Knowledge Verses Relationship
By Sandra Moats
Knowledge has been around since the beginning of time when God created
the heavens and the earth. The pursuit of knowledge began in the
Garden of Eden. The tree of knowledge of good and evil was, created
by God. It was placed in the Garden of Eden and man was given a
choice to obey God or seek the part of knowledge that God wanted to
keep us from; the knowledge of good and evil. Ge 2:9.
Everything God made was good in the beginning of creation. Ge 1:4,
10, 18,21,25,31. God gave knowledge of abilities to Adam so he
could name all the animals. Ge 2:20. Although some place the credit
of knowledge to smart men who have applied learning to their lives it
actually is granted to us by the Lord. 2 Ch 1:12. For those who have
acquired knowledge there is the Biblical warning that it puffs up so
it must be held hand in hand with the fear of the Lord, which is the
beginning of wisdom.” I Co 8:1; Pr 9:10. Knowledge when used in a
positive way is a stepping stone to becoming wise.
It was prophesied in Daniel 12:4 that in the end time’s knowledge
would increase upon the earth. It is interesting to know that
relationships have decreased as knowledge has increased. We live in
the hour of broken relationships, broken marriages, broken families
and broken promises.
Setting out to have knowledge of the love of Christ far surpasses all
other knowledge pursuits. Php 3:8 When we step into the path of
being born again we meet the Lord personally. The fruit of that
relationship brings an increase in our knowledge of God and His ways.
Col 1:10. As we walk hand in hand with Him we grow in grace and
knowledge that bring glory to Him in blessing others. 2Pe 3:18
Knowledge about the Bible and even knowledge about Jesus Christ does
not save a person. There are many Bible scholars that have a strong
working knowledge of the Bible and about the life of Jesus Christ and
His works, but do not know Him. It is like studying about a famous
person, such as the Princess Kate, who many people are keenly
interested in yet they do not know her personally. Our relationship
with Jesus Christ is what saves us.
We accept Jesus Christ by faith and are grafted into the vine. We
have a choice to grow on that living vine by coming to know Him or we
can pursue only knowledge about Him. If we pursue knowledge about Him
instead of living daily communicating with Him we will become a dry,
dead branch only to be thrown away in the end. Joh 15:6.
It is all about relationship with Jesus Christ that our salvation
rests upon. We are called to abide with Him, that means to live with
Him in our hearts vibrantly. If we do that we will bear good fruit.
Joh 15:4, 5. We have to come to the saving knowledge that apart from
Him we can do nothing. He is the Source of our live, everything we do
and everything we are is because of Him in our lives.
Every year we plant a large garden. The warmth of summer grows the
garden well just as our relationship with Jesus grows the fruit of the
Spirit in our lives. But we have a short growing season in north
Idaho and every year we lose much of our produce because of the early
cold weather. If you never come into a relationship with Jesus
Christ, though the seed was planted with you’re asking Him into your
life, it will not grow. If you do develop a relationship with Him
and then let it go for only knowledge about Him the cold will set in
and your fruit will never come harvest. Fruit remains immature if
relationship is never formed past knowledge of the Word. Lu 8:14.
Knowledge knows the Bible, knows about Jesus, but lacks to have the
relationship with Him which is necessary for the fruits to be set in
the believer’s life.
The mark of a true Christian is their fruits. Mt 7:16. The fruits
of the Sprit are, “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.” Gal 5:22, 23. We are not
judged by our leaves or flowers, but by our fruit. The fruits of the
Sprit come from relationship with Jesus Christ. We may profess Jesus
Christ as our Savior, but the fruit of our life, how we talk and act,
will stamp the final decision. Mt 7:20. If our life is found in Him
we will bring forth good fruit. Lu 6:43-45.
To fully know Jesus Christ is the cry of a true Christian’s heart.
God has plans for each of His children. Those who walk with Him take
His hand to walk in the high places that He wants to take them. Hab
3:19.
Christians desire to see the Lord move in miraculous ways, yet there
is a lack among professing Christians to develop relationship with
Jesus who walked among us performing miracles. Though we know more
and more about His life on earth and the Scriptures only a remnant
truly know Him. Joh 15:16. In China I witnessed many miracles among
Christians who knew Him well. It is all about relationship there.
It is all about relationship with Jesus here.
It is a GRAVE matter we are talking about and a grave concern about
what happens to us after the earthly grave. Knowledge will not bring
you up beyond the grave into Heaven. Relationship with Jesus will
bring us into the very presence of God in Heaven upon our departure
from earth.
If we have relationship with Jesus we will have His fruits of the
Spirit flowing through us. If we have knowledge of the things of God,
but lack relationship with Him those fruits will not be flowing in our
lives. Jesus offers us His hand as we walk with Him. We have but to
take it and come into relationship with Him. The Bible promises that
wherever He leads us He will hold us and sustain us with His hand.
The Lord led us into the wilderness of Montana to pastor for ten
years. It was a place of hardship in many ways, but it was also the
place of quiet fellowship of daily being in communion with Jesus
undistracted by the outside world. Out of that quiet fellowship and
communion Jesus spoke to me about going to China with Him. God called
me from His quiet presence into the noisy, busy nation of China to
walk with Him. I was never alone because He held my hand and led me
daily. Thinking back I know I would have missed that opportunity if
we had remained in California for the constant flow of other things
would have affected my hearing His call. It is in relationship with
our Lord that the true call in our lives comes forth. Knowledge of
Him and His ways without knowing Him is empty and powerless.
While teaching in the underground churches in China the infusing power
of Christ produced such fruit as I have only seen in the Scriptures.
In the face of daily persecutions there was joy, love, long suffering,
and forgiveness as I had never experienced before. The heartbeat of
Jesus Christ is beating within those brothers and sisters and the
fruit that is produced is a testimony to our living Lord.
The early disciples walked in the miracles, they sat with Him, ate
with Him and walked with him. They left all to follow Him, fathers,
mothers, homes, cities, countries. Lu 18:28. What the world saw in
those men was Jesus flowing through them.
They had relationship with Him, do you?
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