The Importance of Knowing God’s Word in Depth and Breath

We gain wisdom by giving attention to the deeds and words of God. We are to ponder all his works and not some of it.

1. We do not have an example in the Scriptures, neither from Christ nor the apostles of refusal to grow in the knowledge of God’s word.
2. Distinguishing mark of God’s people in the eyes of heaven
   1. Jesus declared Peter to be blessed because the Father had given Peter revelation of whom Jesus was [Mat 16:17].
      1. Now, it is very important to note that it was not because Peter knew that Jesus was the Son of God in particular that he was blessed but because the Father had chosen to reveal it to him. Jesus did not say, “You are blessed because you know that I am the Son of God” but instead, “You are blessed because the Father revealed it to you.”
      2. There was no way he could have known that Jesus was the Son of God except the Father had revealed it to him. Therefore, Peter was favored of God. Peter was blessed of God above the other disciples.
3. Therefore, one of the ways that heaven recognizes those that God has blessed, or in other words has given grace, is by the revelation of truth given to them. Now, someone may think, “So what?”. Well, those God gives grace are those He has chosen as His own.
4. For the believer, this is a sign that he is elect of God.
5. According to our Master Jesus, we are sanctified by the Truth [Joh 17:17].
   1. We are set apart from the people of the world, the people that God has not chosen, the people who have not been given to Jesus—we are set apart from them by the Truth of God’s word. In other words, heaven recognizes God’s people by the Truth of God’s word which they possess.
   2. Now, it is important to note that the Truth of God which sanctifies us works together with the atonement of Jesus. It was by the death and ascension of Jesus to God that Jesus set himself apart to God, and he said he was about to do that so that we would be truly sanctified by the truth of God’s word. The implication is this, simply believing in the Lord Jesus is not sufficient to sanctify us, to distinguish us before heaven as God’s people if we do not have the Truth of God with us.
6. Knowledge of the secret things of God is a mark of those who are worthy to be kings in the Kingdom of God [Pro 25:2]
7. Shallow knowledge of God’s Kingdom is a mark of those that God has not really chosen—the secrets of the Kingdom are revealed to those that God has chosen [Mat 13:10-12]
8. It is required for fruitfulness according to God and Christ’s standard.
   1. A scribe is one who is one who knows the scriptures well. Therefore, it is significant that Jesus says that, “every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old.” [Mat 13:52]
9. It is important for doing the will of God
   1. It is through wisdom and spiritual understanding that we are filled with the knowledge of God’s will

      For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [Col 1:9]

   2. A guard against error
      1. Jesus stated that the Sadducees were in error because they did not know the Scriptures nor the power of God [Mat 22:29; Mar 12:24]
      2. The things God revealed are necessary for us to obey God’s laws [Deut 29:29 cf., Heb 8:10]
      3. Apart from errors that are simply born out of mischief and ulterior motives, many, if not all, of the errors that have arisen in the church, have arisen because some matter was not thoroughly and deeply understood. For example, if there had been a well-articulated description of the relationship between God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son in the Church, the troubles surrounding the rise of the trinity doctrine wouldn’t have arisen, and even if they did, they would have been far easier to deal with. Our refusal to understand all that God has concealed for us in Scriptures to understand, is guarantee of heresies.
10. God demands that we know his ways, that we know and understand his works and decrees.

    “But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. [Jer 9:24]

    1. This knowledge comes from understanding the acts and judgments of God through time and is not something we simply declare, “I understand and know the LORD”.
    2. God expects His people to ponder His works, decrees/words and deeds. Those who do not ponder the ways of God, his deeds and judgements are rejected by God
       1. Those who do not know the thoughts of God, who give no attention to His works are regarded by heaven as fools

       O LORD, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. ^[6]A brutish man knoweth not; neither doth a fool understand this.[Psa 92:5-6]

       2. Part of why Israel went into exile was because of this

       And the harp, and the viol, the tabret, and pipe, and wine, are in their feasts: but they regard not the work of the LORD, neither consider the operation of his hands. ^[13]Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honourable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. [Isa 5:12-13]

11. To not learn the ways of God is considered turning back from God.

    Because they turned back from him, and would not consider any of his ways: [Job 34:27]

12. As God’s people, we are called to bear witness of God to the world through knowledge of His decrees, i.e., prophecies [Isa 43:10ff].
13. It is a sin not to grow in the knowledge of God—it is a sin to refuse to know what God wants us to know
    1. Refusal to grow in the knowledge of God’s word is a form of subtracting from God’s word which is of no small consequence [Rev 22:18-19].
       1. It is one thing to fail to teach what one ought to teach God’s people because he sincerely does not know. It is, however, another matter to fail to teach God’s people what they ought to know because one deliberately refuses to know what one ought to know or to withhold that which one knows.
       2. God who gave us the Scriptures gave them to us to learn and teach them according to the Truth of the Gospel. To be selective in what we chose to learn from God’s word is an insult to the wisdom of God—would God give us if we didn’t need them. It is an insult to the authority of God—God designed the syllabus, He is supposed to be our teacher [Joh 6:45; Isa 54:13], it is rejection of His authority to say we don’t need parts of the syllabus.
    2. God desires to show us things we know not of

       Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” [Jer 33:3]

    3. God finds a way to cut off those who refuse to grow in the knowledge of His word—what the little they have is taken away from them [Mat 13:10-12]. In other words, they will end up in error. Please take note that these are Jesus’ words, and His words will not go unfulfilled [Mat 24:35].
    4. Hebrews quite plainly warns that those who refuse to grow in the knowledge of God’s word will be destroyed in the end [Heb 6:7-8,1-6].
    5. Why would God give us so much in the Scriptures if he did not want us to really know Scriptures? Of course, it is because He wants us to know the Scriptures that He gave them to us.
14. The Apostles
    1. Commanded to grow in knowledge

       …add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge [2Pe 1:5]

       Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. [1Co 14:20]

    2. (The apostles) Prayed and desired that we grow in knowledge

       And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; [Php 1:9]

       For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; [Col 1:9]