The Need To Know--Is Ignorance Bliss?

"My times are in your hand..."  (Psalm 31:15, ESV).
"My future is in your hands..." (ibid., NLT). 
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever..." (Deut. 29:29, ESV).
"They must hold the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience"  (1 Tim. 3:9, ESV).
"Knowledge is power."--Sir Francis Bacon (cf. Prov. 24:5).

Even though intelligence officers and personnel in the NSA have top-secret security clearances and access, they still must demonstrate a need to know in order to protect classified info.  This is a hedge of protection to prevent people from knowing too much and having a higher likelihood of betraying it.  They say everyone has a price and they don't want to put personnel into temptation and give them the opportunity; in other words, the purpose is to keep honest people honest.  Even the president doesn't have a need to know certain intelligence and is spared the details on many matters of espionage.  Just like "power tends to corrupt," and "absolute power corrupts absolutely," according to Lord Acton, so also too much info coupled with opportunity can likewise corrupt an individual, including those in power.  There are some things people are just better off just not knowing and remaining ignorant of for the sake of sanity.

God only reveals His will to us on a daily basis as a rule and no one has the outline for his whole life given at the beginning of his career.  We would not be able to accept dismal events and cannot bear the burden of more than one day at a time.   Our future is sure in God's hands and He sees what's best for us.   The principle to live one day at a time is a lifesaver and keeps us from having attitudinal disparities and mood swings--trying to live in the future or dwell on the past.  We ought not to misinterpret the present either, but live in light of God's Word and eternity.

They say that ignorance is bliss!  Sometimes it is because we cannot bear the truth or the knowledge yet.  But there is a kind of willful ignorance that is sin.  When we neglect to know what we did have the opportunity to know, we are culpable and will be judged accordingly; for instance, no one has an excuse for not believing in God--the evidence is everywhere (cf. Rom. 1:20).  The person who got stopped by the police for speeding and claiming ignorance of the law finds out it's no excuse either.  If you travel abroad you are still responsible to know traffic laws and customs.

How does this all relate to believers then?  We are given the whole counsel of God in the Scriptures and also ample opportunity to know it and be exposed to the truth.  Everyone who owns a Bible cannot claim ignorance because he never found time to read it!  Staying away from church intentionally is wrong and doesn't excuse one from knowing the truth.  The more you know or have the opportunity to know the more culpable and responsible you are.  Children, who are innocent, are not judged by the same standards.  Willful sin will be judged by God and the Christian who believes he can avoid the assembling together of believers and remain ignorant will find out the truth at the Bema of Christ and will have a rude awakening.  It's better to sound the alarm now and give the body their wake-up call so they will not be intentionally or willfully ignorant--especially ignorant of God's will and Word.

God chooses to guide us one day at a time in order to foster faith in us and to give us the challenge to seek His will and presence in our lives.  God doesn't want robots who simply follow a program and have no choices to make along the way.  In other words, we are not meant to be automatons. If God has blessed some Christian with wisdom, knowledge, and understanding, it's on a need-to-know basis and there is a rationale behind it in God's eyes.  Knowledge is never the end per se, but the means to the end and must serve a purpose--not just to know all the answers or be a better specimen than the run-of-the-mill believer who is relatively ignorant.  When we share and learn from our knowledge, God grants more light.  But remember the Christian principle that enlightenment comes from light and God is light to us.

We can celebrate the fact that God holds the future and we don't know it and cannot control it, namely, because we couldn't handle it without being ill at ease.  We shouldn't be curious concerning the future, because we are privileged to know the One who holds the future!  God knows our limits and what is in our best interest and will make us in the image of Christ, by way of affliction.  When Christ brings us to a trial, He will bring us through it.  Just like the need to know, God grants no one a monopoly on the truth so that it shouldn't go to his head, because "knowledge puffs up," according to 1 Cor. 8:1 It is the immature believer who balks at learning the things of God in depth and shies away from doctrine; we are stewards of the mysteries of God and faithfulness counts!

In the final analysis, everyone deserves the knowledge of the gospel message and the word must get out--the good news is for everyone who is willing to hear it and called of God (cf. Acts 2:39)!  No one has an excuse to be ignorant of the Great Commission as a believer or the knowledge of God as an infidel.  Jesus came to bear witness of the truth, and everyone who is of the truth hears Him--no excuses!  All believers should realize the value of knowing the scoop or the lowdown on what the Bible teaches, and bring every thought into the captivity of Christ while his mind is renewed in the image of Christ and he girds up the loins of his mind (cf. 1 Pet. 1:13) to fight the good fight, not from ignorance, but from enlightenment.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Dangerous Knowledge

We all need to know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny in the world of theology to navigate faithfully through the Word, i.e., to know our way around the block in the Word with correct interpretation and application.  In the last days, according to 2 Tim. 4:3, many will bail out theologically and in 1 Tim. 4:1 it says even believers will give heed to seducing spirits, or doctrines of demons.

Today's Eastern philosophy predominates with New Age (the Age of Aquarius) and it's many Buddhist and Hindu applications are stealing people away from the truth of Scripture by an experience with the occult or Eastern religion.  We need to be informed of a balance of doctrine, and know what we believe (the problem with today's youth is that they largely don't know what or why they believe).  A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and when we think we've cornered the market or have an exclusive mindset (no one has a monopoly or has all the truth!) or if we seek knowledge for its own sake, we've misused it. Knowledge must not remain theoretical but must have an application and become real to the person's experience.

Not many are mighty in the Scriptures, but we all need to train to show ourselves approved unto God (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15).   The Bible warns that "knowledge puffs up!"  (Cf. 1 Cor. 8:1).   One of God's peeves is that man perishes through lack of knowledge or ignorance (cf. Hos. 4:6). Ignorance is not bliss, but it binds you and opens you up to being led astray.  Don't you sometimes just thirst for the unadulterated truth of God: sometimes there's no knowledge of God in the land as Hos 4:1 says.

The biggest error Christians have in acquiring knowledge is to be over-influenced by one teacher and drink of only one fountain, as it were--this is a good way to lose perspective and to be led into error.   Indeed, there are Christians who are like bulls in china shops, or more accurately, like Dennis the Menace!  Their middle name is trouble and their head knowledge is way above their application of it.
Soli Deo Gloria!  

Spiritual Complacency

As Peter says, "And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in hour hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19, NKJV, emphasis added).  It is easy to fall into a spiritual rut and rest on your laurels, thinking you've arrived or made it; however, Paul says to Philippians (3:12, NKJV):  "Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected...."   However, we are all works in progress and cannot claim spiritual perfection or complete sanctification, which will only take place in glory. As the psalmist said, in Psalm 119:9 (ESV):  "I have seen a limit of all perfection...."  We will never overcome all sin: in time:  "Who can say, 'I have made my heart pure; I am clean from my sin?'"  By analogy:  No one is so destitute as one who thinks he's wealthy and isn't.

We don't have permission to live in the flesh, but the power to live in the Spirit!  We have the security of our salvation, but not of spiritual growth, since that is a cooperative or synergistic effort--some infants in Christ never seem to grow up and become mature in Christ, only feeding on the milk of the Word. We are never to get lax spiritually, and lackadaisical in our spiritual ambition.  It is wrong to get comfortable and take it easy, living a life of undisciplined spiritual luxury.  The backslider in heart needs to heed God's correction and realize that God can heal him, but his downfall has been his sin (cf. Hos. 14:1).  Jesus is looking for "overcomers" to reign with Him and this life is merely a dress rehearsal or tryout for eternity.

We are soldiers, who are to live a spiritually disciplined life, not getting entangled in the affairs of the world.  There is one main plumb line to measure us by the Word of God--our standard is perfection, but our test is direction, as we strive to become "perfect, even as our heavenly Father is perfect (Matt. 5:48).  It is always tempting to take the easy path of least resistance and go with the flow or follow the crowd instead of obeying the Lord.  Amos 6:1 (NKJV) says, "Woe to you who are at ease in Zion...."  (The book denounces luxurious living and general complacency of God's people.)  Woe unto those who are in great need and don't realize it:  Martin Luther said that the sinner doesn't know his own sin, and it's our job to show it to him.

The Christian life is a marathon and not a sprint to be run, a battle to be fought, a crown to be won; and we should realize that we can be disqualified, even if we've preached to others per 1 Cor. 9:27 (NKJV):  But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified." We ought to take the spiritual conflict seriously, and endeavor to continue fighting the good fight; woe unto us when our relationship with Christ degenerates into a perfunctory one lacking zeal--though zeal without knowledge is not good, we need to do our work heartily, as unto the Lord.  It is necessary to learn the doctrines of the Bible for growth and maturity, but not sufficient--we need to apply what we know and live out the Word, not just appreciate it.

The Bible-believing or preaching church isn't complete unless they are completing the Great Commission and get their members active in fulfilling it, so the church doesn't just become a place to hang out once a week and catch up on the latest gossip with friends--having a social function.  Bible doctrine is good, but it can leave a person cold if not applicable or put to work.  When we just have an intellectual interest in the Bible and don't love it as the Word of God, Jesus sees through the veneer and we learn in vain, for mere academic reasons.  I don't know of any church that Jesus rebuked for being inadequate in doctrine or impure, or not as orthodox as they should be, but to those who didn't apply what they did know were culpable.

