We must remember, there is knowledge of truth, and accurate knowledge of truth, and love is tied to it. Romans 10:2 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge;
Philippians 1:9 9 And this is what I continue praying, that YOUR love may abound yet more and more with accurate knowledge
Colossians 1:9-10 9 That is also why we, from the day we heard [of it], have not ceased praying for YOU and asking that YOU may be filled with the accurate knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual comprehension, 10 in order to walk worthily of Jehovah to the end of fully pleasing [him] as YOU go on bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the accurate knowledge of God
1 Timothy 2:3-4 This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, 4 whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth.
So we need to be careful we don't throw out the 'baby with the bath water.
Post edited by: amosfamily, at: 2005/03/17 21:23
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Eden
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Posts: 195
Re:LOVE - 2005/03/17 22:06Hi Amosfamily, good to see ya!!
What is the baby? and what is the bath water?
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Aaron
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Posts: 13
Re:LOVE - 2005/03/18 15:00Greetings amosfamily,
May you have peace.
I can understand how you feel about accurate knowledge. If I may do so, I would like to share this with you.
You remember when our Lord prayed to his Father, he said, "This is everlasting life, their knowing you, the only God, and the One whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ." (John 17:3) You understand from this that if we (1) know God and (2) know Christ we will have (3) everlasting life.
Now if I may, I would like to direct you to our Lord's words at John 14:6 when he said, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one can come to the Father except through me." Now, according to his words, he is the truth. Now if I may direct you again to John 8:31, 32 he says, “If you remain in my word, you are really my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” So if we know the truth; the truth will set us free. And our Lord reveals who 'the truth' is later in John 8:36 when he says, "Therefore if the Son sets you free, you will be actually free." So the 'truth' is actually "the Son" and if you know the Son (who is 'the truth'), it is the Son who will set you free. He is the truth.
Now you remember earlier how Jesus said if we 'know him' and know his Father we have everlasting life (John 17:3). Now, if you come to know someone personally, do you not then have knowledge of that person? And therefore because of such knowledge of that person, do you not then come to 'love' that person? When a man comes to know a woman and the knowledge of that woman finds favor in his eyes, does he not then come to love that woman? And if two people who come to know each other and find favor in each other's eyes, does not such knowledge of each other cause them to love each other, thus becoming friends? And therefore, when someone comes to God and finds favor in the eyes of God, does not someone then gain the knowledge of God and come to love God.. especially if they see that he first loved them? And by coming to know him do they not in turn "gain the knowledge" of him by reason of their personal acquaintance with him? Yes, indeed, they do.
And when you read the letters of the disciples and others who through the spirit came to know Christ.. this is what they meant. If you read, for example, 1 Timothy 2:3, 4 it says, "This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Savior, God, whose will is that all sorts of men should be saved and come to an accurate knowledge of truth."
The will of our God is.. for all sorts of men to be saved (by means of his Son).. and because his Son is 'the way, and the TRUTH, and the life'.. they should come to an accurate knowledge.. of HIM. And they come to an accurate knowledge of him by coming to KNOW him and understand him. For he who knows him, knows also his Father who sent him. And when they know him personally, they come to an accurate knowledge of him and by means of knowing him... are saved BY him.
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Phi
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Posts: 278
Re:LOVE - 2005/03/18 23:41Hi Aaron.
Yes, I totally agree. There are two methods of attempting to approach the 'knowledge of God', one 'physical' the other 'spiritual'. One of these methods works, the other does not.
If we look at the context of the Scriptures which discuss 'truth' and 'accurate knowledge' they are usually quite clear as to which method they are actually advocating, although if we are used to thinking 'physically', we might well miss that at first. As Paul says: "But the physical man does not recieve the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot get to know them, because they are examined spiritually." (1 Cor 2:14). To the 'physically' minded, there does not appear to be another way to search for knowledge and truth other than to use their mind and their own judgement to examine 'data' in order to arrive at it. The truly 'spiritual' route is unknown to these ones, and appears like 'foolishness', when it is in fact their own methods which are futile in this spiritual arena. (1 Cor 3:18-20).
We usually learn things and approach knowledge in this world by means of much study, arduous attention to 'many books', an application of the mind, rather like the Jews who were "searching the Scriptures" because they thought - wrongly - that they would get' knowledge' and life by means of them. I feel this is basically the same method in which we were schooled by the WT.
The other method, which Jesus encouraged was primarily spiritual and involved humbly seeking connection with God through him and so being led by the spirit. The spirit would then begin "teaching [us] about all things" (1 John 2:27) and would lead us "into all the truth", it being the "spirit of the truth". (John 16:13-15)
That is not to say that our own minds and judgement are useless in worshipping God. But their great limitations in approaching God and the truth should be evident.
The order of events as described in the Scripture you quoted, 1 Tim 2:3,4, is revealing:
"This is fine and acceptable in the sight of our Saviour, God, whose will is that all sorts of men should be savedandcome to an accurate knowledge of truth"
Not the other way around.
Much Philia
Phi.
Post edited by: Phi, at: 2005/03/19 09:11
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amosfamily
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Posts: 25
Re:LOVE - 2005/03/19 08:43Eden The baby = accurate knowledge The bath water = anything we have leraned thru the Society
Phi, Aaron You brothers have got the point. There are those who have a knowledge of God and disdain accurately knowing him, as Paul said, Romans 1:28 28 And just as they did not approve of holding God in accurate knowledge, God gave them up to a disapproved mental state, to do the things not fitting,
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Eden
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Posts: 195
Re:LOVE - 2005/03/20 07:43Until, 'that which is complete arrives' our 'accurate knowledge' can only be partial. And, the things I know accurately are different from the things others know accurately. So 'accurate knowledge' is knowing the Love of God, namely, Christ died so we can have life.
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