Knowledge – BT7: New Covenant Way to know God & do His Will is completely different-in-kind
Knowledge – BT7: New Covenant Way to know God & do His Will is completely different-in-kind
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No amount of philosophical or human sophia wisdom or sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ rational inductive understanding gathered second-hand from reading, studying, memorizing, or debating the gramma writings of the bible, which are at best documentation of other people’s first-hand experiences, or learned from “wise and learned” bible teachers in order to acquire doctrinal and theological gnosis info-knowledge ABOUT God will ever produce a genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of God, His will, or the ability to carry this out in righteous, holy or sanctified, godly living.
Jesus said “Woe to you experts of the Law! You have airo lifted-up/taken-away the key to gnosis info-knowledge! You did not enter yourselves and you hindered those who are entering” (a)! Wait a second! Weren’t these the experts of diagnosing scripture – “determining its nature or cause of it” and experts of religious info? Paul criticized the Jewish teachers of the Torah Law of conditional-favor for being “educators . . . teachers . . . of the Law that have the essential-features of gnosis info-knowledge” but “you do not teach yourself. You who preach against stealing, do you steal?” (b), so Paul warns Timothy to “avoid the profane chatter and absurdities of so-called gnosis knowledge” (c), which is likely even a stab against the Gnostic philosophies surrounding them. Paul says ALL this gnosis info-knowledge only “puffs up your head” (d)! <Notes> a) Luke 11:52, b) Romans 2:20-21, c) 1 Timothy 6:20, d) 1 Corinthians 8:1.
Instead Paul urgently proseuchomai conversationally-prayed for Christians “to be strengthened with enabling-power thru-the-realizing-channel-of God’s Spirit in their inward being, that Christ may dwell in their hearts through trusting-relying-faith . . . to experientially, relationally ginosko know the unconditional-love of/belonging-to Christ that hyperbolically-surpasses gnosis knowledge” (a). That’s why despite the fact that he was a “Pharisee of Pharisees,” he “considered all these things [he had acquired] as liabilities compared to ‘holding to have the hyperbolically surpassing’ value of the gnosis knowledge of/belonging-to Christ Jesus my Lord” (g). But then what is this “gnosis of/belonging-to Christ” that is worth dropping everything for, that requires ginosko experiential, relational knowledge to acquire it? <Notes> a) Ephesians 3:16-19, b) Philippians 3:8.
There is a completely different-in-kind gnosis knowledge available in the New Covenant! It is “the fragrance of the gnosis knowledge of Christ” (a); the “gnosis knowledge of salvation” (b); the “every kind of gnosis knowledge that we were already made rich in Him” by (c); for “in Him are hidden ALL the treasures of wisdom and/coupled gnosis knowledge” (d); a “gnosis knowledge of God” that “all arrogant thoughts/arguments raised against this” would be “taken captive of to obey Christ” (e); This “gnosis knowledge” is closely related to “prophecy and mysteries” (f) “tongues, revelation, prophecy, and teaching” (g), for as Christians we can even “give a logos message of gnosis knowledge” to another since this is a grace-gift of the Spirit. In fact, all these are grace-gifts for Body-of-Christ ministry. <Notes> a) 2 Corinthians 2:14, b) Luke 1:77, c) 1 Corinthians 1:5, d) Colossians 2:3, e) 2 Corinthians 10:5, f) 1 Corinthians 13:2, g) 1 Corinthians 14:6.
Paul knows that the Romans already have the gnosis knowledge necessary to admonish (a) reciprocally one another” (b), for “God who said ‘let light shine out of darkness’ is the One who has already shined-as-a-lamp in our heart pros ‘toward and interfacing with’ the photismos ‘Source of light illumination’ of/belonging-to the glorious gnosis knowledge of/belonging-to God in the face of Christ” (c), of which Paul says: “Oh, the depth of the riches and/coupled wisdom and/coupled gnosis knowledge of/belonging-to God” (d). <Notes> a) noutheteo: ‘placing in the mind of’ – urgent reasoning by instruction and warning, b) Romans 15:14, c) 2 Corinthians 4:6, d) Romans 11:33.
