Doctrine #5: Knowledge

There will not be Marriage between man and woman in heaven. Jesus said these people err and do not know the power of God because they do not know the scriptures. What proved they did not know the scriptures?

The Sadducees did not understand the tense of one word: "is." Not knowing the tense of one word caused the Sadducees to err and not know the power of God. The people were astonished at Jesus' Doctrine. Remember, Semikah Rabbis widened Doctrine. The things Jesus taught were new and revelatory.

Jesus was tough on the Sadducees and Pharisees because they were supposed to be leaders. Jesus believed leaders ought to be more excellent than non-leaders, not less excellent. Not only did this mean Jesus would confront them, it meant He would confront them publicly. Today, how many religious leaders are able to handle public confrontation? How many religious leaders look to be treated as if they are less excellent than everyone else, as if they need to get benefits for being the leader?

Leadership is a responsibility and ought to be done by people who are more excellent: humble people who facilitate the purpose and progress of others and can handle public correction.

The next topic the church in Corinth wrote about that Paul wanted to address was "things sacrificed to idols."

Doctrine: Knowledge caused pride. The devil had knowledge, which led to pride. The devil does not have understanding or wisdom, both of which creates.

Love builds up. Love creates and is profitable. Paul's answer to this question was complex and covered three chapters. Paul's ultimate answer to this issue was stated in this first verse of the first of these three chapters: Love edifieth. The guiding principle behind the answer to this question was love. However, people erred because they thought the answer was knowledge. Remember, Paul spent the first three chapters of this letter with an introduction that proved man's wisdom was foolishness when it came to spiritual issues. Again, Paul created that context in order to frame his answer to this question...

Doctrine: If any man thinks he knows anything so well he cannot be taught anything new, then he is proving he does not know everything. We will never know everything and we ought to always be willing and able to consider we could be wrong. That is humility.

Those who love God are known to be humble. Again, Paul contrasted knowledge and love, and love was the better option.

Paul spoke with tongues (languages) of men and angels but if he did this without love, it was just noise. Speaking languages (words), known or unknown is a WHAT. The right HOW/WHY is in love.

Prophecy, knowing mysteries, all knowledge, and having all faith made you nothing if you did not have love. Again, love is a right HOW/WHY which leads to profitability. Remember, Paul began his addressing of the questions from the church in Corinth with a brief introduction (1 Corinthians 8:1-3) that contrasted knowledge with love. That was the way Paul began his first three chapter answer. Verse 2 showed that "all knowledge without love" resulted in no profitability.

The Church is given the following gifts via the Holy Spirit:

• apostles,
• prophets,
• evangelists,
• pastors, and
• teachers.

Remember, Paul stated the Church was built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, which were the first two gifts that Paul mentioned. These five gifts, often referred to as the Five Fold Ministry, were the Positional Spiritual Gifts. Different from the Motivational Spiritual Gifts (Romans 12) and the Manifestational Spiritual Gifts (1 Corinthians 12). Everyone has specific motivational gifts they are in control of and can even use to destruction. These gifts never change for the individual because they are the Being (Mind/Soul) of the individual. Any of the Manifestational Spiritual Gifts are able to be done by anyone who is open to the Holy Spirit because these gifts are initiated by the Holy Spirit. Some people have one of the positional gifts mentioned in verse 11. While the gift requires the Holy Spirit to work through the gift, the person holding a positional gift can initiate the gift. For example, any believer can manifest a prophetic word if they are open to the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit initiates this through the person (Manifestational Spiritual Gift). However, a person with the Positional Spiritual Gift of prophet would be able to intentionally get a prophetic word from God via the Holy Spirit.

Verse 12 was the purpose of the Positional Spiritual Gifts. Notice, verse 11 was an example of a "1" - the individual's uniqueness. Verse 12 gave two examples of a "2" - the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness. The third part of verse 12 was an example of a "3" - the entire community as a whole, the body of Christ which was the Church. Jesus gave these specific gifts to the Church so that individuals would be matured by serving each other so that the entire Church would be built up. How long would the Church need these gifts?

We need these gifts until the Church is unified, fully matured in knowledge until we are equal to Christ! This was a tough verse until one remembered that if Christ is going to marry the Bride, why would Christ marry someone who was not His equal? This was a general measure from Paul, however, Paul continued to give specific measures.

We will need these gifts until we are no longer acting like children who are unstable when it comes to Doctrine and interactions with deceivers. Verses 13 and 14 were examples of "1" - the individual.

Verse 15 began with our job description in eternity: speaking truth in love.

• First, "speaking" meant words. Words are important.
• Second, truth is a right WHAT with a right HOW/WHY...which creates.
• Third, love is an exchange that is the ultimate in profitability.

Paul went into detail about the importance of love leading to profitability in 1 Corinthians 13. We will spend eternity speaking truth in love to each other. This is the ultimate example of "2" - the fellowship (exchange in love) between two individuals according to their uniqueness. The goal is for all of us growing up into Jesus who is the Head of the Body (Church). Again, this was an example of "3" - the community as a whole.

Paul concluded this Meaning of Life sentence with a "3-2-1," then "1-3-2":

3: "all the body"

2: "fitly framed together and knit together"

1: "which every joint supplieth"

Then, 1: "according to the working in due measure of each several part"

3: "maketh increase of the body unto the building up of itself"

2: "in love"

Half of the Meaning of Life is the Bride/Church, which is the new Jerusalem. The Bride will be made up of all of us who will be in the part of the Body we were designed for, so that we speak the truth in love to the other parts we are joined to, with the overall result being the building up of the Body for eternity.