Knowledge does "puff up" and we all have knowledge or reason to be arrogant, if we let our so-called knowledge go to our head (it should be cause for humility), but we must realize that the important thing and the aim of our profession is love of God and each other, not to increase head knowledge--as some merely have an intellectual assent or the gospel merely in their heads, not their hearts.  Billy Graham says, "A vague knowledge that He exists will not satisfy ... We yearn for a relationship with Him."  We must realize that to know Him is to love Him, not just to acknowledge the facts about Him.  

The real fulfillment is in knowing Him (cf. John 17:3) as Lord and Savior, not just becoming educated or informed about Him.  We don't learn for the sake of knowledge, and it is not an end in itself, but we must take action and apply what we know and make it real in our relationships with others--just why do we want to know?  We need knowledge turned into wisdom or its right application.

Only the Bible tells it like it is:  God's nature and ours--it's our lifeline to reality! As a precaution: We should know ourselves and our weaknesses because the devil sure does and takes advantage of his knowledge (cf. 1 Pet. 5:8, ESV:  "... Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." My final admonition is to be ever vigilant and not to look back after putting your hand to the plow, but keep your eyes on Jesus and the prize that we can gain as motivation. Soli Deo Gloria!

To The Angel Of The Church

John gets a dictated message from Jesus Himself to give to seven churches in Asia and is told to address them to the angel of the church in each case. One sound principle of hermeneutics is to heed the recipient of a message and interpret it accordingly. Note that these letters are addressed "to the angel of the church" not to the church per se; the letter was not to be circulated among members in my understanding, but read by the angel and applied by him to his church and likely read publicly. These letters are indirect to the churches, but the message relayed by their angels (which, being interpreted really refers to messengers, elders, or spiritual leaders).

Sometimes the Word falls on deaf ears and sometimes the opposite, they have itching ears and just want to hear a good word without any negative news or rebuke accompanying it.  All these letters have both good and bad news, except Philadelphia, which has no rebuke explicit nor implied. It seems that Jesus says the good news first and then says, "Nevertheless, I have this against you...."  At one level all the letters apply to every church and all believers as commendations to aim for and warnings to heed. None of us want to go where some of these churches are. Don't say, "That doesn't apply to me." It does apply; however, the application may be different!  But one point I want to stress is that it is to the angels that the letters are sent and addressed (they may not necessarily be the elders or preachers), and the letters are to be read and applied by them.  It is not what the pastor holds against the flock, but what the Lord holds against them manifest in the Word.

It is quite possible that people were not as literate in those days as they are now, and may have needed someone to read it to them, but in today's society with almost 100 percent literacy in Protestant nations, the letter might have gone into circulation.  Even the Scriptures themselves were widely in circulation and there might have been only one per church that was shared among members.  I do not believe manuscripts, which were hand-copied, were as likely to be privately owned, but mainly in libraries and in churches.  

At that time it was still thought possible to wipe out or stamp out the Bible and abolish it everywhere, making it illegal. Even though people usually graduate from high school today, many still have minimal skill in reading and find it quite challenging or difficult to read because of dyslexia or other handicap or just plain limited academic skill.  Not everyone can read, and this makes them disinclined to do it--I believe this is why we have preachers and teachers who can do the homework and read for them:  "Faith comes by the hearing [via preachers] of the Word"  (cf. Rom. 10:17).

I have been teaching the Bible for years now, and I have been in many Bible classes, being exposed to students of the Word at all academic skill levels and natural abilities, and one thing I have learned is that some people are just not wont to read and do not enjoy it due to difficulty--not everyone finds reading fun and easy and a learning experience. They don't want to read anything mainly because it is over their head and they are not at that reading level--it's no fun for a high school student to read the college-level material unless he is a bright student and quite proficient and ahead of his years.

Some people don't realize that even Bible-reading is a challenge to some--though I believe in the simplicity of the Word and that its main salvation message is plain enough for anyone to comprehend as far as salvation goes (cf. Isa. 35:8)  Part of teaching is to be able to condescend and know where people are and not preach over their heads, and also not to try to "wow" them with your scholarship, which only discourages in the end--students should be able to relate to their teacher. We don't want them to say: "You lost me." Einstein's dictum is right:  "Keep things as simple as possible, but not more so."

Paul told Timothy to pay attention to the "public reading of Scripture" (cf. 1 Tim. 4:13).  During the Middle Ages, people were illiterate and got most of their doctrine from artwork in the church and from the sermons on Sunday and had no direct access to Scriptures, which were even illegal to own in their own language and they were only copied into Latin.  Martin Luther is credited with making Scripture accessible in Germany, and William Tyndale and Miles Coverdale in England (John Wycliffe and Jan Hus actually started the movement).  It wasn't long after the invention of the printing press in ca. 1454-56 that Bibles were widely published, circulated, and available quite cheaply. 

It is not true that, just because a person has graduated from high school that he can read at that level in today's day and age, or that he can read at all, and doesn't have severe difficulty, handicap, or academic deficiency to be able to read at will, even if he desires to.  Those of us who are very good readers are not to look down (which is expecting a certain level of comprehension from reading is doing this) when we note those who lack this skill, nor are we to expect them to rise to our level and find reading pleasurable and rewarding.  It is just as much the schools' fault to have never taught how to read, as natural ability not being inherent in everyone equally.

Jesus urged us not to lord it over one another and Paul told elders not to be domineering; we should not try to micromanage each other's lives and try to tell them what God's will for them is or what they should do to apply the Word of God.  We apply ourselves to the Word of God, and then the Word to us, and then we might have something to share with others and hope they can spread the Word and apply it to themselves.  Case in point:  A teacher cannot say to his student or a preacher to someone in the church that it's God's will to read a certain book or go to a certain class or take a certain course--we are all stewards of our gifts and held accountable accordingly and to whom much is given much is required, etc.  Preachers and teachers can make suggestions and possible applications and can express their opinion, but not to lay down the law and tell people what they ought to do in applying the Word--"Do not go beyond that what is written" (cf. 1 Cor. 4:6, NIV).

It is getting presumptuous to get sidetracked and turn the church into a college or academic institution, instead of a hospital for sinners and family of believers who are meant to do one mission: Fulfill the Great Commission--including preparation;  all else is unnecessary, or in addition to this. We are not to "turn stones into bread" or be involved in the so-called social gospel, which is a misnomer. This mission is our purpose and focus, and we must let people operate and function within their gift's domain and not try to project our gifts onto others and expect them to be like us.

At my last church there was a popular two-year college-level Bible Study that the pastor encouraged members to take, but at no time did he rebuke them for not taking it--one felt accepted whether one took it or not. I'll bet that if a church offered a course at the 9th-grade level there would be some who would take it that don't feel up to the level of the average member.  Some people have the deck stacked against them from the get-go and find other ways to learn the Word and do God's will.  My brother is dyslexic and is hardly the one to ever read a book--I doubt he's ever read one; he didn't even graduate from high school; however, his spiritual development and maturity level, as well as comprehension of the deeper truths, is no less than someone who just reads a lot.  He has gotten his knowledge first-hand while those who just read a lot have accumulated a lot of knowledge that is second-hand.

What we are to encourage people to do is to read the Bible the best they can and be faithful to what God has shown them in the Word. We cannot superimpose our standards of performance or achievement on others--God isn't looking for achievement; He's looking for obedience.  Christ said that His yoke is easy and His burden is light (cf. Matt. 11:30)--we are not to overwhelm our sheep and so discourage them.  The yoke we have to follow is the will of God and we should walk in fellowship with Christ doing His will, in whatever capacity, a sphere of influence, circle of friends, or turf we find ourselves.

Any course should have a purpose:  We don't increase knowledge for knowledge sake.  If it is your calling to be a teacher, then God requires more knowledge--that is the tool of the trade. Knowledge must not remain theoretical or be a basis of pride. It is not an end itself, but a means to an end.  A little knowledge can be dangerous; therefore, we must be careful not to half-educated our sheep give them overconfidence that they know something--knowledge should humble a person and make him realize what he doesn't know. Today, we have too much knowledge to know what to do with it. Wisdom is sen as the good application of knowledge or learning. 

Even believers must realize that the cliche is still valid that "Christianity is a relationship, not a religion" (list of dos and don'ts). You can't just tell people to read the Bible and make them feel guilty if they don't; you have to instill a love and appreciation for the Word, which must come naturally from God, and not conjured up.  I always read the Bible because God gave me a love for it, not because someone told me I had to. Religion says "have to," while Christianity says, "want to.  "Jesus said that eternal life is to know Him (cf. John 17:3) and this should remain the focus.  It is often tempting to tell others what they ought to do (unless the Bible admonishes it). We all have an inner sense of "ought." The end result may be that they stop listening or don't think you know what you're talking about.

