Our mindset as humans is constrained within time.  We are dependent upon consecutive moments in time that lead us to our aspirations, out of trials, through afflictions, etc.  When we pray to God, we often imagine Him as living within our world of time, and thereby, being constrained to the progression of time.  Perhaps we understand that God is eternal, which provokes us to give Him the honor he deserves through true worship.  Yet, I notice in my own life that this is not how I live.  But I do think that I stumbled upon a key to making certain truths and wider obedience a reality.  So with this post, I want to deliver some facts about the eternal characteristic of God and its practical implications.  I will be breaking apart the opening verses of Psalm 90 to help refine the points that I want to make.

“A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.  Before the mountains were born Or You gave birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are God.” – Psalm 90:1-2

Why do sinners keep sinning when they have an idea that they will meet God one day?  Why do Christians habitually sin when they know they will meet their creator one day?  We cannot answer this question until we realize that it is not “one day” that we are meeting God, but rather, today that we meet God.  God is eternal – He did not exist for an age, ages, or for a few days before creation.  God existed for an eternity before creation.  When there was no heaven, earth, angels, universe, etc. the trinity existed.  After this world is done, God will continue to exist for eternity.  This is why God called Himself “I Am” to Moses, when Moses asked for his name at the burning bush.  God does not say that His name is “I Was” or “I Will Be”.  God is “I Am” because He is from everlasting to everlasting.

Since God is eternal, He does not exist within time (aside from when God came down to Earth).  This means that before you were born, He knew you.  Before He created the Earth, the Earth was already renewed.  Before Eve ate the apple, God knew she was going to eat it.  If God is God, then every communicable and incommunicable characteristic of God is infinite, otherwise He is not God.  Therefore, if God is graceful, He is infinitely graceful.  If God is righteous, compassionate, sovereign, merciful, etc., then God is infinitely each of these.  If God is eternal, He is infinitely eternal.  Infinitely eternal is beyond any of our comprehensions, but I see this as a plurality of eternities that God must exist in.  That is how today (in our time), it is also simultaneously the day of creation, the day of Christ, and the day of judgment (in eternity).

“You turn man back into dust And say, “Return, O children of men.” For a thousand years in Your sight Are like yesterday when it passes by, Or as a watch in the night.” – Psalm 90:3-4

Only we humans exist in time.  1000 years to us is nearly incomprehensible.  But to the infinitely eternal God, 1000 years is not even a blink of an eye!  Like both the good and the fallen angels, we too have a beginning and will continue to exist for eternity at our final destinations – whether heaven or hell.  Until eternity, we are dying and surrounded by others who are dying and within a world that also is dying.  This sounds very gloomy but as Christians, it shouldn’t be.  For our God is an eternal God that knew all the chapters of our existence before we existed.  Therefore, we can now understand the real meaning of what it means to “give it to God.”  Are you going through a trial?  Our God already knows when it will be over and we know that His will is good.  So give it to God, for He does not exist within time but is the Alpha and the Omega; infinitely eternal.

You have swept them away like a flood, they fall asleep; In the morning they are like grass which sprouts anew. In the morning it flourishes and sprouts anew; Toward evening it fades and withers away.” – Psalm 90:5-6

Have you ever been in a desert and have seen a new blade of grass that rises in the morning, has its moment mid-day by pointing tall and erect, and then withers away in the evening?  To an eternal God, that is man.  From the dust we came and to the dust we shall return.  To us within time, our death seems like a lifetime away (if blessed).  To an eternal God, we have already died.  Methuselah lived 969 years, but to God this too was equivalent to less than a blink of an eye.

Aside from the worship provoking implications that this understanding allows us to honor God with, the last practical use of this understanding comes from Psalm 90:12:

“So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom.”

It is not 100 years from now that we will be meeting God, but today.  Therefore, fear the Lord who is everlasting and sin no longer.  If we can learn to number our days, we will stop thinking of our judgment as being a lifetime away.  Rather, we will develop a mindset that will allow us to recognize our short existence and a mindset that will allow us to think eternally, or outside of time.  Perhaps this will give you a deeper fear of God that will help you to sin no longer.

