“But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge...” II Peter 1:6-8
As we come to the next ingredient in growing to spiritual maturity, we need to remind ourselves this is not a linear stacking of characteristics one upon the other, Instead Peter is giving us a recipe. Ingredients are poured one into another to be mixed in a way that they are all essential parts of the whole but indistinguishable in and of themselves.
Peter now introduces the third ingredient – knowledge. The Greek word is gnosis meaning knowledge, doctrine, or wisdom. It refers to first-hand knowledge and personal experience which connects theory (or head knowledge) to application (ability to use what one knows is true). For the believer we immediately think of where this knowledge comes from.
In Colossians 2 Paul speaks to the Colossians and Laodiceans
telling them “that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit
together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
In other words our knowledge and wisdom is centered in studying the character and behavior of the living word, Jesus Christ. This is why Paul cries out His great desire, “That I may know him,
and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death.” Knowledge has already been mentioned twice by Peter in Chapter 1. “Grace and
peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature.” “To know Christ” and to obey what we know!
What can we learn? There is a principle – one can’t try to clean up their life and then not fill it up with higher spiritual value. Christ tells the story of the man who had cleansed a demon out of his life but left his life empty. The demon returns and brings seven friends with him. The goal of our life is to deepen our spiritual relationship with Christ. We do that by reading and meditating on His written word, through prayer, seeking His will and being obedient to His calling where ever he may lead. This makes our knowledge personal which is the meaning of the Greekword “gnosis”. We cannot do this in our own strength – the Holy Spirit who lives within the believer must teach us.
Our part is to make it a priority to know God and to obey Him. We must make the effort, spend the time, train our thoughts to meditate on His word. This will be something we do throughout all eternity for we will never complete the joy of truly knowing God. “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” We will not mature as believer if our knowledge of God is not increasing. Ensure you life has a healthy dose of knowing God each and every day.