Pastors advice from Paul is "not lording it over those entrusted to [them], but being examples to the flock" (1 Peter 5:3, NIV).  We are not out to make clones of ourselves nor set up ourselves as the standard to emulate; God doesn't want cookie-cutter Christians.  Paul urged young preacher Timothy to "preach the word" in 2 Tim. 4:2 and we must realize that truth endures and is unchanging, but applications may or may not apply and are different for different people.  Paul told Titus to "teach what accords with sound doctrine"  (Titus 2:2, ESV).

In the final analysis, knowledge (except knowledge of God) puffs up (cf. 1 Cor. 8:1), and it is not what we know, but what we apply--viz., faith expressing itself through love (cf. Gal. 5:6, NIV). It is not in the knowledge of Scripture that the power is, but in the doing of it (cf. James 1:22). Our aim is to know the Lord, not getting a big head, and in this should we boast (cf. Jer. 9:24). It is not knowing the Scriptures, but knowing the Author!  One great teacher may be a great scholar but hardly know his Lord.

The aim is not to know about the Bible (or be educated in it), nor even to familiarize yourself with it, but to get acquainted with the AUTHOR and be at peace with Him (cf. Job 22:21). Anyone who knows the Lord is all right in my book and I would never attempt to throw stones and try to bring guilt at not meeting my own personal standards of scholarship--I know God's will for me, but not for someone else. We can know who we are in the Lord, but not necessarily for someone else.

Personally, I believe you can learn from anyone, even a child, but there comes a coming of age spiritually when you venture out on your own studies and not become dependent on someone else if you have this gift. The same can be said about a lot of endeavors: I know that God loves music and brings him glory; however, I'm not musical and cannot carry a tune or sing in key, so I depend on the talents and gifts of others;  I don't need another book on prayer--I just need to pray; I don't have a deep theology on prayer--I just believe in prayer!

In summation, we must find out who we are individually in the Lord and what our own calling is and what we can do, not thinking we have to be like someone else or compare ourselves with others, as is the manner of some; or, conversely, that others have to be like us and minister similarly.  We can all strive to be angels or messengers in the church.     Soli Deo Gloria!

Prerequisite For Learning

"The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction" (Proverbs 1:7, ESV).
"To begin learning you must admit your ignorance."  --Socrates

"Uncertainty is the prerequisite for learning and often its result."  (Author Unknown). 

We pray to God to open the eyes of our heart and enlighten us, as the illuminating ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers only.  Jesus praised the Father that these things were hidden from the "wise and understanding and revealed them to children" (cf. Matt. 11:25, ESV).

Augustine of Hippo said that we believe in order to understand and all knowledge begins in faith:  We must start somewhere with some proposition that we cannot prove--it is not a matter of faith vs. reason or facts vs. theory, but which set of presuppositions you are willing to accept and/or whose authority you accept. Most of what we have learned has been by accepting the authority of the mentor or teacher.

It has been said that education is going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of your ignorance.  Plato wrote that Socrates said that to begin learning you must admit your ignorance. To learn you must be teachable:  Having a receptive attitude, a willing spirit, an open mind, an obedient and needy heart, and readiness to apply what you learn in expectation of learning in humility of mind and a spirit reverent of the Word.  

We can learn from anyone, not just professors--God can speak to you through any member of the body of Christ, even a child as Augustine professed. We are exhorted to edify one another in Christ. We don't have to agree on everything either to be used by God in the edification of each other--God will ultimately lead us in the right direction if we trust Him.  The question is: Are you listening because God is teaching? The requisite for learning is not having a high IQ, being worldly-wise or savvy, sophisticated, or scholarly, but having the right mindset or frame of mind. Spiritual truth can only be learned in spiritual manners.

We will never arrive at the truth if we think we've already arrived!  We must be willing to admit that even we could be wrong!  It is not enjoyable to be wrong, but everyone needs to stand corrected at some time.  No one has a monopoly on knowledge or knows all the truth, and no one can speak ex-cathedra or pontificate for the body at large.  We don't have popes who are the vicar of Christ on earth!

The eye cannot say to the ear that he has no need of him because all members must coordinate their efforts together and work in harmony and unison (stressing unity, not uniformity).  If someone refused to admit that he could be in error or misinformed, that person thinks he knows it all, and no one likes a know-it-all!  Knowledge tends to puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1 and we must learn to apply what we know or it is merely theory and truth gone to seed.  We don't seek knowledge for its own sake or as an end in itself, but as a means to an end.

Knowledge can be dangerous!  You can know just enough to misuse it and misapply it. Many students of the Word know enough to be dangerous:  They haven't learned they shouldn't be quarrelsome, divisive, argumentative, contentious, or judgmental when people disagree.  We must learn to agree to disagree without being disagreeable and find common ground to keep in fellowship. 

Some people are only half-educated and think they know all the answers.  The more educated you get, the more you realize the need to be educated and you realize that God puts no premium on ignorance (which is not a virtue). Contrary to popular opinion, ignorance is not bliss!  We will be judged for willful ignorance or knowledge that we had the opportunity to know and refused (missed opportunities, etc.).   Soli Deo Gloria!

A Dangerous Knowledge

You've probably heard it wisely said that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.  Some people also know enough to be dangerous, especially knowledge of the Bible.  No one has a monopoly on the truth and can speak for the Church ex-cathedra all by himself, of his own authority--the Bible is the sole authority and arbiter of truth.  We must be careful not to acquire an exclusive mindset and think we have arrived at the truth that no one else knows--that they need to be clued in or privy to it. The Gnostics were one of the original cults who thought along these lines.  The Bible doesn't beat around the bush as to the way of salvation and requires no secrets.  No one has cornered the market on truth and can say that they are right and everyone else is wrong if they don't join their church or sect.  We still see some churches with this Bible-club mentality today as they cling to one translation and call themselves "King James-only" readers.

We've got to be careful not to think that because we are better informed that we are a cut above other Christians.  Ignorance isn't bliss (Proverbs 24:5 says that "a man of knowledge enhances his might" (ESV) and Sir Francis Bacon also said, "Knowledge is power."), but knowledge can puff up according to 1 Cor. 8:1.  No church has exclusive rights to your mind and you don't stop questioning authority or give up thinking when you join a church but are advised to be as noble as the Bereans of Acts 17:11 who searched the Scriptures to see if the things were so that Paul preached.

Knowledge should not be an end in itself but have purpose and application, or it leads to arrogance, and, worse yet, intolerance of those with other views.  Remember the dictum of Augustine:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."  We are never to judge our brother solely because we disagree with him on a questionable or disputable doctrine--agree to disagree and disagree without being disagreeable.  We need biblical savvy, however, to confront error and heresy in the church (and this polemic fight is not popular in today's church). In the last days, many will bail out theologically according to 1 Tim. 4:1.  The best line of defense against being led astray is to have a sound foundation in doctrine and not to drink of only one fountain or preacher, so to speak--get other opinions and views and don't bail out theologically, but learn to "contend for the faith" (cf. Jude 3, ESV).

Hosea said, "My people perish for lack of knowledge" (cf. Hos. 4:6).  In v. 14 he says, "[A]nd a people without understanding shall come to ruin" (ESV).  Also:  "Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge" (Isa. 5:13, ESV).  God puts no premium on ignorance and "fools despise wisdom and instruction" (cf. Prov. 1:7, ESV).  Doctrine is not mumbo-jumbo gobbledygook but all Scripture is profitable for it; another name for it is teaching or what the Bible teaches about a subject. I'm hoping to whet your appetite so that you will realize that doctrine gives a point of view or a frame of reference to interpret things.  We must know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny, as it were, and be in the know, theologically, to be protected from the onslaught of the doctrines of demons--going on to maturity and leaving the elementary doctrines of faith and repentance per Heb. 6:1.

In summation, beware the brother who is overconfident in his superficial knowledge of the Bible and becomes contentious, judgmental, argumentative, or divisive.  Education is really going from an unconscious to a conscious awareness of our ignorance, and the more we learn the more humble we ought to be.   

We all need to know the scoop, the lowdown, or the skinny in the world of theology to navigate faithfully through the Word, i.e., to know our way around the block in the Word with correct interpretation and application. In the last days, according to 2 Tim. 4:3, many will bail out theologically, and 1 Tim. 4:1 says even believers will give heed to seducing spirits, or doctrines of demons.

Today's Eastern philosophy predominates with the New Age (the Age of Aquarius) and its many Buddhist and Hindu applications are stealing people away from the truth of Scripture by an experience with the occult or Eastern religion. We need to be informed of a balance of doctrine and know what we believe (the problem with today's youth is that they largely don't know what or why they believe). A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing and when we think we've cornered the market or have an exclusive mindset (no one has a monopoly or has all the truth!) or if we seek knowledge for its own sake, we've misused it. Knowledge must not remain theoretical but must have an application and become real to the person's experience.

Not many are mighty in the Scriptures, but we all need to train to show ourselves approved unto God (cf. 1 Pet. 3:15). The Bible warns that "knowledge puffs up!" (Cf. 1 Cor. 8:1). One of God's peeves is that man perishes through lack of knowledge or ignorance (cf. Hos. 4:6). Ignorance is not bliss, but it binds you and opens you up to being led astray. Don't you sometimes just thirst for the unadulterated truth of God: sometimes there's no knowledge of God in the land as Hos 4:1 says.

