Faith as Knowledge: An Interactive Relationship with Christ
Summary
In today's world, the concept of knowledge, especially the knowledge of Christ, is often misunderstood or undervalued. Many people perceive faith and knowledge as opposing forces, believing that faith is a leap beyond evidence. However, this is not a scriptural view. Faith, as described in the Bible, is a form of knowledge—specifically, knowledge of the spiritual and invisible world. It is not opposed to knowledge but to sight. Our modern world often restricts knowledge to what is visible, leaving us disconnected from the most important aspects of life, such as love, truth, and beauty, which are not visible in a straightforward sense.
Eternal life, as described in John 17:3, is the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not merely cognitive but is an interactive relationship. True knowledge involves an interactive relationship, much like the effect of writing something out, which engages the whole body and mind more deeply than just hearing it. This interactive relationship is what God refers to when He speaks of knowing His people. In our culture, there is a tendency to equate professing belief with actual belief, which leads to a superficial understanding of faith.
Knowledge, truth, belief, and commitment are distinct yet interconnected concepts. Knowledge allows us to represent things as they are, based on truth. Belief is acting as if something is true, while commitment is acting as if you believe it. Confusing commitment with belief leads to a lack of genuine faith. True belief results in a self-starting faith that does not require constant external reinforcement.
The answers to life's fundamental questions—what is reality, who is well-off, who is a good person, and how to become a good person—are found in the teachings of Jesus Christ. Reality is God and His kingdom. A truly blessed person is one who is alive in the kingdom of God. A good person is one who is filled with agape love, the will to do good for others. To become a good person, one must apprentice themselves to Jesus, learning to live as He would in their circumstances. This interactive relationship with Christ is the essence of eternal life and the foundation of true knowledge.
Key Takeaways:
- Faith as Knowledge: Faith is not a blind leap but a form of knowledge about the spiritual and invisible world. It is opposed to sight, not knowledge, and involves an interactive relationship with God. [02:20]
- Eternal Life as Knowledge: Eternal life is described as the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ. This knowledge is not just cognitive but involves an interactive relationship that deeply engages the whole person. [05:18]
- The Importance of Truth: Truth is essential for knowledge. Without truth, belief becomes unreliable. Truth allows us to represent reality accurately and prevents evil by bringing it into the light. [17:15]
- Belief and Commitment: Belief is acting as if something is true, while commitment is acting as if you believe it. Confusing the two leads to a superficial faith that lacks genuine conviction. [23:16]
- Living in the Kingdom of God: To be truly blessed and a good person, one must live in the kingdom of God, filled with agape love. This involves apprenticing oneself to Jesus and learning to live as He would in one's circumstances. [45:30]
Youtube Chapters:
- [00:00] - Welcome
- [00:19] - Introduction to Knowledge of Christ
- [01:02] - Faith and Knowledge
- [02:03] - Knowledge in Scripture
- [03:41] - Eternal Life as Knowledge
- [05:31] - Interactive Relationship
- [07:41] - Writing and Learning
- [09:17] - Belief vs. Profession
- [11:38] - Perishing for Lack of Knowledge
- [14:16] - Understanding Knowledge
- [16:46] - Truth and Belief
- [19:59] - The Importance of Truth
- [22:42] - Commitment vs. Belief
- [25:06] - Confession and Belief
- [38:23] - Fundamental Life Questions
- [40:07] - Jesus' Answers to Life's Questions
- [45:30] - Apprenticing to Jesus
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 17:3 - "Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent."
2. Hosea 4:6 - "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge."
3. Romans 10:9 - "If you declare with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."
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Observation Questions:
1. According to John 17:3, how is eternal life defined in terms of knowledge? How does this differ from a purely cognitive understanding? [05:06]
2. In the sermon, what is described as the relationship between faith and knowledge? How does this contrast with the modern view of faith as a leap beyond evidence? [01:27]
3. How does the sermon explain the difference between belief and commitment? What are the implications of confusing the two? [23:16]
4. What examples from the sermon illustrate the importance of truth in preventing evil and accurately representing reality? [19:09]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of eternal life as an interactive relationship with God challenge or affirm your current understanding of faith? [05:18]
2. In what ways does the sermon suggest that modern society's restriction of knowledge to the visible world impacts our understanding of spiritual truths? [02:36]
3. How does the sermon’s explanation of belief and commitment inform our understanding of genuine faith? What might this mean for someone struggling with their faith? [23:16]
4. How does the sermon’s discussion of truth relate to the biblical passage in Hosea 4:6 about perishing for lack of knowledge? What does this imply about the role of truth in our spiritual lives? [11:58]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on your own understanding of faith. Do you see it as a form of knowledge or as a leap beyond evidence? How might this perspective affect your daily walk with God? [01:27]
2. Consider the interactive relationship with God described in the sermon. What practical steps can you take to deepen this relationship in your own life? [05:18]
3. Think about a time when you confused commitment with belief. How did this affect your actions or decisions? What can you do to ensure your commitments are based on genuine belief? [23:16]
4. Identify an area in your life where you might be relying on sight rather than faith. How can you shift your focus to embrace the unseen spiritual realities? [02:36]
5. The sermon emphasizes the importance of truth in preventing evil. How can you cultivate a love for truth in your personal and spiritual life? What changes might this require? [19:09]
6. Reflect on the four fundamental life questions discussed in the sermon. How do your current beliefs align with the answers provided by Jesus? What adjustments might be necessary to align more closely with His teachings? [38:23]
7. Consider the idea of apprenticing yourself to Jesus. What specific actions can you take to learn from Him and live as He would in your circumstances? [45:30]
Devotional
Day 1: Faith as Spiritual Knowledge
Faith is not a blind leap but a profound form of knowledge about the spiritual and invisible world. It is not opposed to knowledge but to sight, inviting believers into an interactive relationship with God. In a world that often limits knowledge to what is visible, faith challenges us to engage with the unseen realities of love, truth, and beauty. This understanding of faith as knowledge encourages a deeper connection with the divine, transcending the superficial boundaries of sight and evidence. [02:20]
"For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7, ESV)
Reflection: In what areas of your life are you relying solely on what you can see? How can you begin to trust in the unseen aspects of God's presence and promises today?
