{"id":1470,"date":"2021-03-13T23:16:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T23:16:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/?p=1470"},"modified":"2024-10-05T13:26:50","modified_gmt":"2024-10-05T13:26:50","slug":"saving-knowledge-kills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/2021\/03\/13\/saving-knowledge-kills\/","title":{"rendered":"Saving Knowledge Kills"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/span><\/p>\n

Do you have saving knowledge? Do you know everything you need to know to be saved?<\/p>\n

Nearly every Christian in the world just shouted a resounding \u201cabsolutely!\u201d<\/p>\n

And all of them are dead in their sins. Because saving knowledge does not exist. It\u2019s a myth. It\u2019s as likely to save you as the Easter Bunny.<\/p>\n

You believe that you have the right doctrines for salvation; and you couldn\u2019t be more wrong. Salvation actually has very little to do with beliefs<\/em>, and everything to do with belief.<\/em> And almost nothing to do with doctrines.<\/p>\n

\n

Revelation 2:24-25<\/span><\/strong> But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have<\/strong> already hold fast till I come.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Why didn\u2019t God care more about making sure they had all the \u201cnecessary doctrines for salvation?\u201d It wouldn\u2019t have been that hard, so why didn\u2019t He care? Because knowledge doesn\u2019t save you. What does knowledge do?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

1 Corinthians 8:1<\/span><\/strong> Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up<\/strong>, but charity edifieth.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Knowledge puffs you up. Knowledge makes you proud, makes you boast above what you are worth (<\/span>2 Corinthians 12:7<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>. See, pretty much everyone has the wrong idea about the true religion. They think there are a finite number of things you have to know<\/em> to be saved. A recipe of sorts, a checklist God marks down.<\/p>\n

For example, you have to know about the resurrections, then you have to keep the sabbath and holy days, unclean meats, and be baptized. And if you know all of \u201cthe basic doctrines,\u201d and practice them until you \u201cdie in faith,\u201d you\u2019re saved. Bang, boom, that\u2019s it.<\/p>\n

This is a hugely popular doctrine because it\u2019s extremely comfortable and very flattering. It\u2019s comfortable because it means that once you figure out what\u2019s expected of you – the routines of church, pray, tithe, fast, feast, volunteer, raise kids so they can rinse and repeat – once you do that, you\u2019ve got it made.<\/p>\n

It means that you have found the special formula for heaven, the magic incantation that, when recited correctly for a lifetime, requires God to give you immortality. And it\u2019s flattering because you\u2019re part of the only church who knows it.<\/em> And everyone else is dead in their sins because they lack this special recipe for deity!<\/p>\n

This belief is absurd – you already<\/em> know it\u2019s wrong, you just haven\u2019t thought about it. If true, it means that you\u2019re saved by works.<\/em> That you are saved because you knew, and practiced, the correct \u201cworks.\u201d What else could it mean? You had \u201csaving knowledge\u201d which led you to do all the correct \u201csaving rituals,\u201d therefore you are \u201csaved by works.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that what you believe? Do you believe that everything God has to say that matters<\/em> can be understood in a matter of a few years?<\/p>\n

So you see, you don\u2019t believe the core assumptions in the statement \u201cwe have saving knowledge,\u201d so how can you persist in believing you have saving knowledge?<\/p>\n

SAVED BY DOGMA<\/h3>\n

Do doctrines save you? Does God save people who know all the right dogmas? All the right observances, all the right facts?<\/p>\n

\n

Philippians 3:5-6<\/span><\/strong> Circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrews; as touching the law, a Pharisee; Concerning zeal, persecuting the church; touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You probably couldn\u2019t be more perfect, doctrinally, than Paul was. And the funny part is, his dogma actually was TRUE – it came from Moses. But it wasn\u2019t the whole answer! Because no one has the whole answer, which is why we PRESS ON to find it!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Paul, before his conversion, was so certain that he had ALL knowledge necessary for salvation that he murdered<\/em> people who disagreed with church dogma! It took an enormous attitude adjustment for God to get it through his head that he didn\u2019t. Is that what you want? It took decades for Paul to realize\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Philippians 3:11-14<\/span><\/strong> If by any means I might attain<\/strong> unto the resurrection of the dead. Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect<\/strong>: but I follow after, \u2026I count not myself to have apprehended<\/strong>: \u2026I press toward the mark<\/strong> for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Most people who have saving knowledge haven\u2019t even read the entire Bible. Therefore, their \u201csaving knowledge\u201d is based on knowing doctrines,<\/em> not the word of God, but special conclusions, dogmatic beliefs, drawn by other people<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Paul had been in the third heaven, taught personally by Jesus, and knew hundreds of times more than you do about God and the Bible, and HE still pressed on, growing in grace AND KNOWLEDGE, in the hopes that he MIGHT win!<\/p>\n

