Reference: Proverbs 2:1-5, and Proverbs 1:7
Looking up the word knowledge in thedictionary, we find that it means an awareness offacts, truths, or principles; a body of accumulated facts. We are told in God'sword that if we receive his word and keep his commandments then we wouldunderstand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God. Finding theknowledge of God can be looked at in two different ways. To know what the Biblehas to say is not what it means to find the knowledge of God although we mustrely on the word of God if we are ever to truly know him.
To find the knowledge of God means that wethat we know him in a personal way. God is not known by just knowing what theBible says. God is a spiritual being that can be known in the same way that aperson is known. To know about God and to actually know him in a personal wayis very much two different things altogether. Many today can read the Bible andfind out the things that God did, but this does not prove that we know him in asense of knowing him and to fellowship with him in our daily lives. The apostlePaul made the statement in Philippians 3:6-10 that he counted all things but dung so that he could knowChrist in the power of his resurrection. Paul said that he counted all thingsas loss for the excellancy of the knowledge of Christ Jesus his Lord. To knowChrist is more than knowing what the Bible says, but what the Bible reveals ishow we come to know Christ in a personal way.
We can read a history book about great menof old, such as men who did great outstanding things for the establishing ofstrong nations, but this knowledge cannot possibly cause us to know them in apersonal way. We can read the book we call the Bible and within this book wecan see how God did great miraculous things, but this would only be possessinga mental knowledge in our mind of what God is able to do. To know Godpersonally is to fellowship with him. We can have fellowship with God in thesame way that we can have fellowship with other people. God can actually be inour presence and we can have fellowship with him.
In Psalms16:11 we are told that "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence isfullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." According to this verse of scripture there is joy tofellowship in God's presence. The apostle Paul tells us what the fruits of theSpirit are and these fruits describes a life that far exceeds the natural life.The natural life is a life filled with much heartache and disappointment. Thisis because the natural man cannot find true peace and happiness. The reason whythe natural man cannot have true peace and happiness is simply because he isprone to the desires of the flesh that loves the pleasures of sin.
The pleasures of sin cannot possibly bringtrue peace and happiness in our lives. Jesus said that he came to bring us lifeand that more abundantly. This abundant life is a life filled with the fruitsof righteousness, which are fruits of the Spirit spoken of in Galatians 5:22-23.Many people are led to believe that to know God is to know what the Bible says,but just knowing what the Bible says is not knowing God and experiencing hispresence in their daily lives.
The only way that we can truly know Christand experience the life that he came to bring is to obey the revealed truththat the gospel contains. The revealed truth of the gospel can only be revealedto us by the revelation of the Holy Ghost. The revealed truth will renew themind and crucify the lusts and desires of the flesh and for this cause mostpeople will fail to walk in and obey it. The truth of God's word isautomatically against the thoughts and ideas of the carnal minded man. Thecarnal mind is enmity against God and it can't possibly be in subjection toGod's law.
What most people fail to realize is thatthe true revealed truth of God's word will perform a work on their whole beingmaking them an entirely new creation in Christ. God's word of truth does notgive us a mental knowledge only. God's word of truth revealed in the gospelwill spiritually transform a person's life and conform them to the very imageof Jesus Christ. God's word is creative. We are told that God created allthings in existence by his spoken word. When God wants something created all hehas to do is speak it into existence.
What most people fail to understand aboutthe gospel is that it's his power unto salvation to all that will believe andobey it. It seems that the world today has been led to believe that to become achild of God is done in an instant of time when belief and confession on Christis made.
It takes a miracle of God to open the mindof most people today to show them the truth of how we grow into a Spirit filledchild of God in a daily process as we walk in and obey truth. The christianlife is not only coming to knowledge of truth revealed in the gospel, but alsoit is a daily life of overcoming the desires of our fleshly body.... We mustabstain from the pleasures of sin no matter how the flesh may fight against it.Obedience to God's word of truth will conform a believer's life to the veryimage of Christ. To be transformed into Christ's image is a work beingperformed in a daily process and this work will not be conscious to our mindsas it is taking place. The transforming of a believer into Christ's image iswhat the Bible calls being born again.
To be born again can be explained in thesame manner as Jesus explains about the wind. The wind blows where it wants toand it goes where it wants to, but we can only hear the sound of it not beingable to watch it with the natural eye. Our transformation takes place in adaily process without our being aware of the work being performed. We cannotfeel the transformation taking place. Many people in the world today believethat the new birth is an experience that the flesh can feel taking place, butthis doctrine is nothing more than what Jude calls changing the grace of Godinto lasciviousness.
Lasciviousness is a work of the flesh andthe false teachers are teaching that an emotion of the flesh is what happenswhen a person is saved. We are saved by the grace of God through faith and notthrough our emotions. To be saved by grace through faith simply means that wemust place our confidence in what God says in his word reguardless as to whatour flesh thinks about it. We can only know God and have fellowship with him aswe walk in the light of the truth. The apostle John tells us that if we saythat we know him, but yet walk in darkness, we are liars and the truth is notin us. To walk in darkness means that we are void of the truth that the gospelreveals.
If we walk in the light of the truth thenwe cannot possibly know God, because obedience to the truth will renew the mindand crucify the lusts and desires of the flesh. We can't know God without beinga servant of righteousness.....