Knowledge is Power part 1
I think G.I. Joe had it right: Knowing is half the battle. And I think the other half is believing. When you know and believe something (specifically, the love of Christ), that's when it becomes REAL to you. And I think that's the proper order too. Because you can't believe something you don't know. Not really. You can have a head knowledge of something, but what you need is a HEART knowledge. As the old saying goes, "A man with an experience is never at the mercy of a man with an argument." 1 John 4:16 puts it like this, "And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." We HAVE known and believed. Past tense. That's the ultimate truth of the universe that the Holy Spirit leads and guides us into. We know it. And because we know it we can believe it. The tricky part is understanding it. Testing the height, and length, and depth, and breadth of it. But look at 1 Timothy 1:8-10, "Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partakers of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." See what I'm saying? The gift of God was given to us before the world began. Its ALL past tense. Because history is HIS story. The Lamb was from the foundation of the world. Before there was ever a sinner, there was a Savior. Before we ever swallowed the serpent's lie (that we have to do in order to be) we KNEW the truth. 1 John 2:20 says, "But ye have an unction form the Holy One, and ye know all things." We know all things, but we don't understand everything we know. That's why we rely on the Holy Spirit to be our teacher. The gospel has brought life and immortality to light. And knowledge is power. If you know what you've got--if you know WHO YOU ARE--then you can experience that gift. You can BE who you are. Not by trying to be someone you're not, but by embracing your true identity. Which is Jesus. Which is love. Jesus is God in the flesh. Love in a body. God in YOUR flesh. Love in YOUR body. He is the WORD made flesh. And that Word is love. That's what we know. "Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so." The gospel has brought it to light. And we ARE that light. Because HE is that light. Anything that declares anything other than Jesus and the finished work of the cross and God's love for you... quite frankly... is NOT the gospel. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I have all the answers. I don't. A lot of times when someone asks me a question I have to shake my head and say, "I don't know." But at the same time, I DO know what 1 Corinthians 2:2 says: "For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified." I don't have every answer to every question. But I KNOW--with a knowledge that passes knowledge--the Truth. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16)! And when we start there, and build on that foundation, everything else starts to make sense...