So the statement \u201cWe have saving knowledge,\u201d is among the most arrogant statements ever to pass human lips. And what\u2019s more, completely wrong, since no such thing exists.<\/p>\n

WHAT SAVES YOU<\/h3>\n

You might try to rephrase your belief at this point, and say \u201cwell what I mean is, if I died tomorrow I know everything I have to know to be saved.\u201d<\/em> Again, you\u2019ve missed the point. You aren\u2019t saved by what you know.<\/em><\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t saved because you know Jesus is returning, or because you know the dead will live again.<\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t saved because you know to be baptized or because you know not to keep Christmas.<\/p>\n

You aren\u2019t saved because you call Jesus your Lord, believing He died and rose again, believing He loves you\u2026 none of these save you!<\/em><\/p>\n

No, you\u2019ve missed the entire point of salvation and – ironically – proved that you don\u2019t have saving knowledge!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

1 Corinthians 13:2<\/span><\/strong> And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge<\/strong>; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing<\/strong>.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You believe you have already attained perfect knowledge – or at least, are pretty darned close to it. You\u2019re wrong, but even if you weren\u2019t, you wouldn\u2019t be saved because knowledge doesn\u2019t save you!<\/em><\/p>\n

Because you can have all knowledge<\/em> and yet be as nothing.<\/em> Therefore, knowledge doesn\u2019t save you!<\/p>\n

Likewise, you can have all faith<\/em> and be as nothing.<\/em> Therefore, faith doesn\u2019t save you! (<\/span>James 2:17<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Knowledge, works, even faith is not what saves you. But a certain amount of knowledge, like a certain amount of works, and a certain amount of faith is required to be saved. John never moved a mountain, yet was saved (<\/span>John 10:41<\/span>,<\/span> Luke 7:28<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Yet you could have all faith, and all knowledge, and be \u201cas touching the law, blameless\u201d and still not find salvation!<\/strong> <\/em>So what is the key to salvation?<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 13<\/span><\/strong> implies that you are saved by your \u201clove\u201d\u2026 which is correct, but misleading. It gives absolutely everyone the absolutely wrong idea. They all conclude that if you\u2019re just a \u201cloving person,\u201d you don\u2019t have to keep the law, or have knowledge, or have faith – you\u2019ll just be saved.<\/p>\n

You can\u2019t understand 1 Corinthians 13<\/span><\/strong>\u2019s answer unless you pair it with 1 John 4:8<\/span><\/strong> – \u201cGod is love.\u201d Adding Romans 13:8-10<\/span><\/strong>, we see that \u201clove is the fulfilling of the law.\u201d And if you add that to Genesis 1:26<\/span><\/strong>, you have the complete answer.<\/p>\n

\n

Genesis 1:26<\/span><\/strong> And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Confused? If you had saving knowledge, like you think you do, you wouldn\u2019t be.<\/p>\n

Of course, you wouldn\u2019t be saved because<\/em> you had that knowledge, but you\u2019d know what you\u2019d have to be like<\/em> to be saved. And that\u2019s why knowledge is required<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

WHAT YOU HAVE TO BE LIKE<\/h3>\n

God didn\u2019t create salvation to send men to heaven to live forever. He isn\u2019t doing this to heal the sick, raise the dead, or convert the sinners. If He was, He\u2019d be here Himself, doing the job right and not trusting your church to do it!<\/em><\/p>\n

Salvation isn\u2019t a prizeGod gives people who are \u201cgood enough.\u201d Salvation is the first step in the purpose of all creation, which is to create incorruptibly righteous beings who look like God AND act like God – and then are \u201csaved,\u201d when they are made of the same materials as God is!<\/em><\/p>\n

\n

1 John 3:2<\/span><\/strong> Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him<\/strong>; for we shall see him as he is.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So in order to be like Him, we have to act like Him<\/strong>. Since He embodies love, love is the most basic rule of His nature. And since whoever keeps the law has shown love, then the law – kept in its fullest sense – is love.<\/p>\n

God didn\u2019t give us the law as the price we must pay for salvation<\/strong>. Everyone believes the doctrines, laws, and dogmas from (or sort-of-from) the Bible are the price God asks for salvation and that isn\u2019t true<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