The biggest error Christians have in acquiring knowledge is to be over-influenced by one teacher and drink of only one fountain, as it were--this is a good way to lose perspective and to be led into error. Indeed, there are Christians who are like bulls in china shops, or more accurately, like Dennis the Menace! Their middle name is trouble and their head knowledge is way above their application of it.

True Truth

"... [B]ecause they refused to love the truth and so be saved"  (2 Thess. 2:10, ESV).

Our relationship to the truth:  We know it, believe it, submit to it, and then love it, according to John MacArthur.
What we witness today is the New Age definition of finding the truth within your own supraconsciousness, and the Postmodern value system that there is no absolute truth, but what may be true for you isn't for someone else, not to mention the prevalent Secular Humanism and their scientism or misuse of science to make statements out of their proper domain,  and belief in science as a religion.

"Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice" (cf. John 18:38, NKJV).
"Sanctify them by Your truth.  Your word is truth"  (John 17:17, NKJV).

BY DEFINITION:  THERE IS SCIENTIFIC TRUTH OR FACT, HISTORICAL TRUTH OR FACT, AND LEGAL TRUTH OR FACT. 

SCIENCE DEPENDS UPON MEASUREMENT, OBSERVATION, AND REPETITION AND MAKING INFERENCES EITHER DEDUCTIVE OR INDUCTIVE;

LEGALITY UPON ORAL AND/OR WRITTEN TESTIMONY, AND EXHIBITS OF VISUAL, AUDIBLE, AND ORAL TYPES (LEGAL EVIDENCE NEED ONLY BE BEYOND A REASONABLE DOUBT TO BE CONSIDERED TRUE); 

HISTORY DEPENDS UPON THE VERACITY AND FIDELITY OF DOCUMENTS, CORROBORATING EVIDENCE, EXTERNAL AND/OR INTERNAL RECORDS-- AND EVIDENCE SUCH AS WHETHER IT CONTRADICTS ITSELF AND OTHER CONTEMPORANEOUS RECORDS.  

Francis Schaeffer referred to truth that is objective and true regardless of whether we believe it or not or no matter who believes; it is always true in all situations and circumstances as "true truth."  Get over the phrase "It works for me!" as being a valid truth claim. Because something works don't prove its truth, Christianity isn't true because it works, but works because it's true. The Angelic Doctor, Thomas Aquinas, who borrowed from Augustine, the Doctor of Grace, saw all truth as God's truth and that all truth meets at the top. God cannot tell a lie (cf. Titus 1:2) and is the God of truth, and John said that  we know the truth and that no lie is of the truth (cf. 1 John 2:21), meaning that something cannot be self-contradictory and in violation of the law of noncontradiction (something cannot be something else and not be it at the same time in the same manner). That law is the first premise of truth and we could know nothing apart from this law, for you have to assume it to disprove it.  In general, we are to speak the truth in love (cf. Eph. 4:15) and bear witness of the truth in Jesus as we witness, and the unbeliever is called one who "rejects the truth" in Romans 1:28.

All knowledge of the truth is either a priori (before the fact or happening) or a posteriori (or after the fact or as a consequence).  We either develop experience or reason things out, but most of what we accept as true we learned by faith!  Paul's complaint was that they were always learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (cf. 2 Tim. 3:7).  Jesus said, that "when He the Spirit of truth comes" He will "convict the world" (cf. John 16:8). All truth is revealed truth, for only one of infinite knowledge can know it and God opens the eyes of our hearts. He alone decides whether one perchance repents and "comes to a knowledge of the truth" per 2 Tim. 2:25.

People are born blind to the truth and must have their eyes opened by God:  "[Y]ou will know the truth and the truth will set you free" (cf. John 8:32, ESV).  Note that there is something known as propositional truth and the Bible reveals it to us this way as statements that are either true or false, right or wrong, but Jesus is the very incarnation or personification of truth itself, known as a person.  Jesus didn't say He was telling us the truth, or speaks forth truth, but claimed to be truth--we can experience truth through knowing Him personally because our God is a personal God who can be known--you cannot know truth by following a rigid set of dos and don'ts.  A book may be true, but only the Bible is truth and truth transforms the soul.  Jesus said in John 17:17 that "[God's] Word is truth."  "The law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, NIV).

Jesus said He was the personification of truth itself and he who is of the truth hears Him, who came to bear witness of the truth (cf. John 18:37).  This implies that we can know the truth and have a relationship with it because it is embodied in a personality.  The more we know Jesus, the more we know the truth who said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." Paul said in Eph. 4:21 that the truth is in Jesus!  Another theologian has said quite interestingly that without the way there is no going, without the truth there is no knowing, and without the life, there is no living.   We could know nothing if  not for Jesus telling us what the truth was and that He was truth--everything would be relative without an absolute standard to judge by, and everything would be up for grabs.  In antiquity might was right and Pilate scoffed at the idea of there being a universal truth that was valid everywhere, even where Rome wasn't in rule.

Today people of the postmodern persuasion are convinced that all truth is relative:  One prof opened his class by saying, "You can know nothing for certain!"  A quick-witted student asked him, "Are you sure?"  He replied, "I am certain!"  In Allan Bloom's The Closing of the American Mind, he explores the absurdity of everything being relative in the absence of objective truth based on God.  The very statement "All truth is relative" becomes relative in itself and of no truth value!  Something must be certain or we could know nothing and that is where they see themselves--as knowing nothing for certain--leading to absurdity.  Academia brainwashes and indoctrinates today's students into buying into this balderdash. What people are wont to say nowadays is that something may indeed be true for you but not for them--denying any objective truth that is true no matter what.  People today are not concerned with truth, but only with what is practical and works --Christianity works because it's true, it isn't true because it works, pragmatism is only concerned with successful results.

Note that there are several ways to arrive at truth, but all require the acceptance of some preconceived idea or presupposition we cannot prove or disprove;  there is no such thing as total objectivity outside of God's province.  All knowledge of the truth begins with faith. Augustine said, "I believe in order to understand."  Sir Francis Bacon and John Locke are considered the fathers of modern empiricism or science, the scientific method of research: Experiment, controls and variables, and depending upon repetition and measurement; however, unfortunately, science today has become scientism and people are skeptical of things not verifiable scientifically--when one makes scientific-like statements outside the domain of science, such as a philosophical or religious one, that is scientism (i.e., Carl Sagan saying that the cosmos is all there is, all there ever was, and all there ever will be). Science cannot make value judgments--it can tell us the know-how but not the know-why nor philosophy of something.  For instance, whether miracles are possible is not a scientific question, but a philosophical and religious one and depends ultimately on whether there is a God and the reliability of the sources and documentation.  Philosophy or reasoning and speculation from axioms or maxims (self-evident truth) to arrive at a Supreme Good, for example, as the Greeks did. History is another source of truth but it is not repeatable, and therefore must be verified by other means, such as the reliability of the documentation or witnesses' credibility and veracity.  One can only ask whether the records are historically trustworthy. Many things that would be accepted in a court of law as true are not verifiable by scientific method, but by eye-witnesses and credible sources. Science cannot prohibit miracles, for instance, as false, because they lie outside its domain and it is like measuring radioactivity with a voltage meter.  Logic (this is the relationship between two statements which can be either valid or invalid, while the statements are either true or false--to get a valid and true conclusion, you must have a true premise), known also as the "analytical method" of the Enlightenment--we have both inductive and deductive reasoning, going either from particular to universal or from universal to particular respectively. Aristotle formulated the first laws of logic as we know them and named one syllogism or going from major premise to minor premise, to conclusion. The preferred way to arrive at truth is to accept what is revealed propositionally in Scripture (Theology, queen of the sciences) as the infallible, inerrant Word of God and go from there in faith. The Bible is full of logical statements and Jesus is the Logos or the logic. Cosmos means order and is the opposite of chaos, in which science would be impossible and it is the enemy of learning.  We can conceive of something logical that doesn't exist like a magic dragon, but in reality, all that exists must be logical or intelligible--that is why science was born of Christianity and not the Maya or illusion (the concept of the universe) of Eastern thought or faith. Science has its limits and has no right making claims against the supernatural because you cannot put God in a test tube under laboratory conditions, as it were.

The study of the determination of truth and knowledge is known as epistemology.  The rules of evidence always apply--whenever one makes an assertion, and anyone can allege something, he must come up with evidence to be credible (for instance Muslims claim our Bible is corrupt without having any evidence and so it is not a valid truth claim).  There is a truth known as the correspondence theory of truth or Truth with a capital T that reflects statements that correspond to the objective, real and logical world.  The Postmodernist denies this kind of truth and this is called anti-realism--or that there is no "real world" out there to believe in. They insist everyone has their own reality and subjective understanding of reality and there can be no standards to fall back to and set the objective standard of absolute truth. This kind of logic is merely nonsensical and leads to an academic gridlock. whereby nothing can ever be ascertained.


