Knowing is Not Enough

"We know that we all possess knowledge.  Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.  The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know.  But the man who loves God is known by God."  I Cor. 8:1-3 (NIV)

The Christian walk is progressive.  Once we are saved by placing our faith and assurance in the person of Jesus Christ, our journey begins.  We grow from that point onward until we are finally at home with the Lord, face-to-face in Heaven.  So how exactly do we grow?

Among other things, we grow in our knowledge of spiritual truths.  But here is a reality the Word warns us of: When we grow in our knowledge, there is an inherent danger of being "puffed up" (pride-filled) by that knowledge.

It sounds like a contradiction, I know.  You would think that the more knowledge we acquire about God, the more we would be like God.  However, knowledge on its own is not enough to make us more like the Lord.  It has to be accompanied by God's unconditional love, which the Holy Spirit produces in us (cf. Romans 5:1-5).

If we need any proof of this, all we have to do is take a look at the Pharisees from Jesus' day.  These men possessed more knowledge about the Hebrew Scriptures than anyone.  They knew each book verbatim and made a career out of "knowing."  They had a plethora of knowledge but lacked the love of God, so they became blinded by pride.  "We know everything there is to know, so how dare anyone try and teach US anything!"  The sad fact is that when the Son of God came to show them what they were missing, they were too proud to receive anything from Him.

Again, knowledge is a good, even a necessary thing in the Christian life.  Knowledge apart from the love of God is a very dangerous thing, which is precisely why we are warned to do more than just know.  We are told that if we want to have a positive impact and want to truly edify others, we must also love.  Saint Francis of Assisi said it best: "Preach the Gospel. If necessary, use words."

Friends, I urge you not to make the mistake of thinking your spiritual knowledge is enough.  Pray that you possess God's love in proportion to what you know about Him.  Put feet to your faith!