Knowledge Series #5: The matured Knowledge
There are seven Greek words that can be translated as knowledge and “to know” in English. The deeper meaning of different types of “knowledge” had been lost during the translation of the original Bible text to English. There is one knowledge that is the final goal of why we are learning. You will be blessed if you get hold of it…
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5/31/20264 min read
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
(2 Peter 1:2-4; NKJV)
In the previous post, we studied the meaning of different Greek words that can be translated as “knowledge” in the Bible. The “gnosis” knowledge puffs up because that’s just the beginning of knowing of the Lord. (See the post: Knowledge Series #3: The Greek words for Knowledge)
But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge [gnosis], to knowledge [gnosis] self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge [epignosis] of our Lord Jesus Christ.
(2 Peter 1:5-8; NKJV)
In the above passage, the first knowledge is ginosis knowledge. It represents the first-hand, and experiential knowledge in a dynamic, and intimate relationship with God. Without such gnosis knowledge, people will be destroyed. (see the post: Knowledge Series #2: Destroyed for lack of knowledge) The ginosko of Lord God is our eternal life.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge [daath=gnosis]. Because you have rejected knowledge [daath=gnosis], I also will reject you from being priest for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.
(Hosea 4:6; NKJV)
And this is eternal life, that they may know [ginosko] You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
(John 17:3; NKJV)
The second knowledge is epignosis which represents the precise, mature, deepened realization and full comprehension knowledge. Epignosis appears 20 times in the New Testament. And I believe the proper understanding of this word is critical to our salvation through Jesus Christ in this life.
God desires us to have epignosis of the truth of salvation through Jesus.
who (God) desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge [epignosis] of the truth.
(1 Timothy 2:4)
The following verse 5 and 6 explained “the truth”: there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all.
Without epignosis of God, we live in religion. One of the key phenomena of being religious is seeking to establish and relying on their own righteousness before God.
For I bear them witness that they (Israelites) have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge [epignosis]. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God.
(Romans 10:1-3; NKJV)
Grace and peace come through the epignosis of God. And we receive the ability to live a godly life thorough the epignosis of God.
The NKJV version of 2 Peter 1:2-4 is little harder to understand. The NTL translation is like this:
May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge [epignosis] of God and Jesus our Lord. By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him [epignosis], the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
You see, the grace to change our life, the peaceful living of our life, and ability to live a Godly life are all received through our epignosis of God. We beg God to meet all those needs in our life, but God had already given them to us by His divine power. The problem is on our end; we have not received it that’s because we have not come to the epignosis knowledge of God.
We reach to the epignosis of God through Christ’s gifts to the Church and the work of the Holy Spirit. Christ' gifts to the church are not gifts of the Holy Spirit but a group of people who are in five-fold ministries (or in the five different offices) to bring the church in maturity.
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge [epignosis] of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.
(Ephesians 4:11-13; NKJV)
To obtain the epignosis of God, we also need Holy Spirit who gives us wisdom (Sophia) and revelation to us. The Five Offices train us through the gifts of Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit enables us (opens our heart) to receive it through wisdom and revelation.
I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him[epignosis] better.
(1 Ephesians 1:17: NIV)
The Bible warn against the departure from the epignosis. Since the epignosis is the matured, and full knowledge about God (mainly in the salvation of this life). When we choose to depart from such knowledge, that’s deliberate rebellion against God and His salvation. Such choice of man only brings destruction.
For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge [epignosis] of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins.
(Hebrews 10:26; KJV)
For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge [epignosis] of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning.
(2 Peter 2:20; KJV)
There are people who believes "once saved always saved", there are also people who fear to lose their salvation after they get to know Jesus. The point of the argument is never about the “certainty” of the salvation, but the “obedience” to the salvation of Christ. Jesus, yesterday, today, and tomorrow is the same. He saved me from the past, He is saving me at the present, and He will save me in the future. As long as we have a humble and repented heart towards Him before our last breath. We are sure He is our Savior!
Jesus saves, and always! Praise His Holy Name!