-Mark

Aside from direct sin such as pride, adultery, drunkenness, etc. when can we also be living in sin?

“All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death.”

1 John 5:16

As Christians, we will stumble from time to time and trip up here and there – less so as we strive harder and attain sanctification.  It is clear though that there is sin that we will be forgiven of and sin that we won’t be.  As an example, we all know of “Christians” that are jealous, impure, immoral, selfish, etc.  Paul speaks about these Christians as well:

“The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.  I warn you, as I did before that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

Galatians 5:19-22

Therefore, if these people will not inherit the kingdom, they are not Christians and ultimately are participants of the sins which will lead to death.  These sins exist through habit and lack of repentance and become  a part of our lives and who we are until we sanctify and crucify our sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24).

However, not all sin leads to death as John states.  John does not classify which sins are deadly and which are not.  But from Leviticus 4, God shows us a kind of sin that does not lead to death and can be atoned for: unintentional sin.  Take a look at the following verses:

Leviticus 4:2-3 “Say to the Israelites: ‘When anyone sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands – ‘If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he must bring to the Lord a young bull without defect as a sin offering for the sin he has committed.”

Leviticus 4:13-14 “If the whole Israelite community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, even though the community is unaware of the matter, they are guilty.  When they become aware of the sin they committed, the assembly must bring a young bull as a sin offering and present it before the Tent of Meeting.”

Leviticus 4:22-23 “When a leader sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the commands of the Lord his God, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as his offering a male goat without defect.”

Leviticus 4:27-28 “If a member of the community sins unintentionally and does what is forbidden in any of the Lord’s commands, he is guilty.  When he is made aware of the sin he committed, he must bring as ahis offering for the sin he committed a female goat without defect.”

So the types of unintentional sins that can be atoned for in Leviticus 4 are:

1. The pastoral staff/priest commit a sin that causes the congregation to sin
2. The Church community sinning as a whole
3. When someone in a position of leadership sins within his institution
4. An unintentional sin due to lack of knowledge or an accident such as manslaughter

Leviticus 5:1-5 also lists some other unintentional sins that can be atoned for:

1. A person sins when he does not speak up and testify during a public charge
2. Touching anything that is ceremonially unclean, if you are unaware that it is
3. A careless oath/swear that you never realized you committed to because it was so careless

Since unintentional sins can be atoned for, we are forgiven once and for all because of the ultimate atoning sacrificial sin offering, Jesus Christ.  Therefore, unintentional sins are sins which we are not living in because we are unaware, lack a knowledge, or are simply careless.  These sins are atoned for through Christ.  The sins which lead to death if not repented of are sins that we are living in and as Paul states “the acts of the sinful nature are obvious.”  These sins are the sins that part us from God if we do not grow up in our salvation through sanctification.

-Mark

I often hear Christians saying in one form or another that “things are going well” and that they are “growing a lot”.  Or another way of saying this is that because they are “growing”, things appear to be going well.  Whenever I hear this, I always question why they think they are growing – never to discourage, but always to shed some truth.  Too often the response I get for why one thinks they are growing is because they are spending more time with God, receiving deeper convictions to their sin, have a sustained joy, etc.  In a little bit, I’ll explain why this is not biblical growth.

I’m not a pessimist, but I do lack confidence in another’s confidence for a few reasons, the primary reason being that there is an overall genuine lack of the fear of God in Christian churches today: we are quick to speak before the altar, quick to view God as the object of a sappy love song (thanks to modern pop-worship), quick to forget about the necessity of sanctification, quick to manipulate others into salvation by preaching topical messages (and not the deeper truths), etc.  And because of the lack of fear, they do not know what growth is.  Isaiah 33:6 says:

“He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the LORD is the key to this treasure.”

So let’s take a look at how the bible defines growth.  For it is one thing to spend more time with God when your spirit is strengthened, but what happens when your spirit is broken?  It is another thing to receive conviction, but another to respond to conviction.  To get a better understanding of what I’m basing this theology on, please read Growing from Faith to Love. In case you do not have the time to read that post, I will briefly sum it up.  From James 1:4-5, 3:13, and 2 Peter 1:5-9, we can define the biblical route of growth as follows:

Faith, Goodness, Knowledge, Self-Control, Perseverance, Wisdom, Humility, Godliness, Love

See also:

Goodness vs. Godliness

Knowledge vs. Wisdom

Humility vs. Love

This should give you a solid understanding on what growth as a Christian is.  But within the church, we judge others not on their heart, but on their fruit.  We cannot tell where one is in this sanctification process, but we surely can tell if one is going through it.  With that, take a look at Looking at the Fruits.  This post uses Galatians 5:22-23 and lists the fruit of the Spirit.  Notice that fruit is not pluralized and that it is referring to the Spirit, a singular subject.  To clearly illustrate this meaning, think of the Spirit as an entire grape vine and the individual grapes as the fruit.  Therefore, if we have the Spirit, we should posses all of the fruit – not acquire each quality individually and over time.  And through the sanctification process, we are increasing the measure of each quality.  The fruit of the Spirit are:

Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, and Self-Control

Also, notice the parallel between the fruit of the Spirit and the steps in the sanctification process.  Pretty amazing!  The bottom line is that we grow through sanctification.  The key to sanctification is wisdom and knowledge, which comes from the fear of the Lord and letting God’s word do its work in your heart as you read, through reflection and meditation.  Let us all become a meditator on the Word of God.

I would love to hear your comments or answer any questions.

-Mark

We have been getting a lot of search hits on the phrase “void in life that only God can fill”.  So I decided to answer this question for our visitors that are looking for the answer.

There are 31,103 verses in the entire bible.  When you open the bible to Genesis, the 2nd verse of the entire bible describes the Earth in its dark, formless, void-filled beginnings before the heavens, land, plants, animals, or man was created.  Through God’s six days of creation and seventh day of rest, we can see all of the events that lead up to an Earth which is no longer void and formless, but rather an Earth that is at rest and at peace because God’s plan was completed.

“The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters” - Genesis 1:2

Then on the first day, God said “‘Let there be light’; and there was light. God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness.”  Formless and Void in the original Hebrew can be translated as a worthless empty ruin.  Thus, if we apply the days of creation to the age of man and God’s 6000 year redemptive plan (1 day is as 1000 years to God; Psalm 90:4, 2 Peter 3:8), then the first day (or first 1000 years) represents the creation of the first Adam, the light of the world because he recognized his creator.  In Romans 5:14, Paul says that Adam was a type of Him who was to come – referring to Christ Jesus, the light of the world.  Through Christ, we are forgiven for our sins, and therefore, can be in eternal fellowship with God.  God saw that this light was good.

On the second day, God created the expanse in the sky, heaven, which separated the waters below the earth from the waters above the earth (the earth was in a different form before the flood of Noah).  During this 2nd millennium, Noah and his sons (the righteous), were separated from the wicked, which were judged by water.

On the third day, God created the land and from the land God said “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.”  God saw that it was good (Gen 1:12).  The land represents Abraham, the man who was righteous by faith and was isolated (metaphorically) from the rest of the void-filled world (water), which participated in idolatry.  During this third millennium also came Moses, who brought the Torah, the original covenant, into the world.  The Torah represents the fruit sprouting from the land.  In Gen 1:12, “The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.”  God saw that these plants yielding seeds and trees yielding fruit (the fruit of the law) was good. Each day has been progressively taking away from the formless void that the Earth originally was.

On the fourth day, God created the lights in the sky (stars, moon, and sun).  This fourth millennium (4000 years after the creation of the world) represents the age of Christ.  And “God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good.” (Gen 1:17-18).  Christ brings the light, which separates darkness, to the world.  This too, God saw as good and removed the void from the Earth.

On the fifth day, God created the creatures of the sea and the birds of the air.  During this fifth millennium, God said “”Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”  During this age of Christ (age of the gentile), God sent all kinds of man (represented by all sorts of creatures) into the earth to proclaim the light of the world, which is Christ.