A lot of people think heaven/the new Jerusalem is a HAVE (possession) or a DO (activity):

• HAVE example: "I can't wait until I have a Cadillac in heaven."
• DO example: "I can't wait until I can play golf every day in heaven."

Some people see church today as the same thing:

• HAVE example: "We have a big building."
• DO example: "I like singing in the choir."

Eternity with Christ is about an ARE, it's about fellowship, sharing, speaking truth in love to each other. Churches today ought to have the same focus. Possessions and activities cannot increase in eternity. Fellowship and love can continually increase in eternity. Love can result in more in eternity because God's mercy will endure. When you give to me and do not expect anything in return, you are owed. If God's mercy ceased in eternity, He would equal this out immediately. However, because God's mercy continues, I would feel compelled to pay you back. If I paid you back according to uniqueness, then something that cost me little would be valued by you as more, especially if God put us together in the Body because our uniquenesses are mutually profitable. My giving you something I valued little and you valued a lot will cause you to give me something you value a lot, and that I value enormously. This exchange could continue into eternity and always result in more.

Verses 4-8: sixteen effects of love, the effects of "giving without expecting anything in return from the one to whom you gave." Notice also that nine of these effects were what the effects of love were not.

If you do God's definition of love, all sixteen effects listed will be a result. Notice, verse 8 stated that knowledge would eventually be "done away," but love will never cease. Again, this was another example from Paul contrasting knowledge and love. In eternity, knowledge will eventually end because all facts will eventually be known, which means all languages will be known (tongues) and all prophetic events will be known. (Notice, Paul began this chapter contrasting knowledge, tongues, and prophecy with love.) However, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4 that the Bride will eternally build itself up in love, by speaking the truth in love to one another. It appeared truth would also never cease. Notice, the WHAT of truth will cease: knowledge. However, the right HOW/WHY of truth will never cease just as the right HOW/WHY of love will never cease.

Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The first act of Jesus' Ministry was to be intentionally tempted by the devil so He would know which areas He could fall in.

Jesus fasted forty days and forty nights. It was clear that Jesus was a physical man: He was physically hungry. Exodus 34:28 stated Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights in the desert.

After the forty days, then the "tempter" went to Jesus…in Jesus' weakest state, physically. Notice, Satan used if/then statements. Satan has no understanding, no faith, no truth, and therefore he cannot speak truth - John 8:44 says, "...there is no truth in him."

If/then statements are qualified. Satan was tempting Jesus in the area of food, which shows us that Jesus likes to eat.

Jesus responded to the devil by quoting scripture: Deuteronomy 8:3. The actual verse stated "everything that proceeded out of the mouth of God." The Greek word for "word" in this verse was rhema - "the powerful and revelatory word of God without precedent that brings salvation." Jesus continued the practice of fasting the rest of His time on earth.

The devil took Jesus to the holy city (Jerusalem) and set Him on the pinnacle (a pointed extremity, probably the top) of the temple. Notice, Jesus would have had to translate/transport to do this.

The devil quoted scripture at Jesus: Psalm 91:11-12! Quoting scripture is a WHAT and not always truth. Truth depends on the HOW/WHY. In this case, the devil intended to destroy Jesus with these words. The devil was questioning Jesus' ability to trust God.

Jesus quoted scripture again: Deuteronomy 6:16. Jesus spent the rest of His time on earth trusting God completely.

Chapter 9 began with Paul's sorrow for the Jews not being saved. This chapter began with Paul's desire that the Jews be saved.

Paul stated the Jews had the right attitude/emotion, but it was not based on the correct factual information. Remember, Paul's critical cause in Romans 1:21 was that people did not recognize the value within God, in other words, they did not glorify God. Not having the correct factual information would affect a person's ability to think well of God as a result of recognizing His intrinsic value (glory).

The Jews did not know about God's Righteousness by grace, so they focused on righteousness in their own strength.

Paul's premise: Jesus Christ was the ultimate effect of the Law. Everyone who followed the Law correctly ought to have accepted Jesus as the Messiah.

Paul referenced Leviticus 18:5. Paul emphasized the most important thing: doing the Law, not only hearing the Law. Paul showed that doing the Law would have resulted in accepting Jesus as the Messiah.

Notice, God spoke this command to Adam alone. Eve had not been created yet. According to the etymological study, the word "die" in verse 17 meant "stop your course or purpose, separate from...to become untilled land without seed." Basically, the day Adam would eat of this tree, he would be separated from God's purpose for him and he would feel this. However, Adam had never felt this. So to be told this only without feeling it, was to have to believe this only by understanding and not experience.

These verses contained the purpose of the Book of Proverbs. In fact, it will be very beneficial to have definitions for the following words:

Knowledge - The ability to retain facts.

Understanding - The ability to take knowledge from more than one area and create new knowledge.

Wisdom - Profitable, long term decisions.

Said another way:

• Knowledge was a right what,
• Understanding was a right why, and
• Wisdom was a right HOW.

The purpose of this book was to help people make the right decision by giving the reader the right information and the right causal relationship: knowledge and understanding.

The Book of Proverbs was written so that the wise man may understand and grow in his learning.

Fearing (revering) God was the beginning of knowledge. If we think we are the source of our knowledge, then we are revering ourselves, which is idolatry.