What they are saying is that truth is whatever they agree on or reach a consensus on, or whatever they can get away with saying; consequently and generally, the only truths that aren't real are those relating to the Christian worldview in particular; however, their truths are absolute.  One might refute their thinking by merely asserting that rape is always wrong under all circumstances and should be illegal as a consequence.  If there is one absolute truth, there follows that others most likely exist and that absolute truth does exist.  However, if there is no God one could reason that no one has the right to claim universal truth and this is where they are coming from--they don't want to believe in God because it interferes with their sexual (among other) mores.

By definition, truth is exclusive or it's not truth and biblically it's what God decrees and agrees with--He alone delimits and defines truth!  John Lock attempted to limit it to what corresponds to reality in the Correspondence Theory of Truth.  No matter how we look at it, no one has a monopoly on truth except the personification of truth itself--Jesus.  A word of wisdom from Thomas a Kempis is in order:  Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, with the Way there is no going, without the Truth, there is no knowing, and without the Life, there is no living!

And in conclusion, truth is whatever God says is true and comes from Him--we appeal to the Almighty.  We alone have faith in the God of truth!  We don't need all the answers if we know the Answerer!  Even moral values are more like a mathematical equation in being set up by a Superior Mind who reckons in good faith, fair play, honesty, courage, good conduct, meaning, purpose, goodness, faithfulness, truthfulness, purity, integrity, bravery, nobility, altruism, gracefulness, generosity, love, mercy, kindness, and even justice.  And so it would be logical to deduce God is a person who experiences these so-called divine and human values and standards that we share as being in His image and likeness to some degree, though in tainted and fallen or diminished form. Only God knows the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for example!  But those things which are revealed belong to us as a privilege and responsibility to share and disseminate.   Soli Deo Gloria!

The Power Of Discernment

"And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge and all discernment " (Phil. 1:9, NASB).

"Those who have insight [discernment] will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven ..." (Daniel 12:3, NASB).

"... So the people without understanding [discernment] are ruined [doomed]"  (Hosea 4:14, NASB).

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [discernment]"  (Hosea 4:6, NASB).

Isaiah 27:11 (NASB) adds, "... For they are not a people of discernment,
Therefore their Maker will not have compassion on them.
And their Creator will not be gracious to them."

"But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil"  (Hebrews 5:14, NASB).

"But they do not know the thoughts of the LORD,
And they do not understand [show discernment for] His purpose ..." (Micah 4:12, NASB).

We all have insight into the mystery of Christ, as Paul termed it, but with the privilege of interpreting Scripture, goes the responsibility to do it right!  We cannot fabricate our own truths, because no Scripture is of any private interpretation according to 2 Pet. 1:20.  "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know" (1 John 2:20, NASB).

We all long for the power of discernment (if you don't use it, you'll lose it), and some of us don't even have a handle on it, as to what it even is.  Literally, it is the ability to read between the lines in literature, and to judge character in person as David did to Abigail's husband Nabal in 1 Sam. 14:33 when she said, "[B]lessed be your discernment," but spiritually, it is the ability to know whether something is of God. John exhorts us in 1 John 4:1 to "test the spirits, whether they are from God."


Some of us can smell false doctrine a mile away, as it were and have zeroed in on this gift.  The spiritual gift  "... [T]o another the distinguishing of spirits" means whether they are of God or of Satan. Similarly, Malachi 3:18 (NASB) says, "So you will again distinguish [discern] between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him."

We never have the power to read people's minds, for even Satan can't do that--thank God!  Jesus was doubted because they thought He didn't know "what manner of woman" she was who anointed Him by washing his feet, and showed no discernment of a prophet. No Christian ever has the ability to judge or discern a person's intent or motives (one of the powers of the Word is its ability to "judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart," per Heb. 4:12 in the NASB), for only the Lord sees the motives (Proverbs 16:2; 21:2).   "[M]an looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Sam. 16:7, ESV). Taking the speck out of your brother's eye when you have a log in yours is not showing discernment. Don't think that God has put you on a mission to weed out the bad apple or separate the wheat from the chaff as the angels can (we do have the ability to distinguish truth from fiction though, if we are enlightened with the Word).

When Christians become sectarian ("I am of Apollos, I am of Peter, I am of Paul, or I am of Christ" type of thinking), that means they have lost discernment and fail to realize that Christ's body is not divided nor split into factions, but one in the Spirit and all were baptized into the body in the name of the triune God!  It is one thing to have spiritual leaders and respect for our teachers, but quite another to blindly follow them and think they are infallible, and one needs to separate or compete with others in a clique or party spirit.

We are to obey and submit to those who have the rule over us, but not blindly.  Christians are not in competition with each other but on the same side in the warfare against the devil's turf and domain.  It never was God's will to have denominations and so many church splits, but this has only happened because God allowed it to happen because of our frailty and weakness of being human (for the same reason He tolerates divorce).   At the Bema or Judgment Seat of Christ He is not going to ask us if we are Baptists or Lutherans, but whether we learned to love and obey Christ in a trusting and faithful manner of life so that we will be rewarded (our eternal life is not in question and our sins are already judged).

What kind of discernment are we to have then?  We all are to have discernment and can have it, but some believers have the unique ability to discern the presence of the Holy Spirit when brethren are gathered in Christ's name, and are especially sensitive to when He is quenched.  We are never anointed to judge one another, but the church's job is to discipline a member in sin because it always affects the body--if one part suffers, all will suffer.  God can give us insight into a sermon or verse that others don't see and it is our calling to share it or put it into practice.  The better one knows the Lord, the better discernment and insight he will have in general, including interpreting the Word (not the more education or training he has, but knows the Lord).  "... I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants" (Matt. 11:25, NASB).

We are to love the Lord with all our mind, and this means show discernment--it's an imperative.  "Do not judge according to appearance [as man sees], but judge [show discernment] with righteous judgment" (John 7:24, NASB).  Jesus gave us discernment:  "... I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life"  (John 8:12, NASB)"  You will be enlightened:  "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth ..." (John 16:13, NASB).  Caveat:  "Therefore do not go on passing judgement before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; then each man's praise will come to him from God"  (1 Cor. 4:5, NASB).

Charles Swindoll, pastor of Stonebriar Community Church in Frisco, Texas, and Chancellor of Dallas Theological Seminary says that if you listen to only one preacher, you will lose your power of discernment.  This is very true, because this is how cults such as the People's Temple or "cult of death," led by the Rev. Jim Jones, was instituted--they felt they didn't even need their Bibles anymore because he was speaking the Word to them, and so they didn't need to be like the Christians of Berea in Acts 17 who searched the Scriptures daily to see whether the things that Paul spoke were true.  No preacher is so anointed that he is infallible and doesn't need the body to keep him in line or going off the deep end. The Vicar of Christ, as the Pope is known, is supposed to be infallible when he speaks ex-cathedra or from the chair of St. Peter and pontificates; however, no one can fill these shoes except the Holy Spirit.

The prophet of today's church doesn't announce the future or warn of coming wrath, as John the Baptist did, but interprets the times because he has insight from Scripture (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32), and he is able to edify the body and make them see the light of God's will.  Many believers can prophesy, but that doesn't make them prophets in this sense.  You prophesy whenever you lift up the body in opening their eyes to the Word and expounding it in the light of sound doctrine. Caveat:   Isaiah 29:13 (NASB) warns,  "For the Heart of this people has become dull, and with their ears they scarcely hear, and they have closed their eyes ... ."  God can and does judge those without discernment as it says in Hosea 4:14 that "a people without discernment are doomed."  God is looking for men "who [have] understanding [discernment] of the times, who [know] what ... to do"  (cf. 1 Chronicles 12:32, ESV).    Soli Deo Gloria!

Faith In Faith

"I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" (Rom. 10:2,     ESV).  
"Desire without knowledge is not good..." (Prov. 19:2, ESV).


You can have a lot of faith and have misdirected zeal ("They have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge" was Paul's wording in Romans 10), or you can have faith the grain of a mustard seed and be saved and serving God. Who has faith? One boldly steps on the thin ice and another timorous step on the thick ice.  God doesn't countenance halfhearted, lackadaisical, or lukewarm discipleship, but only when one serves God with gusto.  You don't have to have perfect faith, but sincere faith!  Don't be "out on a limb" but have substantive faith that is based on sound doctrine and applied to your life.

But it isn't the faith that saves, it is only the instrumental means of salvation given as a gift of God to exercise and take the leap of faith.  It is the object of the faith that saves, not the faith.  Likewise, you must be sincere, but sincerity alone doesn't qualify for salvation, because you can be sincerely wrong and misguided as a fanatic who doesn't know what he is doing.  As an example, Catholics have a lot of faith in their priest, nuns, Church, and Pope but it is misdirected.

Parenthetically, I must mention the kind of faith that saves:  It is manifest in obedience only just like Dietrich Bonhoeffer said, "Only he who is obedient believes, and only he who believes is obedient." We are indeed saved by faith alone, but not a faith that is alone (or dead faith without works). Without fruit our faith is suspect, but works are no substitute for faith, but only its fruit--we are fruit inspectors!  Viva la difference between professing faith and exercising faith!