God gave us the Bible to help us see what He was like, so that we could practice being more like Him.<\/em> He gave us the holy spirit so we could understand it better and become even more like Him.<\/p>\n

\n

2 Corinthians 3:18<\/span><\/strong> But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

It is \u201cbeing like Him,\u201d that merits salvation.<\/u> Not keeping the right day, being baptized in the perfect manner, or knowing the precise instant the holy day begins. It\u2019s not what you do, but changing who you are to be like He is, to act like Him in every situation!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

NOT SO FAST<\/h3>\n

That does not<\/em> mean that you don\u2019t need to do those things right. It means that doing those things right won\u2019t help<\/em> unless you act like God while you\u2019re doing it. And one thing God wouldn\u2019t do<\/em> is say \u201cI have all the knowledge I need to be saved!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n

It also doesn\u2019t mean that you can stick to the \u201cbasics of faith,\u201d and ignore the rest of the Bible. Because God wouldn\u2019t do that! And the purpose of this is to learn to act like God!<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

2 Peter 3:18<\/span><\/strong> But grow in grace, and in the knowledge<\/strong> of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

God commanded us to \u201cGrow in grace and knowledge,\u201d to \u201chunger and thirst after righteousness,\u201d and does saying \u201cI know enough for salvation right now\u201d reflect a hunger for more knowledge? Or does it reflect complacent self-satisfaction that you are good enough for God right now?<\/p>\n

\n

Colossians 1:10<\/span><\/strong> That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God<\/strong>;<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Are you really INCREASING in the knowledge of God? Yes, I\u2019m sure you are – in the same way a glacier moves down the valley. But NOT the way an Olympic athlete runs towards the finish line!<\/p>\n

The common attitude in the church is \u201cI\u2019ll do<\/u> whatever I have to do<\/u>, as long as I get there, I don\u2019t care; I just want to do<\/u> whatever I have to do<\/u> to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

See how much emphasis there is on do<\/em> and not become<\/em> in that sentence? \u201cI\u2019ll DO whatever rituals You want, God. I\u2019ll put in the time, whatever You ask, I don\u2019t care.\u201d If that\u2019s your attitude, you\u2019ve missed the point!<\/em><\/p>\n

If your son comes to you and says \u201cI can\u2019t take any more studying, I don\u2019t care how good I do, I don\u2019t need to understand how math works, I just want to memorize the answers so I can pass!\u201d<\/em> \u2026Would you say \u201csure son, you know enough right now to pass the test and get a D – so go out and play!\u201d<\/p>\n

Would you really? Any parent who loved their children would tell them that memorizing the answers is not the point! If that\u2019s all you want, if you\u2019re that person who wants to do the bare minimum to squeak by into salvation – then you would HATE the Kingdom of God, because you are nothing like God!<\/strong><\/p>\n

Can you imagine God is the sort of person who aims for the bare minimum?<\/strong> Salvation is not about putting in time, finding the right rituals, the perfect prayer, the holiest church, the most selfless sacrifices. This is about changing who you are. One piece at a time, line upon line and precept upon precept<\/em> (<\/span>Isaiah 28:10<\/span>)<\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

And you can never stop doing that if you expect to be saved.<\/strong> You have no idea the depths of evil that still lurk in your heart which you have to overcome. You don\u2019t know where it will strike next, or how much more work you still have to do. You won\u2019t know that until you look in the Bible and compare it to your actions.<\/p>\n

How do you know that understanding the symbolism of the temple won\u2019t show you a deep flaw in your character?<\/strong> How do you know that fully understanding the meaning of Leviticus 16<\/span><\/strong> won\u2019t provide you with an essential key to overcoming your selfish nature?<\/p>\n

How do you know that fully understanding Psalm 69<\/span><\/strong> won\u2019t totally revolutionize your understanding of the nature of Christ – and therefore, completely revise your idea of what God wants you to be like?<\/p>\n

Dismissing anything<\/em> you don\u2019t know as \u201cnot necessary for salvation\u201d is like burning all the books because you already how to read<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\u201cBUT I\u2019M NOT A SCHOLAR\u201d<\/h3>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s no big deal, you\u2019ve only been coming to church for a few weeks, these things take time. The Bible is a big book. Oh\u2026 you\u2019ve been coming to church for 30 years. Umm\u2026 that\u2019s different, because it\u2019s not that<\/em> big of a book. What have you been DOING with your time??\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Hebrews 5:12<\/span> For when for the time ye ought to be teachers<\/em><\/strong>, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t care about knowing the deep things in the Bible, I\u2019m not a scholar\u201d; \u201cI disagree with you, but I can\u2019t prove it because I\u2019m not a scholar,\u201d \u201cI don\u2019t know chapter and verse, but I know what it says.\u201d I can\u2019t even count the number of times I\u2019ve heard this in the church. Solomon heard it too, and said\u2026<\/p>\n

