Christ is our Knowledge System
Ephesians 4:13
13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. NIV
God has ordained a definitive developmental process for the Church to be built by the five building resources (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher) until it reaches unity in the knowledge of Christ. We are therefore defining mature positions where the church is not being fed by the world system as the scripture demands in Eph 4:14, ‘then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming’(NIV). This is a position where the church is the one feeding the world system with knowledge and wisdom as the prophets declared; ‘many people shall come to Zion to be taught’ (Isa 2:3). ‘Nations and Kings shall come to our light’ (Isa 60:3).
Paul declares that Christ is our Knowledge System:
…in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:1-3).
I tell you this so that no one will deceive you by fine-sounding arguments…so then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live in Him, rooted and built up in Him…see to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ (Col 2:4-8).
For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet 1:18&19).
Definitions
Here are some important definitions we have looked at so far:
· The word “educate” is defined as: ‘to impart knowledge by formal instruction to a pupil; to teach; to improve or develop a person’.
· The word “education” is defined as: ‘the act or process of acquiring knowledge, especially systematically during childhood or adolescence; the knowledge or training acquired by this process; the act or process of imparting knowledge, especially at a school, college or university’ (Collins Dictionary).
· Education is a process of formal instruction in a particular knowledge system and wisdom. This is what the Lord had in mind when He commissioned us to go and make disciples of nations (Matt 28:18-20).
· The word “knowledge” used in Col 2:3 is the Greek word “gnosis” and it means: “knowledge; science”.
Here is how the word “knowledge” is defined in other dictionaries:
· Knowledge is the body of truth, information, and principles acquired by humankind. Source: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/knowledge.
· Knowledge is the body of truths or facts accumulated in the course of time. Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/knowledge.
· I define Knowledge as the body of truths, principles and definitions that shape human consciousness and understanding.
Knowledge, Creation & the Fall
John 1:1-2
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. NIV
John 4:24
24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
NIV
John 1:14
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. NIV
The God who is Spirit (i.e. who cannot be seen and touched by means of mortality) existed in the beginning as the Word (logos: a system of reasoning) – i.e. the divine nature can be understood through a structured process of knowledge accumulation (the Word) and not through spooky spirituality. The very same God who is Spirit created and produced a well-structured ecosystem in accordance with His nature (Rom 1:20). Not only so, God made a well-structured human body after His spiritual nature (Gen 1:26, Gen 2:7, John 1:3).
Genesis 1:26
26 Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." NIV
Genesis 2:7
7 the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. NIV
1 Corinthians 12:18
18 But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. NIV
It is clear from the scriptures above that the creation of the human body was not a random haphazard process but there was design to it. The basis of the design was the very nature of God just as it says, “in our image, in our likeness”. The ecosystem in general, the human body and all other elements of creation are the basis of scientific knowledge known to men. You therefore cannot separate scientific knowledge from spiritual truth because God is the genesis of creation and therefore of all scientific knowledge, which is based on creation (matter).
Romans 1:20
20 For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-his eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. NIV
It is clear also that when God made creation, His intent was that man would discover principles and laws that govern creation. It is these principles and laws that we call Science today. We call them “science” because they are systematic and orderly and can be observed and understood by the human mind. Everything in creation was deliberate, just as Paul declares in 1 Cor 12:18.
Genesis 2:15-17
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
Matthew 19:4-6
4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,' 5 and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate." NIV
The creation of man was not without a release of knowledge system by God to provide a context and parameter for human existence. Matt 19:4&5 says, “the Creator made and said…” God did not leave man to define life for himself. There were a set of commands that spoke into the consciousness of man concerning life. The word “commanded” used in Gen 2:16 means “to constitute”. The idea of this word is therefore not to simply release a set of instructions and laws but to literally shape one’s consciousness and life orientation. As far back as Genesis 4, God was already warning man about sin (Gen 4:6-7). If there was sin then there was knowledge because “sin” defines a process of deviation from the prescribed law – the prescribed knowledge system. There was capacity in Cain to see that killing his brother was evil and constituted foreign behaviour in as far as the knowledge of God was concerned. So therefore it is clear that man had a knowledge system (doctrine) that regulated his behaviour and existence. The knowledge system was a set of truths, principles and definitions that God had released to man in the form of a command. The speaking of God did not simply give religious experience but resourced man for correct living in the earth. The speaking of God constituted a knowledge system for man. It was through this same knowledge system that man would derive and develop his value system, definitions of life, standards, judgements, culture and ideology. Today when God speaks, it merely amounts to a religious-spiritual encounter and not something that can speak into the nature of existence of man in the earth.
Deuteronomy 29:29
29 The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law. NIV
It is clear in Deut 29:29 that the speaking of God is the progressive accumulation of a knowledge system for the generations; it is not a sermon for a particular Sunday. It therefore needs to be administered in a particular way and be recorded properly.
The Fall
The Fall of man as recorded in Genesis 3 was nothing but the corruption of the knowledge system of God in the mind and heart of man.
Genesis 3:1-7
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
4 "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. 5 "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. NIV
Genesis 3 is not some “Sunday school imaginary story” but it’s reality. The metaphors that are used are meant to give us an idea and sight into key principles and positions that led to the fall (we will not get into that now). Throughout the scriptures, the serpent is a metaphor for Satan – who is a created and fallen spirit.
Genesis 3:1
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" NIV
The fundamental issue in the fall of man is the issue of man deviating from the knowledge system of God. Satan confronted the set knowledge systems of God, “Did God really say?” Initially, man did not fall by declaring hatred towards or by believing in the non-existence of God. Essentially, the fall was not a departure from or rejection of religion (Cain is a good example of this) but the fall was a rejection of the knowledge system of God and therefore the rejection of the government of God because God governs human life through His knowledge system (law). A new knowledge system entered human heart and mind – a knowledge system based on the philosophy of self. Look at all of the knowledge systems that have been embraced by man over time – cultural, economic etc. they are all defined by the core reality of self.
1 John 2:15-16
15 Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For everything in the world-the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does-comes not from the Father but from the world. NIV
A new knowledge system entered human heart, one based on the philosophy of self.
2 Corinthians 11:1-4
1 I hope you will put up with a little of my foolishness; but you are already doing that. 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough. NIV
The word says, “Eve was seduced”. The word “seduced” defines a crafty act. How did Satan (the serpent) deceive Eve? He deceived Eve by corrupting the knowledge system of God in her heart and mind. The word “deceived” is put alongside the word “led astray” in 2 Cor 11:3. The serpent proposed a new knowledge system based on the philosophy of self, “your eyes will be opened and you will know” the serpent said (Gen 3:4). So therefore to advance the kingdom of God in the 21st century, we do not only have to fight false Christs and theological heresy but more importantly knowledge systems of the world that are fundamentally different from the knowledge systems of the Kingdom of God. To advance the Kingdom we have to fight Capitalism in people’s minds. Therefore any building within church that focuses solely on theological heresy and “false Christs” without confronting the knowledge systems of the world that subtly govern people’s life orientation, is still ineffective and deficient.
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die."
NIV
Genesis 3:6-7
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. NIV
Romans 5:12
12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned- NIV
The fall brought sin and death. Man consumed a forbidden knowledge system based on the core reality of self and therefore died. Essentially, the principle of death is that nothing that’s built by man (through the principles of self) can be sustained in life and so therefore nothing that’s built by man has lasting impact – since the day of Gen 3:6 till today, the flowers of the field have been falling. It is only when man decides to go back to the knowledge system of God (through salvation in Christ) that he regains the ability to build systems of life that are stable and sustainable.
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