Add to your Faith: Knowledge
- Elizabeth Lunyou
- Feb 23, 2017
- 4 min read
Today, we are still in 2 Peter 1:5, focused on the phrase, add to your faith, Knowledge.
(For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge;) If you did not read the last devotional on goodness, then check it out here
Now, on first reading of 2 Peter, what did you think Knowledge meant?
My first thought was he must mean Bible study....that is where knowledge of God comes from, right?
As I mentioned yesterday, the essential for growing in faith is reading God's Word, so of course, one aspect of adding knowledge to our faith is Bible study. However, Peter lists this second, after goodness, so, if as we saw yesterday, goodness is directly connected to studying God's Word, then if knowledge is to be second, it is perhaps something else than a basic assumption of Peter reminding us to read the Bible.
So, fist of all, it is imperative that we look around the Bible and see what all God says about knowledge to make sure we have a full understanding of the concept. (You can go to these pages for an ever more detailed reference of many of the verses that talk about knowledge, (Here) and (here))
I know I am giving you a lot of verses, but I want you to see the pattern....
Hosea 6:6 For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Proverbs 1:7 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; Fools despise wisdom and instruction.
1 Corinthians 2:2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Light shall shine out of darkness," is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.
John 17:3 "This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Philippians 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death;
Ephesians 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
Philippians 3:8 7 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ,
John 14:7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him." (Jesus speaking)
John 14:20 "In that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. (Jesus speaking)
Proverbs 24:5 A wise man is strong, And a man of knowledge increases power.
So, with those verses in mind, in 2 Peter 1:5-8 when we are told to add to our faith Knowledge, what are we being told to do exactly?
Earlier in the book Peter says in 2 Peter 1, " seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence...." So later in the letter when he says to add knowledge to our faith, he is not just saying read the Bible. He is saying that we are to grow in our Knowledge of Jesus Christ.
As a Christian, we start with that spark of faith, believing God wants to save us and that He can save us, we put our trust and our hope completely in Jesus, called on His name asking Him to forgive us for our sins and give us eternal life. and so He comes into our heart, and seals us until the day of redemption. Then, from that beginning spark of faith,,we are to grow so that we are effective and good servants. First, looking at the world from this new perspective of the Spirit rather than our own hearts, we begin to do what is right in God's eyes. As we read the Bible, we are empowered by the Spirit to choose what is right rather than what is wrong, confessing our sins and our life becomes more and more virtuous, so we are adding to our life goodness. To this goodness, Peter is telling us to add a deeper, personal relationship with God through the face of Jesus Christ (as we read in 2 Corinthians above.) The knowledge of God does come from and always agrees with the Bible, but there is also an intimacy with God, the conversations in your own heart with Him, the knowing of His presence in your life....as Isaiah says, the voice behind you saying this is way, walk in it. This is what Paul says in Philippians he is willing to suffer loss of all things, because knowing Him (Jesus) surpasses all other things of life.
If a Christian lives with sin, then goodness is not earnestly being added to faith, and that sin separates us from God (Isaiah)
Being separated from God, because of our sin, makes us be separated from the love relationship we crave to have with Jesus. Knowledge is listed after goodness, because without goodness, we cannot enjoy the knowledge of Jesus in our daily life.
In the Song of Solomon, the beloved (who Jesus identifies with by being the bridegroom who loves His bride) says that he longs to just see his beloved's face or hear her voice. Jesus longs to have a deep, intimate and personal relationship with you, but the choice to not pursue goodness, and instead live in sin is making you miss out on the beautiful, abundant relationship Jesus is longing to give you, and you long to have.
So add to your faith goodness and to goodness add knowledge, because knowing Him is going to surpass all your understandings of what you thought was good, pleasurable, lovely or happy.
If you have any questions, thoughts, ideas or prayer requests, please go over to the conversation cafe and let's talk about what you are learning.
God bless!
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