It is only faith "in Christ alone" that saves (soli Christo in Latin). You can have a lot of faith in your pastor but if it doesn't get personal to a relationship with Christ Himself, you are lost.  Faith isn't the reason we are saved, though people say we should be defenders of the faith, or worse yet, defenders of faith per se.  We should be apologists where necessarily and gifted, but God is looking for the simple, not simplistic, and childlike, not childish faith to be saved.

We don't achieve faith, we receive it (2 Peter 1:1 says that they have received a faith).  Faith is "granted" according to Philippians 1:29 and we "believe through grace" per Acts 18:27.  We don't just believe, we believe in someone and put it into action and practice our belief--turning or converting creeds into deeds!   We don't just have a faith, but a growing and living faith that is not static, but founded in the truth (truth does matter--you can't be a heretic, no matter how sincere, and the vital doctrine is the person and work of Christ on our behalf and methodology of salvation to appropriate it.

The righteousness we have is not our gift to God, but His gift to us. Faith is God's work in us, but we make use of it and exercise it in a leap of faith.  He kindles or quickens faith within us and makes believers out of the most stubborn and unbelieving.  It is not the condition of salvation, but the means of it, because regeneration precedes faith ("through sanctification by the Spirit and belief in the truth [in that order, the order of salvation, or ordo salutis in Latin]" according to 2 Thess. 2:13, ESV).  If we have to do something for our salvation we are bound to fail!  If left to ourselves, none of us would believe ("Apart from Me you can do nothing" according to John 15:5).   We don't have a righteousness of our own, but our righteousness is as filthy rags per Isaiah 64:6 in the well-known verse.

We don't just have faith in a crucified Christ, but a living Christ.  We believe not only that He died for our sins but rose again to proclaim His victory and our assured glorification and resurrection. There is no saving faith without genuine repentance, known as believing repentance or penitent faith (they are the flip side of each other).  Having faith is being fully assured and certain, not just making a guess or a bet that you might be right--you are willing to bet your life and risk or bet your life that He is alive and victorious.  "Measure yourself by the amount of faith God has given you" (Rom. 12:3).  Note that faith, not feelings or experiences please God and we must earnestly seek Him to find Him.  He will authenticate Himself to you because God is no man's debtor!

In conclusion, faith is a gift of God, however, we make a choice of the will--we decide to have faith. The Jews saw many miracles yet they "would no believe [not could not]"  (John 12:37).  We don't just have faith for its own sake, it must have an object or we'd be saved by sincerity.  The only valid object is the person and work of Christ on our behalf.  Faith also has legs, it must be put into action because dead faith doesn't save.  Faith without works is suspect and we show our faith by our works or deeds. We are not saved by our works but unto works.  If we had the complete revelation about God we wouldn't call it faith, but knowledge and it is faith that pleases God, not knowledge.  We must all take that leap of faith with incomplete knowledge or evidence. Some of us may indeed say:  "... I believe, help thou mine unbelief"  (cf. Mark 9:24).   Soli Deo Gloria!

Extreme Epistemology

According to the correspondence theory of truth (espoused by John Locke), truth is what relates to reality.

How do you know anything for certain?  The Eastern faiths and worldviews see all reality as Maya or illusion, i.e., reality cannot be perceived, and science and the scientific method never could have been developed under such a self-defeating system of knowledge, because we need an ordered, a consistent, and knowable universe that can be studied and made sense of.  Descartes reasoned that he could know he existed:  "I think, therefore I am."  Augustine had said, "If I err, I am." Actually, if you think there must be a thinker to make though, so you can't use thought to disprove your existence.  We need valid reasoning to prove our reasoning is valid:  Jesus is the Logos or reason and logic behind everything.

Only God is capable of giving sound reason, for man's knowledge, by definition, is fallible and error-prone. Even science changes its truth claims--it's a moving train of knowledge (the world is no longer flat!): In 1861 the French Academy of Science listed fifty-one so-called scientific facts that controverted the Bible! Today none of these "facts" are believed.  It is a principle of science and philosophy that to arrive at the truth you must admit you could be wrong--science today is biased!

It is self-defeating to say you cannot know anything (how can one ascertain that?) because then you are rejecting knowledge and knowledge begins with knowing God according to Proverbs 1:7  "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise instruction and learning." You don't know diddly squat without starting with God and Him as the reference point, without making yourself judge, jury, and ultimately God Himself.  If you say:  "I know I know nothing for certain," you have contradicted yourself, and this statement has no truth claim whatsoever.  How can you know for certain that you can know nothing for certain?

The unbeliever ultimately has to admit that he could be wrong, and his worldview comes tumbling down.  It is said that we can only know something from sources:  Reasoning ability and revelation from God.  Deuteronomy 29:29 (ESV) says that God has revealed the truth to us in the Bible and He still has secrets we cannot know:  "The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

How does one account for knowledge and truth without God?  We don't try to reason to God but from God as the starting point, not finishing point.  Don't insult God by putting Him on trial by catering to the person's demand for evidence--we don't have to prove our God because God has made Himself known and this is evident--they are all without excuse.  Just how can you make sense of anything without God? Children's inquiries cannot be satisfied without bringing Him up, and you practically have to indoctrinate or brainwash them not to believe. You cannot prove A without it being true, known, and logical.  These three (truth, knowledge, and logic) assume and only make sense with God!  "...[A]s the truth is in Jesus" (cf. Eph. 4:20).

Everything we know is based on presupposition and faith because to know anything you must know everything.  Both the believer and the unbeliever have faith and is it evident unbelief takes more faith, due to the evidence.  God is not going to force one to believe, He desires faith to please Him. To know A you must know B, and to know B you must know C, and so forth ad infinitum.  All our knowledge is contingent then. This is called infinite regress and only God knows where it ends because He is omniscient.  The only way we can know anything is if it is revealed to us, and this is the Christian worldview--Jesus is the incarnation and personification or embodiment of truth and came to bear witness of the truth, as he answered Pilate who asked, "What is truth?"  People interpret their reality and information according to their worldview and presuppositions.

It is no use giving evidence to a person that doesn't want to believe because this makes him the judge of God. One gives evidence to a jury in a courtroom.  How can one make truth claims when denying the source of truth (Jesus, cf. Eph. 4:20).  "I don't know anything!" I can say: "How do you know this?  Are you certain?"  "Yes, I am certain I cannot be certain!" This kind of nonsense is what atheism leads to.   Don't assume the unbeliever knows anything because without God he can't.  But he does know something, and this is proof he knows or knew God. "Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools." Fools are those who deny God and know better.

All of creation speaks of God:  They believe a lottery winner winning too often is the result of it being rigged, but the sunset isn't rigged.  The whole creation is rigged and couldn't exist without God. "In Him, we live and move and have our being."  They suppress the truth in unrighteousness, but how can they do this if they don't know the truth?  If you look in the mirror you are seeing a miracle!  Life is no fluke, it is rigged and couldn't have happened without God's intervention and creation.

Who is to say God can't use circular reasoning, because He is self-attesting or self-authenticating, and to appeal to some other authority would be to lose His ultimate authority.  You might say: "I use my reason to believe reasoning is the best way to arrive at knowledge because it sounds reasonable--that is circular.   But God is the Author of logic and we cannot "out-logic" or out-reason Him.  God, not Aristotle formulated the rules of logic.

People beg the question when they claim they know something apart from God:  I know I exist because of my own consciousness!    The fact remains, we can know something for certain:  All that God has revealed to us according to Deut. 29:29 "...[That] which is revealed belongs to us...." People use science to disprove Christianity when science depends on the Christian worldview.   When people reject God, they are making themselves God and setting up an outside moral authority above the Bible in their own reasoning.  If there was no intelligence behind the cosmos and consequently our brains were not designed for thought but are only the byproduct of atomic reactions how can we trust our own thinking?  C. S. Lewis said, "...[How] can I trust my own thinking to be true?  But if I can't trust my own thinking, of course, I can't trust the arguments leading to atheism, and therefore have no reason to be an atheist, or anything else.  Unless I believe in God, I can't believe in thought; so I can never use thought to disbelieve in God."

Pilate asked Jesus, "What is truth?" Jesus came to bear witness of it and he who is of the truth hears His voice.  "And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ.  This is the true God and eternal life"  (1 John 5:20, NASB).  Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life..." (John 14:6).  Soli Deo Gloria!

Knowledge Has Its Place

"...knowledge puffs up, but love edifies"  (1 Cor. 8:1b).

Does this mean that knowledge is inappropriate?  Why do we pursue knowledge anyway?  Do we just have a desire to be smarter than everyone or to have all the answers?  Knowledge is indeed a byproduct of knowing the Lord and being obedient in the faith by discipleship and application.  We should never pursue it for its own sake because it is merely a means to an end, and not the end itself--we must always ask ourselves why we are learning something and what our inner or ulterior motives are.  We can't all be scholars (and some don't even know the Lord to their shame, like the Pharisees), but there is a need for them in the body and they have their function.  We can't all be theologians who organize Bible teaching (doctrine just means teaching pertinent to a subject), but there is a need for them to defend the Bible (polemics) just like we need apologists to defend the faith.  We are all basically theologians, it just varies how good of a one we are--they are not just Christians good at theology, i.e., we all have a viewpoint or interpretation of Scripture that biases us, and no one is impartial completely, except God, who alone is objective in toto.