Peter says we need to “to continually increase our gnosis knowledge” (a), by “adding it to our trusting-relying-faith” to “keep you from becoming ineffective and unproductive in your pursuit of your genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (b); Paul says some Corinthians “have excelled in everything – in trusting-relying-faith, in logos messages, in gnosis knowledge” (c), yet some evidently didn’t have the gnosis knowledge that it was okay to eat food sacrificed to idols, so they were “weak-in-The-Trusting-Relying-Faith” and thus in “sin” if they still ate it (d). <Notes> a) 2 Peter 3:18, this gnosis knowledge is what “of/belongs-to the Lord and/coupled Savior Jesus Christ.” b) 2 Peter 1:5-8, c) 2 Corinthians 8:7, d) 1 Corinthians 8:7, 10.
The secret mysteries of the kingdom of God are actually kept hidden from the so-called “wise and understanding” people and those that simply don’t care (a) – that’s really bad news for them! They are only apokalupto revealed/uncovered or optanomai gazed-upon in awe with wide-open eyes first-hand through directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words, visions, and dreams (b) to be eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know (c), directly to the “least among you” as promised for the completely-different-in-kind NEW Covenant (d) – those who are willing to be like lowly little children (e), who are relentless in their asking and waiting for answers. Will we be one of them? <Notes> a) Matthew 11:25, 13:11; Luke 8:10, 10:21, b) Acts 2:17-19, c) the way prophets “saw” the knowledge of God, d) LXX Jeremiah 31:34, e) Matthew 11:25; 18:3, 19:14.
Directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words of God are the Way that Jesus, all NT apostles, and all OT and NT prophets of God ever learned from God! Zoe genuine-life can only be acquired by experientially, relationally ginosko knowing the Father and the Son (a). Jesus said, no amount of “diligently searching the scriptures, supposing/opinionating that by them we may find/hold onto zoe genuine-life” will help, because they simply “testify/witness to COME TO ME for zoe genuine-life” (b). The OT scriptures have already served their purpose to the Jews! Jesus said, “For all the Prophets and the Torah Law [of conditional-favor ]prophesied UNTIL John [the Baptist] appeared” (c), and Jesus added “SINCE THEN the ‘Great News’ gospel of the kingdom of God is preached and/coupled everyone is biazo [reflexively] agressively-forcing their way into it in order to advance it” (d). Huge crowds had to press thru the masses of people to get close to Jesus to even hear Him preach. The OT was finished and the NT began! <Notes> a) John 17:3, b) John 5:39-40, c) Matthew 11:13, d) Luke 16:16.
All this scholarly “work of studying manuscripts” and all the “works of righteousness” by obeying OT commandments for godliness/holiness, Jesus says in context is ALL “the flesh [that is] absolutely-in-fact-NOT opheleo ‘useful, beneficial, helpful, advantageous, profitable for” absolutely-in-fact-NO thing” – only My directly-spoken/heard prophetic rhema words are ongoingly Spirit and/coupled are ongoingly zoe genuine-life” (a). Only by turning back to the Lord through repentance; resting from our works by resting in His righteousness; being still in devoted, patiently waiting, watching, quietly-listening, worshipful, proseuche conversational-prayer; and simply having trusting-relying-faith will we find strength and salvation – this study of the knowledge of God will show hundreds of verses that say this! Paul says “whether you obey the Torah Law of conditional-favor [as Jews do] or not [as Gentiles don’t] counts for absolutely-in-fact-NO thing – only trusting-relying-faith working through unconditional-love” (b) – See Only 2 Commandments. Yet, I run into so many Christians and churches that either don’t know this or refuse to let go! <Notes> a) John 6:63, b) Galatians 5:6.
In fact, “The Promise” of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34, Isaiah 30:1-30, and other passages is that God will be eido mentally ‘seen’ to perceive/know, horao observed/perceived-known/discerned (a), even optanomai gazed at in awe with wide-open-eyes, and akouo heard/listened to be understood/known by ALL His actual people, but this happens first by “the least among” His people as He works His way down to the “greatest among you” (b). And “absolutely in fact and in possibility NO LONGER will any man need to teach another to experientially, relationally yada/ginosko know the Lord” (b). That’s because they “shall ALL be taught by God” (c). This is a radical diversion from the Old Testament way that the knowledge of God was disseminated, taught from “the greatest to the least” – from Moses to Aaron, his Sons, down to the Levitical priests, down to the men of other tribes, down to the women in the house, down to the children, and finally to the slaves and Gentile proselytes. Now God has bypassed man entirely and starts from the bottom up! No more stone tablets, scrolls, books, or middle men to copy or interpret them – no more transmission errors or even teachers needed! This is completely different-in-kind and unprecedented indeed! <Notes> a) For more about discernment – see New Covenant Ways – BT16, b) Jeremiah 31:34, cf. 1 John 2:20, 27, c) John 6:45; presently/ongoingly: 1 Thessalonians 4:9; Isaiah 54:13.
