The price of ignorance and the glory of knowledge in the word of God.

The price of ignorance and the glory of knowledge in the word of God.

What is the biggest hindrance to spiritual growth and maturity? Unbelief? No! It's ignorance of the word of God.

Rom 10:3  For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

Eph 4:18  Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

The bible says that faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. So, you don't have to hear the word of God to be in unbelief, you just have to not hear it. The root of unbelief is ignorance of the word. Paul said, "I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief." Ignorance fosters unbelief.

In Romans 14, Paul spoke of those who were weak in faith, contrasted by those who were stronger in faith. Did you notice how much this comparison has to do with knowledge? Do you know why the weak brother can't eat meat from the idol's temple? Because his doubts arise from the knowledge that the idol is a god. He's weakness in the faith is not a matter of unbelief. It’s simply a lack of knowledge.

Knowledge and faith go hand in hand. Faith is not subject to you. You don’t generate faith in yourself or choose to believe by your own willpower. Faith is produced by knowing the truth; by hearing and understanding the word of God. The reason why many believers remain babes and children in Christ, is because they neglect the very source of the knowledge of God, the Bible!

It would suffice to say that the carnality of the Corinthian babes was due to their lack of knowledge of Paul’s teachings, 1Cor 3:1-2. Similarly, the believers in Galatia were unable to grow past spiritual childhood because they chose to replace the liberating knowledge of the mystery doctrine with laws that weighed them down and held them in bondage, Gal 5:1-4.

The epistles of Paul are presented to us in the bible as a spiritual curriculum that grows us from carnal babes to sons of God who show forth the example of Christ. To grow up spiritually means that we study the word of God as it is presented in this curriculum. When we do this, knowledge will replace ignorance, faith will replace unbelief, and a spiritual walk will replace carnal living.

Let’s take heed of the advice of Paul and recognise that to come to the knowledge of the truth is the most important thing we can do as believers,

Col 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; 10  That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;

Col 3:10  … put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him: