2 Peter 1:5 “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge.” (KJV) Virtue is the first brick on our foundation of faith. