if we read in context this last scripture we know that the man who was "puffed up" in knowledge used his knowledge to cause a brother to stumble, not using his knowledge to build him up through love. The essence of serving, the great becoming last, is to use knowledge of scriptures to love and build up a brother. So the man who thought or imagined he had knowledge did not know as he ought to know.

"If anyone imagines that he knows something, not yet knowing as he ought to know. Now, if anyone loves God, he is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:2-3). 

It is an important distinction between a knowledge that thinks it knows God and being known by God. God makes himself known. This is seen in how we know his love. "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). This verse implies that we did not love God first but God revealed his love to us (Matthew 11:25). In other words, to experience agape love we had to come to a knowledge of God. God making himself known in love to us results in us loving Him, thus we know him, "Let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." (1 John 4:7) If it's the other way around it is not based upon the decisive act of God choosing us, making himself known to us, but that we somehow chose God and loved God. "But the one who loves God is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:3). Knowing God came first, expressed through love. To be known by God implies he made himself known, thus we know God and love him. 

"But if anyone loves God, he is known by God" (1 Corinthians 8:3, ESV). 

"If anyone loves God, he is known by God" or "whoever loves has been born of God and knows God." Can we separate the knowledge of God from love? How can I know agape love without knowing God? And being born of God? It makes no sense that agape love (God's love) exists outside of the knowledge of God. The devil and his demons know of God, so there is a deeper meaning in being known by God. Having a head knowledge of God and the Bible and being known by God are two different things. Jesus will say to those who think they know Him and do many mighty works in his name to depart from him, he never knew them. Is Jesus warning us, this is what will happen when we neglect growth in the knowledge of God, for works? that people will think they know God and think they will go to heaven because they do good works? 

"you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, and able also to instruct one another" (Romans 15:14). 

How can I be filled with goodness, agape love, and not be filled with the knowledge of God? And how can I instruct others, if I am not filled with knowledge of God? It can not be so, it is through the knowledge of God that I am filled with goodness. It is through the knowledge of God that I am filled with agape love. And since we grow in the knowledge of God, becoming like Jesus, we become the praise of the glory of God, showing that we know God. This is the glory of the knowledge of God. I know God, rather I am known by him, and he is holy and he is love. 

"by this, we can be sure that we have come to know Him: if we keep His commandments" (1 John 2:3). 

We know God is love, because we are known by him. But also the knowledge of God brings us into a place where we must face the truth about His holiness. God chose us in Christ before he created the world to exist holy, blameless in his presence in love (Ephesians 1:4). So we see that agape love is the bond that leads to our maturity. That knowing God's love is being known by him, being adopted through the Spirit which leads us into holiness. "Anyone born of God refuses to practice sin because God's seed abides in him; he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, ESV). We grow up in knowledge of God, putting away childish things.

"Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake, I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ" (Philippians 3:8, ESV). 

Paul equates gaining Christ with knowledge and counts all else as rubish in order to know Christ. This is what it means that the kingdom of God is like a hidden treasure found, to treasure Christ is to give up all this world has to offer in order to gain Christ. God purposed in Christ, that we may know God, so the earth is filled with the knowledge of God. He chose us and is working out all things for our good so that we are being conformed to the image of Jesus (Romans 8:29-30). Who is the radiance of His glory and the glorious knowledge of God.

"And this I pray so that your love abounds more and more in knowledge and all discernment to the extent you determine that essential so that existing pure and without blame on the day of Christ" (Philippians 1:9-10). We see two things here, one is that love abounds through knowledge of God. Paul prays that we know the love of Christ, that without bounds so that we may be filled to the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19). Another is fullness of Christ, the love and knowledge of God helps us to determine what is essential so we exist like him, holy and pure, on the day of Christ. 

"making mention of you in my prayers that the Father of glory gives you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing him" (Ephesians 1:17).

God has blessed us in Christ with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. He has given us "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us to glory..." (2 Peter 1:3) He has given us all things through the knowledge of Jesus, which implies as other scriptures give us the truth, that we grow in the knowledge of Him, "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." (2 Peter 3:18) So Paul prays that God gives us "a spirit of wisdom and revelation in knowing him." Which implies we are enlightened continually. As a child, we see dimly as if looking through a foggy mirror but as we grow in the knowledge of Him we become known as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:11-12). We are known by God, as we grow in knowledge of God we know, experience how we are known by God. 

until we all attain to the unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God to mature adulthood, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so no longer children tossed to and fro and blown about by every wind of doctrine in human cunning, in craftiness, towards deceitful scheming. Now, speaking truth in love growing up all into him who exists the head. (Ephesians 4:13-14)

Christ was made the head of the Church to fill all in all and ascended into heaven to fill all, where he gives gifts to men for the work of ministry that builds up the body. This is the Christian life, growing in the knowledge of God in Christ. Peter writes that grace and peace are multiplied "through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord" (2 Peter 1:2). And that we knpw we have become effective in our knowledge of Jesus when grow and attain certain qualities (2 Peter 1:8). We escape "the corruption of the world through the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ," (2 Peter 2:20). Jesus is the author and perfecter of faith, and faith is our victory thus growing in knowledge of Jesus we overcome the world. It is a message I will preach over and over again, if you take away growth in the body through the knowledge of Jesus, you open the door to all kinds of false doctrines. The weapons of our warfare, Paul writes, are for this specific purpose; to tear down everything raised against the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). Knowledge is important, thus Hosea 4:6, "my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge" is true in the new covenant. 

for this and from the day hearing, we have not ceased praying on your behalf also asking so that filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding walking worthy of the Lord, to the extent all desire to please, bearing fruit in all good works and growing in the knowledge of God. (Colossians 1:8-10)

I can be filled with the knowledge of his will as I grow in the knowledge of God and I will bear fruit accordingly. There is a direct correlation between bearing fruit and growth through knowing Jesus. Jesus said so if you abide in his words, you are truly his disciples, you will know the truth, and be free (John 8:31-32). There is a direct correlation between growing and truth, we must look intently into the perfect law, the one that provides freedom (James 1:25). It is through the knowledge of the truth that we are freed, that perfects or matures us, thus the perfect law is the words of Jesus. If you abide in the Vine, you will bear fruit, for apart from him we can do nothing (John 15:5). To walk worthy of the Lord is bearing the fruit of good works, but it is more than doing good works, it is to be filled with the fruit of the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, and growing in the knowledge of God.






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