KNOWLEDGE OF GOD - PART 2

What is Knowledge?

Everyone claims to have some Knowledge of something.

We’ve all heard about the Tree of Knowledge, so what is Knowledge?

Knowledge in Hebrew is YADA, which means to ascertain by seeing.

So then, Knowledge or Know-Ledge, is where you see things from; it’s the “Ledge” on which you are standing to ascertain something.0

Your Know-Ledge indicates where you are perched to see your target.

Where is your Perch? What “Know-Ledge” are you viewing God from?

There are many “Know-Ledges” on which one can try to view God from. Today we will explore four of the more common Know-Ledges.

Many view God from an Intellectual, Know-Ledge. How they Know God is by Head Know-Ledge which is a great source for data and information, if that’s what you’re looking for. Just remember, just because you’re informed about someone it’s not the same as intimate. The first Adam traded intimacy for information, and it proved fatal.

With the great leaps and advances in technology, one can easily just ask ChatGPT about God. I’m sure you would get a fascinating intellectual retort of information. It even has a “God Mode” prompt that can provide you with “God Like” responses, if that’s what you are looking for. AI says the identity and nature of God depends entirely on the religious, philosophical, or cultural lens through which the concept is viewed.

I strongly disagree with AI’s “Know-Ledge”/ point of view to see God.

How you see God has nothing to do with His identity and nature, yet it has everything to do with what you will receive from Him. He Is God, whether we see him or not! Secondly, God is not a concept, He is Life!

There are others who view God from an Educational Know-Ledge.

To see God from this “Know-Ledge” one can read books on theological expositions and apologetics, investigate Christian history, and study the Christian creed. You can learn how to exegete the scriptures, speak Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic, lead study groups, write papers, etc.  

All of these are great tools; but your knowledge of Historical Mastery, Doctrinal Complexities, Theological Proficiencies, and an ability to speak on Christian themes, is not the same thing as Knowing God.

These first two Know-Ledges are still a great distance away from God.

It is better to know of God, than it is to know about God!

Let’s try the third Know-Ledge, called the Moral Know-Ledge.

This can be a very tricky and slippery slope to stand upon, given that it is based on everyone’s own personal morals.

Morals can be Descriptive, a code that is adopted by a culture or group. Women shouldn’t wear pants is an example of Moral Know-Ledge.

Consider; Adam and Eve were in the perfect will of God, naked.

Morals can also be Normative, which means they are based on what the majority do. “Wide is the way that leads to destruction”, not so sure I want to follow the crowd on this one. What is normal in a world of 8 billion people with each having their own unique dental & fingerprints?

Ultimately, morality is founded on the concept of human well being to treat others humanely. The issue with Moral Know-Ledge is that it doesn’t speak of how to address God, only humans. God isn’t human, and God should not be treated humanely but Divinely.

Keep in mind Ledges are narrow, not a huge margin for missteps. We’ve been advised to “Enter through the narrow way”.

Let’s see what can be seen from the fourth Know-Ledge, Experiential Know-Ledge. This Know-Ledge has great potential, depending upon where you stand on it.

This Ledge can bring about real transformation when used properly. This Ledge leads to the way to encounter the presence of God. That’s where you get to know the power and person of God.

This Know-Ledge can boost one’s confidence and appreciation for who God is. Our Experience leads to Our Testimony. Our Testimony leads us to future victories as we remember how God moved the last time.

David stood on the Experiential Know-Ledge when he faced and defeated Goliath, he remembered how God allowed him to defeat the bear and the lion while he was in the field, armed with only the Knowledge of God. No one can ever take away your testimony.

Davids experience with God is what killed Goliath, not a stone.

Our Testimony can defeat any enemy that we face, if we draw on it. Throw your Testimony at any giant and too will fall.

The Ledge of Experiential Know-Ledge is superior to all three previous ledges, but it is still not the greatest Know-Ledge.  

Remember, I said this Ledge will lead us to the way to encounter God.

The Best is yet to come…

This is a Thompson Truth