"and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator." Colossians 3:10
This week, we are talking about knowledge. Second Peter says we are to "supplement our faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge." I've been studying knowledge in the Bible this week and let me tell you, it's a big topic that God spent a lot of time talking about which means it's important for us.
We are not called to follow the Lord and know nothing. But, knowing a bunch of stuff from the Bible doesn't mean that we are following the Lord. I've done a lot of funerals for people over the years, and in trying to understand if the person who passed away was a believing follower of Jesus Christ or not, loved ones will say, "Oh, they loved the Bible, they read it all the time." But anyone can do this. Anyone can read the Bible and, I believe, be drawn by the Spirit of God to faith in Jesus Christ and be saved. But, just reading the Bible and knowing what it says doesn't make you a faith-believing follower of Jesus Christ anymore than reading a cookbook makes you a chef in a restaurant.
The knowledge must be applied. Wisdom is found in the exercise of knowledge. Yes, we must be in the Word and grow in our knowledge of the Lord. But, the Word also says, in James 1:22, that we must to be doers of the Word and not hearers or readers only! This same verse says that those who only hear and never act on what they have heard are self deceived. We must apply the knowledge of God and the things of God that we have learned to our virtuous faith in Jesus Christ.
This series has been fun for me to work through, because the more that I learn about the qualities that the Lord calls us to add to our faith, the more I can see the need I have of adding them. My prayer for us is that the Lord is using this passage of Scripture in our lives and in the life of our church. That, as we will see in a few weeks, if these qualities are ours and increasing we will be effective for the Kingdom! I'll see you Sunday!
Grace & Peace,
John
(You can reach Pastor John at jwhite@thevillagemi.com)