When teaching others, we want to aim to disciple them, not educate them, and that means to lead them on to a personal relationship with and knowledge of the Lord through Bible application--and no sermon or teaching is complete without making application, or it is just theory without practice or just something to talk about and not do something about.  We should be stirred to do something new by way of application that we wouldn't normally do.  The tendency for some students of the Word is to become intoxicated with the deeper truths of the Bible that they forget or neglect the basics of the Word or feel they have outgrown the milk of the Word, just because they can digest the solid food. We must restrain our natural curiosity and not just study for curiosity sake, but for a yearning for the things of God and a genuine thirst for the Word itself.

We need to pass the baton to the next generation what we have learned so they won't make the same mistakes!  A good teacher doesn't balk at teaching the whole counsel of God to the best of his ability and training and doesn't just have a personal agenda and motive to convert them to his way of thinking or interpretation.  There is a big danger in getting a big head and having too high an opinion of yourself when you have increased in knowledge without application.  The goal of the teacher should be to make the student independent of his teaching so he can in turn disciple others and the cycle continues.

The Pharisees knew a lot about the Scriptures and didn't know the Author and so they couldn't interpret it; they just had religiosity and customs to pass on.  They had in effect externalized religion and thought that going through the motions was all that mattered.  This is called "memorizing the dance of the pious."  It is formalism without any heart involved or what Jesus called being lukewarm in Revelation 3:19.  We don't want to be like the debaters who made it their way of life to just talk about the latest ideas or theories, but be doers of the Word, and not merely hearers (even if we gladly hear it).  Everyone doesn't have the same mental capacity and to whom much is given much is required, so we are not to hold everyone to the same standard, but let God be the judge.c

We also don't want to be hypocrites like the Pharisees who didn't practice what they preached either (Jesus said to listen to them, but don't imitate them). The more eager we are to learn and the more we apply it and pass on to others, the more God will reveal to us--but it is always a byproduct and we are not to compare ourselves with ourselves.   Remember that the Hebrews went into captivity because of their ignorance to their shame ("My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge..," says Hosea 4:6a).

We don't want to know "about the Bible" but to know the Author of the Bible and use our knowledge constructively and to edify others. Knowledge is a spiritual gift and some believers are simply gifted with more of it, and we are not to hold everyone to the same standard.  They can become serious students of the Word to detect error and heresy and to pass on sound doctrine.

Note also that knowledge can be dangerous, especially when one gets an exclusive mindset thinking he is right and everyone else wrong and gets highly sectarian and dogmatic on nonessential doctrine. A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and a half-educated person can do more damage than an uneducated one.  Always bear in mind Augustine's dictum:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials, liberty; in all things, charity."

In conclusion, don't fall under the delusion that ignorance is bliss, because knowledge is power according to Blaise Pascal and Proverbs 24:5 (ESV):  "...and a man of knowledge enhances his might"; however, anyone who thinks he knows it all or knows some secret others don't (like the Gnostics who thought they were in "the know" and clued in above others and they had the secret to salvation), doesn't yet know as he ought to know, because no one has a monopoly on wisdom, or inside track, revelation, or knowledge.  Soli Deo Gloria!

The Pursuit Of God

"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them"  (John 13:17).
"You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain..." (John 15:16). "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing"  (John 15:5).

Of course, I realize that my title was also the title of a famous book by A. W. Tozer, but I must borrow it to make my point right off the bat.  Is knowledge about God a requisite for knowing Him? Can we afford to be ignorant but good people?  What good does it do to know a lot "about God?" You must turn this knowledge about God into a personal knowledge of God.  Because to know Him is to love Him!  If you really study Psalm 119 (probably written by the Bible scholar Ezra), you will come to the realization that the psalmist loved the Scriptures and they were his meditation all the day long.  But loving the Bible does no good if we are not applying our knowledge. When God opens our eyes and enlightens us we are responsible to share our insights or pass them on if we want more, and thus be good stewards and faithful witnesses to His light.

This is not an attack on learning or the thirst for knowledge per se, which has its own reward and we should thank God for our enjoyment of it.  If one studies law, he should pray God turns it into His glory in some ministry so that all that study is not wasted.  The pursuit of knowledge and the pursuit of God are two separate goals unless the knowledge is to the glory of God. We are not just to be philosophers or lovers of knowledge, but lovers of God.  "Whether you eat or whether you drink, do all to the glory of God" (1 Cor. 10:31).  This is being purpose-oriented.   We may enjoy history, for example, but unless it is to the glory of God and put into practice it is bunk as far as the kingdom of God is concerned.

The reward of knowledge is in the putting it into practice ("...knowledge puffs up, but love edifies" and "to whom much is given, much is required"), like the ultimate reward of studying medicine is in the healing of people not getting educated.  We enjoy a lot of things in life, and we should thank God for them, but we are not rewarded just because we enjoy them (e.g., eating, drinking, reading, sports, politics, and even sex). God blesses us all with common grace to enjoy and have a capacity for life--"...who gives us richly all things to enjoy"  (1 Tim. 6:17). The subject of this post is the pursuit of God and being rewarded at the Bema by Christ, not how much we enjoy the blessings of life.

To delineate the problem with many believers, what they are guilty of is balking at the deeper things of God while leaving the so-called doctrine or dogma to the theologians or clergy. Erasmus said that doctrine is the bugbear of the Church and many believers today have followed suit--thinking it is just philosophy.  Actually, theology is the Queen of the Sciences!  They have come full circle from the Reformation, in that they blindly follow the clerics and don't become like Bereans, who search out matters for themselves and study their Bibles.  An understanding of sound doctrine is necessary for a sound life; one cannot live a sound life apart from sound doctrine.  On the other hand, you can know all the doctrine and get a degree in it, or great kudos, and not have a sound life to be practicing what you preach or know.  You could say that doctrine is necessary, but not sufficient (you have to use it as a means to an end, not as an end per se) because there is more than just knowing or being familiar with doctrine.

We are all theologians in that we come to our own basic understanding, interpretation, or viewpoint of Scripture.  The question is, is how good of a theologian are we and do we subscribe to false doctrine.  What we believe has a definite impact on our behavior (orthodoxy or right doctrine influences orthopraxy or right ethics).  We cannot ignore basic and sound doctrine because that is not an option for the believer who wants to walk close to Christ.  We make so many mistakes simply because of our ignorance and Paul repeatedly says he would rather not have us ignorant.  Now it does say in 1 Timothy 2:9 that an elder must hold to the deep things of God with a clear conscience--he is obliged to have the lowdown on doctrine and be able to correct those who contradict it.

The believer must be cognizant that he has decided to be a disciple or "learner" while being enrolled in the school of Christ and dedicated to His curriculum all his life--the search for God and truth never ends and one should never be complacent and think he knows it all, but always positive and receptive to learning more and never even getting tired with the milk of the Word, even when we crave the meat or solid food and have been weaned from our spiritual infancy. "As the newborn baby desires the pure milk of the Word" so are we to never get bored with Scripture or be blase and apathetic, which Christ calls lukewarm and is odious to Him in Revelation 3:19.

Our knowledge of God does no good remaining just "theory" or knowledge that isn't applied.  In other words, we don't pursue knowledge as an end in itself or, you could say, for its own sake.  Yes, it is a sign of spiritual health to be interested in spiritual matters, and in the 17th century it was the hobby of a gentleman to be conversant with theology or "God-talk;" however, one can get spiritual "intoxicated" with the deeper truths and become unbalanced and losing focus of the basics of our faith, especially the marching orders of Christ, the Great Commission

But knowledge about God should ultimately lead to knowledge of God and a closer relationship with Him, because "knowledge puffs up [making us feel superior and important, as it were]"  according to 1 Cor. 8:1.  I  have it said by friends that they want to take a college course on the Bible to learn it in more detail.  I have to ask them "Why?"  Do they feel led by the Spirit to do this or do they just have a desire to be "informed" or in the know about spiritual matters?  If they have been called to teach it may be necessary to prepare for a life-long study of the Scriptures, but to do do it for its own sake, as an end in itself, if vain in God's eyes and will accomplish nothing.

I'm not for ignorance, but I am against knowledge without purpose and end in mind, (knowledge is the means to an end).  You can be so preoccupied with the Word, actually doing nothing but reading it all day like a monastic monk and not apply it:  "Be ye doers of the Word, and not hearers only." We must not only intake but have output to be healthy.  Just like inhaling and exhaling for our bodies. The proof of the pudding is in the eating they say; what kind of believer we are depends upon our attitude toward Scripture.

You must contemplate why you are pursuing knowledge and you must also distinguish knowledge of God from mere knowledge about God.  You can literally know a lot about someone and not really know them at all on a personal level, too, as an analogy.  The goal is a relationship with Christ and a closer walk with Him.   According to Colossians 1:10 we are:  "Bearing fruit in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God."  See how they correlate?  Putting our knowledge into action reinforces it and cements it into our spirit and makes it good for something--not just theory or philosophy.  Two extremes to avoid are having Bible fatigue on the one hand whereas we get bored and it has lost its zing and being engrossed in the Bible in an academic approach on the other hand, like just having the desire to know all the answers.