What’s our part to play? In Colossians 4:2 Paul exhorts Christians: “Ongoingly be earnest towards (a) proseuche conversational-prayer, habitually watching (b) in it with thanksgiving.” Why? Because he understands that if we pray like he did, we can also be filled with the genuine, full, experiential, relational epignosis knowledge of God’s will, as Paul said earlier in Colossians 1:9-12, “We have not ceased to proseuchomai conversationally-pray for you and/coupled aiteo ‘asking, requesting, requiring, or demanding as from a familiar/equal party position not as subordinate’ in order that you might be filled with the genuine, full, experiential, relational, epignosis knowledge of God’s will by all [kinds of] Spirit-kind-of sophia wisdom and/coupled sunesis ‘connect-the-dots’ understanding.” Clearly this is how we “learn, discern, or understand” God’s will – through revelation by the means of the Spirit! But the whole process starts with proseuche conversational-prayer! For more about this, see Spirit-Baptism – BT5 and – BT8. <Notes> a) persevere, diligent, attend assiduously, b) staying awake, alert, attentive, vigilant.
Reflections:
As Christian musicians, diagnostic analysis of the bible to acquire gnosis info-knowledge ABOUT God is a set of keys that will never open the door to genuinely, fully knowing God. The true gnosis of God is found only in God/Christ, taught to us directly by Him as the Holy Spirit, but never found in a book ABOUT Him. God gave 1 way to acquire this – given to the prophet, not the scholar. Direct contact that produces experiential knowledge through prophetic rhema via visions and dreams is the only set of keys that will work! We must be all be “taught by God” if any of the knowledge is to be genuine! All that the scholars have to show for their study is an ego. But they will never find or take hold of genuine-life, no matter how long they “suppose/opinionate” that their “diligent searching/study” will do this for them.
The “secrets of the kingdom will be kept hidden from the so-called ‘wise and understanding ones’ but revealed to simple, uneducated, trusting little children” or “those who become like a little child.” The written letters of God have served their purpose – to prepare the Jews to COME TO Jesus. Why are we insisting on more letters when “the promise” was that “ALL God’s men and women servants shall indeed prophesy” and so “ALL shall eido mentally ‘see’ God to perceive/know Him” so “absolutely in fact and in possibility NO LONGER will anybody need to be taught to know the Lord?” That’s why 1 John 2:20, 27 insists that you shouldn’t even be listening to other teachers because you have the anointing that teaches you everything! That’s “the promise” – not more writings and teachers to explain them!
Habitually asking, seeking, knocking, and waiting in proseuche conversational-prayer is the only “work” or “devotion” we can do to know God or His will for us, the only part we play in the process, and the rest is up to the Spirit of God to teach us and empower us to please the Lord. That way God gets all the credit! This certainly does take trusting-relying-faith to draw near to God UNTIL He draws near to us. Thus the righteous shall live by faith, not by physical sight of letters, from one step to the other.
Spiritual Education, Knowledge of God and His Will, New Covenant Way completely different-in-kind than Old, No human reading study wisdom philosophy debate of writings can truly know God or His Will, Jesus criticized the bible-students and teachers, the power is thru the Spirit inwardly thru faith and relationship, experiential knowledge surpasses human gnosis factual-knowledge, the gnosis factual-knowledge inside God is not learned by reading but by the Spirit illumination, the gnosis knowledge of God is related to trusting depending faith, secret mysteries of the kingdom revealed to those like little children, We learn from the voice of Christ, We learn from His Spirit’s prophetic rhema words, bible-study to get genuine-life is a false objective, bible-study and works to please God is the weak impotent flesh, Only Christ’s prophetic Rhema is Spirit and genuine-life, conversational-prayer is our relentless devotion to hear & see from God