Day 2: Eternal Life as an Interactive Relationship
Eternal life, as described in John 17:3, is the knowledge of God and Jesus Christ, which is not merely cognitive but involves an interactive relationship that deeply engages the whole person. This relationship is akin to the effect of writing something out, which engages the body and mind more deeply than just hearing it. Knowing God in this way means experiencing His presence and guidance in every aspect of life, leading to a fuller understanding of eternal life as a dynamic and ongoing interaction with the divine. [05:18]
"And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent." (John 17:3, ESV)
Reflection: How can you cultivate a more interactive relationship with God today? What practices can you incorporate into your daily routine to engage more deeply with His presence?
Day 3: The Essential Role of Truth
Truth is essential for knowledge, as it allows us to represent reality accurately and prevents evil by bringing it into the light. Without truth, belief becomes unreliable, leading to a distorted understanding of reality. In a world where truth is often subjective, embracing the truth of God's word provides a solid foundation for genuine faith and understanding. This commitment to truth challenges believers to seek and uphold what is real and just, aligning their lives with the divine reality. [17:15]
"Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth." (John 17:17, ESV)
Reflection: What is one area in your life where you struggle to discern truth? How can you seek God's guidance to bring clarity and understanding to this area today?
Day 4: Distinguishing Belief from Commitment
Belief is acting as if something is true, while commitment is acting as if you believe it. Confusing the two leads to a superficial faith that lacks genuine conviction. True belief results in a self-starting faith that does not require constant external reinforcement. This distinction encourages believers to examine the depth of their faith and commitment, ensuring that their actions align with their professed beliefs and lead to a more authentic and resilient faith journey. [23:16]
"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves." (James 1:22, ESV)
Reflection: Reflect on a belief you hold about God. How can you demonstrate a deeper commitment to this belief through your actions today?
Day 5: Living in the Kingdom of God
To be truly blessed and a good person, one must live in the kingdom of God, filled with agape love. This involves apprenticing oneself to Jesus and learning to live as He would in one's circumstances. This interactive relationship with Christ is the essence of eternal life and the foundation of true knowledge. By embodying agape love and aligning one's life with the teachings of Jesus, believers can experience the fullness of life in God's kingdom and become conduits of His love and grace in the world. [45:30]
"Whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked." (1 John 2:6, ESV)
Reflection: What is one practical way you can apprentice yourself to Jesus today, living out His teachings in your current circumstances?
Quotes
Faith, as described in the Bible, is a kind of knowledge. It is a kind of knowledge with the spiritual and invisible world. Faith is opposed to sight in the scripture, not to knowledge. And the fact that we have a world in which increasingly knowledge is restricted to sight is one of the primary problems for human beings in our world. [00:02:07]
Eternal life is knowledge. And if you, I see a number of you have your Bibles there, and you might want to just look at John 17:3. Eternal life, Jesus in this great prayer of his, eternal life is knowledge of God and of Jesus his son. It's knowledge of. [00:03:58]
When the Bible speaks of knowledge, it is referring to interactive relationship. Knowledge is interactive relationship. And I think you can tie on to that pretty fast because the things that we know best are always the things that we have an interactive relationship with, isn't it? [00:06:09]
Professing to believe the truth is even weaker than actually believing them. And what we have done in our culture is water things down even further so that we now mistake belief or profession of belief for belief. And if you're taught that God would like it if you profess to believe that Jesus is alive right now and running the universe, you might say, okay, I'll say that. [00:09:07]
Knowledge requires truth because if you don't have truth, then you can't, you're not representing things as they are. You have to have truth if you're going to have knowledge. And if you don't have truth, you can still have belief. The belief doesn't make things true. That's one of the tragedies of our day is that people confuse truth with belief. [00:17:14]
When you commit to something, you act as if you believed it. You can commit yourself to something which you don't believe, but that means you're going to act as if you believed it. Now let me tell you one of the greatest tragedies in modern life: people confuse commitment with belief. [00:22:43]
If you will confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, that is, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. In fact, you'll be off like a rocket if you believe in your heart. That means you're ready to act as if he were raised from the dead. [00:25:06]
Eternal life, see, to have an eternal life means to have a life that is caught up in what God is doing in such a way that it can't be separated from what he is. Now, my life and your life can be, I mean, the one we actually live. I don't mean some ideal that we're not doing. [00:27:19]
The answers to these questions that Jesus Christ gives, and I want to tell you that these answers constitute knowledge, not just belief, and not just commitment. They're very simple. You already know them. I'm just going to remind you of them. What is reality? God in his kingdom. That's reality. [00:39:48]
A really good person is anyone who is pervaded with agape love. Agape love means the will to good, the will for the benefit of the person loved. We say we love chocolate cake, but we don't. We want to eat it, and that is not love. That's something else. [00:44:07]
Apprentice yourself to Jesus Christ. Become an apprentice in kingdom living. Learn how to live in the kingdom of God as he lived in the kingdom of God. As Jesus's disciple, I'm learning from him how to lead my life as he would lead my life if he were I. [00:45:30]
Jesus comes into the world and he brings us knowledge of reality that enables us to begin to step into this eternal life that is an interactive relationship with him where we are. And that interactive relationship now, remember I said knowledge is the ability to represent things as they are on an appropriate basis of thought and experience. [00:47:38]
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