THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE TRUTH
by
Ivan Maddox
What was the reason for Jesus Christ's life and ministry? Why did he come?
First and foremost, Jesus Christ came so that man could have
eternal life.
John 10:10b, 27-28.
...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly...
My sheep hear my voice, and I know
them, and they follow me;
And I give unto them eternal life;
and they shall never perish, neither shall any man
pluck them out of my hand.
Second, Jesus came to reconcile men to God.
II Corinthians 5:18, 21.
Therefore if any man be in Christ,
he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold,
all things are become new.
And all things are of God, Who hath
reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation...
For He hath made him to be sin for
us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.
Third, Jesus Christ came to make known to men God, the
Father. By looking at Jesus Christ, who
they could see, men could better understand God, Who they could not see.
John 1:18.
No man hath seen God at any time;
the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
John 14:7-9.
[Jesus said,`]
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye
know Him, and have seen Him.'
Philip saith
unto him, `Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us.'
Jesus saith
unto him, `Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip? He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest
thou then, `Shew us the Father'?'
Fourth, Jesus Christ came to destroy the works of the Devil.
I John 3:8b.
...For this purpose the son of God
was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Hebrews 2:14-15.
Forasmuch then as the children are
partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same;
that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is,
the devil;
And deliver them who through fear
of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.
This is by no means a complete list; still, it gives some
idea of the greatness of the scope of Jesus' ministry, and of what he
accomplished.
It is the Bible that tells us what what
Jesus Christ did, and what we have as a result. God has already taken the initiative and given
to us through His son Jesus Christ; it is our responsibility to learn what He
has done for us, to accept it, and to make use of what God has given us through
Christ.
II Peter 1:2-4.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto
you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as His divine power hath
given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the
knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding
great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
We come to a knowledge of God and
of Christ by learning God's word, which reveals them to us. God has given us "all things that pertain
unto life and godliness;" we learn about them in God's word. God has "given unto us exceeding great
and precious promises;" we learn about these promises, and how to benefit
from them, in God's Word.
I Corinthians 2:11-12.
But as it is written, `Eye hath not
seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things
which God hath prepared for them that love Him.'
Now we have received, not the
spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God.
We learn about those things that are "freely given to
us of God," first and foremost, in God's word.
I Timothy 2:3-4.
For this is good and acceptable in
the sight of God our Savior;
Who will have all men to be saved,
and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
God's will for man is twofold. First, He wants all men to be saved. Second, He wants all men to come to the
knowledge of the truth. What is
"the truth"?
John 17:17.
Sanctify them through Thy truth;
Thy word is truth.
We come to the knowledge of the truth by coming to the
knowledge of God's Word, which is truth. God's word is light. Where we willingly remain ignorant of God's
word, we walk in darkness, and stumble.
Psalm 119:105.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.
Proverbs 4:18-19.
But the path of the just is as the
shining light, that shineth mnore
and more unto the perfect day.
The way of the wicked is as
darkness: they know not at what they stumble.
Where we willingly walk in darkness, we risk serious
consequences.
Hosea 4:6a.
My people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge...
Jeremiah 2:13.
For My people have committed two
evils: they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out
cisterns, broken cisterns that can hold no water.:
When we willingly remain ignorant of God's word, we end up
replacing God's word with our own ideas, or the ideas of others. These ideas and teachings may look good, but
they are unacceptable to God, and at the moment when we really need help, they
will fail us.
Matthew 15:9.
But in vain they do worship me,
teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
God has already given to us through Christ. It is up to us to learn who God is, who Christ is, what God has done for us and given us through Christ, and how to carry out God's will by means of what he has given us, by coming to a knowledge of God's word. We must never be content to walk in darkness, replacing God's word with our own beliefs or the beliefs of others. Only God's word is light; only God's word is truth.