\n

Proverbs 26:16<\/span><\/strong> The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men that can render a reason.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You believe that the basic principles of the doctrine of Christ are \u201csaving knowledge.\u201d But Paul said those are only the merest foundation, the jumping-off point of \u201cperfection.\u201d And anyone who settles for them is lazy, conceited, and arrogant<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\n

Hebrews 6:1<\/span><\/strong> Therefore LEAVING the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Every church I\u2019ve ever attended has a few dozen topics they rehearse over and over, week after week, time after time. Faith, brotherly love, forgiveness, salvation, thankfulness, reconciliation, mercy, you know the drill. These are all the most basic doctrines.<\/p>\n

How long are you planning to hang around in those comfortable basic principles, hearing them read and re-read every week, until you \u201cgo on to perfection?\u201d Your entire church should have moved beyond these – and every member should have been ready to teach them to others – YEARS ago! Because there is SOOOOO MUCH more to know!<\/p>\n

\n

Isaiah 28:9-10<\/span><\/strong> Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

You CAN\u2019T understand what you need to know without moving BEYOND these kindergarten doctrines! You act like you have the \u201csaving knowledge\u201d to graduate college\u2026 but you aren\u2019t even ready for the first grade because you still suckle milk week after week!<\/p>\n

\n

Hebrews 5:13<\/span><\/strong> For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION<\/h3>\n

Polishing a mirror for a telescope involves taking a lumpy, opaque, and scarred piece of glass and scratching it in a very controlled fashion. Once you have it consistently rough scratched, you scratch it with dozens of ever-finer grits, until to the naked eye it\u2019s flawless. But it\u2019s not flawless, not even then – it\u2019s usable, even \u201cgood,\u201d but it\u2019s not flawless – just flawless to your human senses.<\/p>\n

Your Christian life is not a short checklist of \u201cmust-do\u201d acts and \u201cmust-know\u201d doctrines, and \u201cmust-believe\u201d articles of faith you must confess. That\u2019s what false Christianity is – a list of things to do, know, and confess.<\/p>\n

Instead, your Christian life is about changing to be more like God with every moment. That means your life is an unending chain of revelation, and each new piece of understanding must be compared to your actions and then you must change accordingly.<\/em><\/p>\n

Each new piece of understanding must be allowed to correct you, and change you, and this process will never stop.<\/strong> Each new piece of understanding is truly life-threatening, for at any point if you say \u201cI\u2019m good enough now, this last piece doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d then that piece matters more than any other piece ever has.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t care which doctrines you believe in. Doctrines are there to help you act like Him, nothing more. Because of that, the right doctrines are very useful – because they point the way to God. But keeping the doctrines<\/em> won\u2019t save you, it just makes it a little easier to see what you must be like to be saved.<\/p>\n

God doesn\u2019t care how much you know. He cares how well you obey what you already know,<\/em> and how eagerly you seek to know more.<\/em> As long as God is convinced that you will continue diligently searching for knowledge indefinitely, and will gladly embrace any<\/em> correction you find in that new knowledge\u2026 that\u2019s all He needs.<\/p>\n

\n

Genesis 22:12<\/span><\/strong> And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Because Abraham had done this, God knew there was absolutely and literally nothing<\/em> Abraham wouldn\u2019t do to obey the truth – and therefore, that Abraham was completely like God.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Not in doctrine, not in faith, not knowledge\u2026 but Abraham acted completely like God would have acted under those circumstances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Knowledge and salvation are as connected as oil and automobiles. Sure, you need some oil to keep a car running – but to say you have oil, therefore you can make an automobile is idiotic. So is everyone who says they have the necessary knowledge for salvation.<\/p>\n

There is no such thing as saving knowledge, because the knowledge that is required for salvation\u2026<\/p>\n

Is the very next thing God teaches you.<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you have saving knowledge? Do you know everything you need to know to be saved? Nearly every Christian in the world just shouted a resounding \u201cabsolutely!\u201d And all of them are dead in their…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1832,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[19,24,37],"class_list":["post-1470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-coolest","tag-deception","tag-doctrine","tag-salvation"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1470"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2313,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1470\/revisions\/2313"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1832"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thesimpleanswers.com\/articles\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}