One doesn't have to be privy to some secret, arcane, or academic knowledge to know the Lord (in fact you may know very little and know the Lord quite well), and make the same mistakes as the Gnostikoi in the Apostolic age who claimed that knowledge was the secret of salvation and they were "in the know" (gnosis means to know).  We are responsible for what we know or had the opportunity to know (no one can claim ignorance--there is no excuse for not knowing God) and God distributes gifts according to our abilities and His purposes, not ours.  Some may have the gift of knowledge, for instance, and God may entrust them with much knowledge, wisdom and understanding.  Much knowledge is a byproduct of a productive life, not the goal itself.  Just like one may acquire a knowledge of trivia unconsciously and know more than he realizes.

Knowledge per se is not the measure of a believer's productiveness, because we are rewarded according to what we sow, not what we know!  Just imagine someone saying he wants to study medicine but has no plans to practice medicine, or one who go to law school for the heck of it and doesn't want to practice law!  We must be practicing theologians putting our faith into action!  They say that if you can't do, you must teach;  that is one option and that is probably why we have preachers professors, and even scholars who are heavy on the learning and light on the application.
  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Doesn't God Answer All Our Questions?...

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD.  As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9, NIV).
"Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out!" (Romans 11:33, NIV).
"The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever" (Deut. 29:29).

Wouldn't it be hunky-dory if God answered all our questions?  But wait a minute, we are assuming we have the capacity to apprehend God.  God is the ultimate mystery to never be fathomed!  The medieval theological maxim still holds water:  "The finite cannot grasp (or contain) the infinite."  We cannot plumb the mysteries of God, as it were.  This is called the profundity or incomprehensibility of God doctrinally speaking.  Our limited minds can no longer understand  God's motives than if we tried to explain the Internet to an ant.  The only info we need is enough to have faith, and faith is what pleases God and without faith, it is impossible to please Him (cf. Heb. 11:6).  The more we know the more responsible we are and if we knew all the answers we would ultimately be on a par with God Almighty Himself.

The supreme example of a man who demanded answers from the Almighty was Job.  He kept asking God "Why me, Lord?" But God countered:  "Who are you Job?"  God was saying:  Who do you think you are?  Let me ask you a few questions?  God is simply too profound to explain Himself.--the the profundity of God.  God had questions for Job to answer just to humble him and put him in his place.  God is not accountable to anyone and for anything He does.  He depends on nothing and no one for His existence.   Nebuchadnezzar said, "Who can stay His hand, or say unto Him, 'What hast thou done?'"  He stands alone, and who can oppose him?  He does whatever he pleases" (Job 23:13, NIV).

If God answered all our questions, we would not have faith, but knowledge.  However, John 16:23 says:  "In that day you shall ask me nothing." What Jesus seems to be referring to is that we will be satisfied with the knowledge that He gives us and the answers He does give to us about our loved ones and related subjects.  If God were obliged to answer all our questions, there would be no end to the inquiry.  Our questions would keep us from having faith and taking that "leap of faith."

Job was satisfied in seeing God or in having a revelation of Him, that humbled him and made him realize that even he had self-righteousness ("Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes," according to Job 42:5).  In spirit, all our questions will be answered, but technically they won't and cannot be.  We are finite and our minds cannot contain God's infinity.  Answering all our questions is akin to answering all our prayers, or doing miracles on demand--they weaken, not strengthen faith. We don't want all our prayers answered our way because we don't know what is best for us and would mess up our lives in the process--thank God all your prayers weren't answered the way you wanted.

Miracles only give a thirst for more miracles and don't make faith--actually, faith makes miracles. The key from Job is to know God, not know why He does everything.   Quite frankly, it may be none of our business!  He doesn't owe us; we owe Him!  And so in conclusion:  Just like Job's inquiry, we have to realize who God is and who we are, and not presume on His wisdom in withholding info from us (remember what Satan said to Eve, that God was withholding a secret?)--some things are better off not knowing. In sum, God is too kind to be cruel, too wise to make a mistake, and too deep to explain Himself.   Soli Deo Gloria!

A More Accurate Way

"Brethren, do not be children in understanding; however, in malice be babes, but in understanding be mature: (1 Cor. 14:20). 

Some people are merely content to be correct theologically, not availing themselves of the abundant life and relationship with Christ.  But we also come across sincere believers who are wrong and need to be shown the light, as it were.  I  believe we should tactfully edify them and explain the Word more accurately in a gentle way, so as to be offensive.  I contend that it is not sufficient to be sincere, one must also be right to please God.  Should we straighten out our brothers or let them go on in error?

Priscilla and Aquilla took Apollos aside and explained the Word of God to him more accurately, though he was mighty in the Scriptures, he knew only of the baptism of John. There is more than just knowing the Scriptures, though that is vital:  "Press on, press on to know the Lord," says Hosea 6:3.  Jesus said to the woman at the Samaritan well that those who worship God must worship in spirit and in truth.  It is not enough to just be sincere if you are sincerely wrong.  Paul told the Corinthians that he would rather not have them ignorant (the word ignoramus comes from this root).  God places no premium on ignorance and ignorance is not bliss because God holds us responsible for the light we have the opportunity to know, whether we care to learn it or not.  It is ignorance that binds us, not the truth!  "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free"  (John 8:32).

Faith is not blind and ignorant and doesn't ignore our intellect, but respects the mind.  We are not anti-intellectual or anti-scholastic.  Learning has its place and some even have the gift of knowledge (for the edification of the body--the building up of the body of Christ).  Proverbs says that the wise store up knowledge. There is a certain joy in just knowing the Word and in being in awe!  The fool feeds on trash, Proverbs says, but the wise yearn for the truth.   The old principle of GIGO applies (garbage in equals garbage out).  "For as a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Prov. 23:7). We are to "grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Pet. 3:18).   It is the "knowledge of the truth (doctrine, that is) that leads to godliness," according to Titus 1:2.

Paul exhorts us in Eph. 4:3 to "keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." How can you have unity if you don't have an agreement?  We are to be in agreement and harmony as much as possible:  Augustine's dictum that we are to maintain agreement:  "In essentials, unity; in nonessentials [negotiables] liberty; in all things, charity."  There are some doctrines that we are to be dogmatic and intolerant of error on such as the deity of Christ and the infallibility of the Word of God.

There are also doctrines or dogma (church doctrine recognized officially) that are negotiable or room for disagreements (we agree to disagree without being disagreeable) such as interpretations of the Rapture or church government.  However, the more we agree and find commonality or common ground, the more the Spirit can bless and unify us. Unity is not uniformity--we aren't all to be clones or imitations of each other, but individuals and different parts of the dependent and needing the rest of the body.

How do you think God tells you the more accurate way, but through the body of Christ and the Word itself?  If we don't want to grow up in Christ and mature we balk at learning the meat of the Word or the things of God in depth we have the wrong attitude and may have not accepted the Lordship of Christ, even if we believe.  God frowns upon willful ignorance and expects us to increase in our maturity and knowledge of the Word.  Paul met this obstacle when he felt that they rejected him because he was dogmatic:  "Have I become your enemy because I tell you the truth?"  It may cost to stand up for Jesus, or the truth--remember Jesus before Pilate saying, "For this cause I have come into the world, to bear witness of the truth."  Jesus is the truth incarnate and knowing Him is the way of knowing the truth--the better we know Him, the more we know the truth and the freer we become.

The more enslaved we are in our submission to the Lordship of Christ, the freer we are paradoxically speaking.   Don't resent someone telling you the truth and realize that it is for your own good and you will grow and benefit from it--God doesn't want you to remain an infant in Christ, but to mature and grow in your comprehension of doctrine or teaching.  "All Scripture is profitable for doctrine..." (2 Tim. 3:16).  We are to build each other up, edify each other, and admonish each other and this is done through the Word and our interaction in the body:  We cannot grow by ourselves and need the body--it is a body-building program of truth, so have the right mental attitude!

The more we apply the truth, the truth God gives us, and the more we know, the more accountable we become.  Knowledge in itself, the wrong kind (about God, instead of God), merely puffs up, but love (exercising the fruit of the Spirit, for instance) edifies or builds up,  says 1 Cor. 8:1, and he who thinks he knows does not yet know as he ought to know--we should never think that we have arrived:  "I do not consider myself to have laid hold of it yet" (Phil 3:13) or don't need to learn anymore.

Knowledge is not to be an end in itself and a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.   Some people know enough to be dangerous! We are not to get an exclusive mindset and think we have cornered the market on truth!  We are never to be intolerant of those who disagree with us and become contentious, argumentative, or divisive.  No one person has all the truth (sorry Catholics who have faith in the Pope!) and we all must learn from each other as we discover our niche or job in the body.

In summation,  we are our brother's keeper in the sense of being responsible to show him his error and restore him to the light.  We are responsible for the light we have, but that doesn't excuse us and give us the right to be ignorant (God frowns upon ignorance).  "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free" (John 8:32).  A little knowledge is a dangerous thing and we are never to think we have all the truth or have cornered the market, being exclusive or arrogant.   Soli Deo Gloria!