On the sixth day, God created both animal and man.  During this present millennium, the sixth, the creation of man represents the highest peak in knowledge.  First God created the creatures of the sea, the birds of the air, then the creatures of the land, and finally man (the peak of knowledge).  This peak of knowledge is not just of earthly things, but also in knowledge of God.  Finally, God tells man “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you” (Gen 1:29).  God allows man to inherit His kingdom.  Likewise, God allows man to enter the new world when Christ returns.  This time, God says “behold, it was very good” (Gen 1:31).

Following this inheritance during the sixth millennium comes the seventh millennium (the seventh day of creation), in which God entered his rest, our sabbath.  For those that are in Christ, we too will inherit our eternal sabbath, which is our eternal rest, the messianic era.  This seventh day, the sabbath, is a day set apart by God, who also sanctified it.  When we reach our eternal sabbath, we will be forever sanctified to perfection, as Christ was perfected through death.  This sanctification is what we seek and is the void which God will fill in us.

Similar to how God turned the world from a formless void to a fruitful kingdom with creatures, air, water, land, etc., God also turned the world from a wasteful ruin to a world which is bearing fruit through acknowledging God and following His light, Christ.  As for the individual man, us, who seek a void to be filled in our life, God too will turn us from a spiritually blind, meaningless existence, to a new creation of light, through Christ, with direction, peace, rest, and a light yoke.  As the Earth and once God-less world were transformed through a process, we too are continually being transformed through a process of sanctification, which climaxes at the return of Christ and where we enter our eternal sabbath rest.  The trick is that we have to allow God into our lives to accomplish what he wants to accomplish.  Man will not enter his eternal rest with God until God’s plan is completed.  Likewise, we will not enter our eternal rest until God’s plan is completed in our lives.

Please feel free to contact or leave a comment if you have any questions or comments!

Mark

One thing that has been convicting me a lot lately is speaking about what the disobedient do.  Such shameful things to speak about come up in conversations about a bad experience at a church or a disagreement among believers.  In the beginning, such shameful things are fruitful to talk about so we are called to expose these disobedient deeds.  But it is important to draw a fine line between unfruitful talking and fruitful exposing.  Take a look at the following verses:

“Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.” Ephesians 5:11-12

This passage is tucked away yet infinitely important.  We are called to be children of light and walk as such.  The standard required of us is so great, but not heavy.  It is a matter of knowing light from dark and choosing light.  Here, we see that it is a shame to even mention the sins that are committed in secret.  There is a subconscious desire in man to sin in secret, outside of the public eye yet, never leaving the sight of God.  Such disobedience, although completely individualized and isolated from the body of believers, is just as reckless as sin that is not done in secret.  Concluding that all sin, whether secret or not secret, is so anti-Christ that to even speak of the sin is shameful for you.

1 John 1:6 says “If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.”  Thus, we are called to not even speak of darkness, whether committed openly or in secret.  True, this verse in 1 John is interpreted as our battle against sin.  But if to even mention what the disobedient do in secret is not of the light, then isn’t to do so not walking by the truth?

What deeds are darkness, disobedient, or sinful?  Deeds that are fruitless.  For further reading on fruits, check out Judging others by their fruits.  A fruitless deed does not just mean an outcome that produces no results.  A fruitless deed can be a deed which seems to produce positive results.  However, biblical fruit is mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23:

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”

Therefore, if the fruit from Galatians 5:22-23 is not produced, it is not fruit at all.  And if the deed is fruitless, we are told to have nothing to do with it.  In other words, separate yourself from the deeds that the individual performs, not the individual.  Why not the individual?  Because we are called to be fisher of men. (Unless the individual does not repent of their sin, we know that they have no place in the house of God and we are called to part ourselves from such spirits – 1 Corinthians 5:11.)

What is the fine line between exposing these fruitless deeds and mentioning the sin of the disobedient? It is at the point where exposing such darkness no longer bears fruit and at this point, you yourself are participating in a fruitless deed and becoming a gossiper and slanderer.  Again what fruit must exposing them bear?  Refer to the above – the biblical fruit mentioned in Galatians 5:22-23.  At the point that exposing the fruit no longer becomes edifying, you are fellowshipping with darkness and not living by the truth.  Therefore, Ephesians 5:12 can serve as a warning; a warning to guard your tongue so that you can remain blameless, otherwise, you too will be cruising down a reckless path and branching off the sin of another.

