When speaking to Israel through Hosea, God said, "there is no faithfulness or steadfast love, and no knowledge of God in the land...my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...and a people without understanding shall come to ruin. (Hosea 4:1,6, 14)
Of course knowledge has the ability to "puff up" (1 Corinthians 8:1) those who pursue it for the sole purpose of looking better than those around them. Puffing up is a problem in certain places, but I don't see it as rampant as the other end of the spectrum. As we seek out knowledge and understanding, we do need to maintain an attitude of humility or be at risk of the opposition of God (James 4:6).
Simply put, western Christianity lacks knowledge. We don't know God (at least not the one clearly revealed in Scripture). We like to add and take away from Him based on our own experiences and preferences. Israel did the same. They acknowledged His power, love, grace, and mercy while ignoring His holiness, wrath, and supremacy. This gave them the "freedom" to follow other gods, bend God's laws, and take advantage of His grace. Sadly, I see the same thing happening due to our lack of knowledge of God.
Obviously, application is an important part of knowledge. Knowing about God is not enough. We need to take what we know and use it to grow in intimacy and service. However, we try to grow in these areas without having any foundational knowledge. The book of Proverbs speaks over and over again about the importance of knowledge in the life of a child of the Father. It starts with the fear of the Lord (1:7), and reaches farther still.
~1:6 let the wise hear and increase learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance
~1:22, 28-29 fools hate knowledge...then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord
~2:3-5 yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the Lord and find the knowledge of God
~7:4 call insight your intimate friend
~8:14 I have insight; I have strength
~9:10 and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight
~10:14 the wise lay up knowledge, but the mouth of a fool brings ruin near
~18:2 a fool takes no pleasure in understanding, but only in expressing his opinion
~19:2 desire without knowledge is not good
~22:12 the eyes of the Lord keep watch over knowledge
~24:4-5 by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches, a man of knowledge enhances his might
The Bible is clear about the blessings of knowledge and the consequences of ignorance. Contrary to popular belief, ignorance and relativism are not displays of humility. They demonstrate a lack of knowledge, which Solomon likened to foolishness. In his second letter, Peter encourages his readers to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (3:18). Why? Because Jesus told us to know Him is to know the Father (John 14:9). The more we know the less likely we are to follow the ear-pleasing sounds around us. We will run after God's Word because it is the supreme source of all the knowledge we need.
This all comes back to my recent musings and readings about the church. A lot of struggles western Christianity has with people abandoning church, the faith, and everything else Christian rests with two parties: the individual and the church. We are not responsible for the individual, but the church is on us. Are we preaching, living, and sharing the knowledge of God? If we are, we should be encouraged to keep pushing forward. If not, we need to stop trying to please men and focus on pleasing our Father. True, one day, "the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord" (Isaiah 11:9). What are we doing to lend the earth a hand now?
Preach it brotha'. I'm with you!
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