-Mark

“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.  It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age” – Titus 2:11-12

Grace can be defined as the sovereign grace bestowed upon a man when he accepts the gift given by God through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ for our sins.  Grace is a free gift given to all men.  However, true grace is the grace that leads to sanctification.

“Teaching” (2:12) in the Greek is defined as “to raise up, educate, or discipline.”  The grace of God is evident through God’s discipline.  Heb 12:8 says “If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.”  In discipline, there is hope (Provers 19:18).

What is true grace?  Many in the Christian church falsely acknowledge that they have received the grace of God by saying “yes” to Jesus Christ.  But James 2:19 says “you believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that–and shudder.”

Therefore, grace does not come from the acknowledgment that Jesus Christ is the atoning sacrifice.  The demons know this and this is why they shudder.  Grace is given to the one that loves the Lord’s discipline.  For the one that loves the Lord’s discipline has weighed the costs of being a believer.  The spirit of grace is poured out on the one that love’s discipline and since he is a true believer, the true believer that received true grace will be sanctified.  Grace disciplines us and teaches us to say no to sin.  And as Galatians 5:24 says “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.”

Those that deny grace are rejecting the discipline that comes from God.  Proverbs 5:23 says “He will die for lack of discipline, led astray by his own great folly.”  If grace is what saves us, then the man that dies lacks it.  Similarly, the man that dies lacked discipline.  The bible teaches that faith plus sanctification is how we are saved.  And again, if by grace we are saved, then by grace we have faith and by grace we are disciplined to become sanctified.

Readers, test the spirits.  You will know a man by his fruit.  The modern church is preaching a message of once saved, always saved, and never sanctified.  This is false.  Do not be caught into this trap, but strive to attain sanctification!  Only then will true grace be poured out.  Am I saying that it is by our doing that we receive grace?  No.  But as we accept the Lord’s discipline, we are witnessing God’s love for us.  As we reject His discipline or shy away from it, we are denying God’s grace.

-Mark

With all of my recent talk on the need to sanctify and strive to obtain that of which Paul talks about in Philippians 3:9-11, it is very important that I talk about how to obtain with having a heart of humility.  As we obtain a greater understanding, knowledge, and wisdom of God, it becomes very easy to think of ourselves as being “closer” to God than others.  Even more so is this true within a church setting or as the wheat is separated by the chaff.

In Philippians 2:1-11, Paul talks about how through our unification with Christ, our joy (a quality of the fruit of the Spirit; Galatians 5:22) is only made complete when we are one in spirit and in purpose by not looking at our own interests, but rather the interests of others.

Then we are told how our attitudes should be in order to achieve this calling.  Paul describes Christ’s attitude in verses 5-11:

⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
⁶Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
⁷but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Readers, equality with God is something that cannot be grasped, no matter how sanctified we become.  It becomes easy to look upon ourselves as being more “called” than others.  But this is foolish and a direct violation of Galatians 6:4.  Therefore, as we become more sanctified and attain greater truths about God, we should also develop more humility in the sense that we are showing more agape (self-sacrificing) love to others, no matter where they may be in their walks with God.

“No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval” (1 Corinthians 11:19), but let us be sure that in all circumstances, our attitudes remain aligned with that of Christ Jesus.

-M

“¹⁶This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.”

1 John 3:16

Humility is mentioned ten times throughout the bible (NAS).  Each time it is mentioned, it is tied to either wisdom or pride.  Humility is tied to wisdom in the sense that humility comes before honor but after wisdom (Proverbs 15:33, 18:12).  The Greek word for humility is Tepeinophrosune, which means having a humble opinion of one’s self and in the deep sense of one’s moral littleness. Therefore, humility is the opposite of pride.  Galatians 6:4 says it is okay to have pride, as long as you are not comparing yourself to someone else.  In order to love, one must lay down their pride.  Yet, in order to lay down pride, one must have wisdom, knowledge, and goodness which all come through trials of self-control and perseverance (see Growing from Faith to Love).  Therefore, to obtain the love that God calls of us requires a spiritual labor.

The love that we are called to strive for is a love that is self-sacrificing.  We are called to replicate this love.  The verb “love” is translated in the Greek as agape.  In the Old Testament, this Greek verb can be translated into Hebrew as aheb.  Thus, agape and aheb are interchangeable.  Aheb is the Hebrew word used to describe Isaac’s love for Esau, Jacob’s love for Joseph, David’s love for Jonathan, Samson’s love for Delilah, etc.  Agape is used to describe the love of God and the love that we are commanded to reflect.  Agape is different from another form of love in the Greek called eros, which is used to describe love of a sexual nature.  Therefore, the verb aheb is used to describe biblical love relationships in the Old Testament (i.e.: David and Jonathan’s mutual love) and is not a love that is sexual in nature, but a love that is self-sacrificing.

God is love.  This means in all things, God demonstrates love:  When God judges, He judges in love; When God tests, He tests in love;  As God rules, He rules in love.; When God creates, He creates in love.  This love is a self-sacrificing love that ultimately led to the cross, where both wrath and love collided to demonstrate that even in our weak states, God still loved us and offered a means to redemption.

As 2 Peter 1:5-7 states, this love (agape) that we are called to strive toward comes after godliness.  Even in our state of godliness, perfect love can be absent although love is still evident.  Our God is not just a God that is God because of His ubiquity and power.  Our God is a God that is God because of His love.  As Christ-followers, we are called to replicate this self-sacrificing love in its complete state.  Anything else is simply permissible.

With our spouses, the verb agapao is used (Ephesians 5:25).  Agapao is used to describe the act of loving; a derivation of agape.  Luke 10:27, Christ confirms to the lawyer that we are called to love God in a self-sacrificing way, not an emotional way.  Again, we see that we are called to love – but love not as we know it today through emotion or sexuality.  We are called to replicate the self-sacrificing love that God demonstrated through Christ.

A Christian may be eager to seek this state of love or may strive to demonstrate it.  However, only by going through the biblical route of sanctification can one truly accomplish this.  Without knowledge, one cannot understand the love of God.  Without wisdom, one cannot teach the love of God.  Without godliness, one cannot demonstrate the love of God.  Without humility, one cannot share the love of God purely.  And without going through tests of self-control and perseverance, one cannot increase knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.  Therefore, to accomplish sanctification requires more than what we have been taught or are used to!

-M

Continuing on our exploration of the biblical route of growing from faith to love, today we will explore what is the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  Yesterday we explored the difference between goodness and godliness.

The Greek for knowledge is Gnosis.  In the context of 2 Peter 1:5-7, knowledge can be interpreted as the general intelligence and understanding of the Christian religion and the deeper more perfect knowledge of this religion and especially of the things lawful and unlawful for Christians, such as that which belongs to the more advanced.  Knowledge is not only the distinguishing of good from evil.

Wisdom in James 1:5 is Sophia in the Greek.  In this verse’s context, wisdom can best be interpreted as knowledge of things, human and divine, that is acquired by experience and evidenced through counseling, interpreting, speaking, and practicing, and skilled at imparting Christian truths to those that are not disciples of Christ.

When a Christian builds knowledge, they are deepening their understanding and general intelligence of the faith.  In this, they are also learning what is lawful and unlawful – meaning they are learning how to recognize what is and is not of God.  This allows for the ability to choose love over death, Christ over Satan, obedience over disobedience, and strength over sin.  However, knowledge only allows for this ability.  In order to act upon this knowledge, one needs to be godly, which as stated in the above, is the ability to act upon goodness.  Therefore, godliness is not only the ability to act upon goodness, but also is the ability to act upon knowledge and wisdom.

Wisdom comes after knowledge because wisdom, although consisting of the knowledge of things human and divine, is the sharing of truths with another.  In 1 Kings 3:7, Solomon says “But I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties.”  Afterward, he asks God for a wise and discerning heart to choose between right and wrong and to govern God’s people.  Therefore, Solomon admitted his lack of experience to God.  He was knowledgeable of his duties but lacked the wisdom and discernment to carry them out.  Here we see that wisdom enables us to act upon our knowledge.

1 Kings 3:7 also shows that wisdom is tied together with discernment and because of this, the wise can properly counsel.  Since wisdom acts off of knowledge, the wise can distinguish God from death, love from sin, and Christ from Satan.  Again, discernment works simultaneously with wisdom in that the wise can properly govern or counsel – As demonstrated through Solomon’s request.

A great example of a lack of wisdom comes from the story of Rehoboam in 2 Chronicles 10.  Rehoboam sought the counsel of those that were young and those that he grew up with.  He rejected the advice of the elders.  Because of this, the kingdom of Israel was split in two – Israel and Judah.  Therefore, a lack of wisdom clearly demonstrates the state of a Christian as a little child rather than a young man or a father, as we know from 1 John 2.

Therefore, knowledge belongs in the mind, wisdom through the speech, and discernment through the heart.  One cannot be wise if they do not share or administer their knowledge.  One must be wise if they have discernment.  If one has discernment, they must have knowledge.  This concludes that if one is wise, then they are knowledgeable and carry discernment and if one has discernment, then they are knowledgeable and therefore, wise.

Colossians 2:2 “My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in Christ…” Therefore, the transformation of the mind (understanding) delivers assurance of salvation.  Lastly, remember Solomon: he had all the wisdom in the world, but failed to make the right decision when it came to his wives.  Therefore, Godliness comes after wisdom, as the Word demonstrates.  One can have all the wisdom, discernment, and knowledge, but fail to act upon it.  This is why we need to strive toward godliness.

-M

Matthew 19:16-17:

¹⁶Now a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”  ¹⁷“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.”

Strong’s Concordance translates “goodness” (from the NIV) as “moral excellence” (in the NAS) and from the original Greek writing, “Moral excellence” can be best translated as a virtuous course of thought and feeling.

No wonder as Christians we want to do good, but many times can’t.  As our recognition of sin increases, so do our battles against sin.  But as we become more Christ-like through godliness, we can turn the virtuous thought and feeling into action.

When the rich young man approached Christ to ask him “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” Christ responded with “obey the commandments.”  Since the commandment is love, God is therefore love.  Thus, Christ confirmed the answer of the expert in Luke 10:27 as the sum of the law equating to love the Lord and love your neighbor.  There is only One who is good and all good comes from the One.  So by following what is good (loving the Lord and loving your neighbor), you are also following the only good One.

This is where the difference between goodness and godliness is distinguished:  Goodness is the desire to uphold the law.  Godliness is upholding the law.  With faith, we desire to uphold the law because we put our eternal trust in the One that is good.  But it is impossible to uphold the law without adding to our faith godliness and the qualities between goodness and godliness.  Therefore, it will take quite a while to develop the godliness quality!

Most Christians are not only stuck at self-control, but also stuck at goodness.  Therefore, where we find stagnation and being stuck at a particular quality, is where we realize that we are ungodly because in order to add to ourselves godliness, we need to be able to turn what we want to do into action, which is more than mere thought.

Someone who is Christ-like can act upon his moral excellence.  Someone who isn’t Christ-like can only be eager to act upon his moral excellence, if eager at all.  Through gaining knowledge, wisdom, and understanding, our recognition of sin will increase and thus, we can choose to live by the Spirit.  In the meantime, our misdeeds of the body thrive so that we are living by our bodies, which are enslaved to death.  If we were truly living by the Spirit, the misdeeds of our body would have died and therefore, we would be dead to sin but alive in Christ.  Galatians 5:22-25 would finally apply to us!

We should strive to live by the Spirit, although our bodies want to commit sin.  With our spirit obligated to God, we then have the choice and the power to say no to sin.  But until we grow our knowledge, wisdom, and understanding as we go through trials of self-control, perseverance, and humility, we remain unaware of our imperfection in Christ due to the unconscious and conscious sins that we do not recognize until we look in retrospect.

-M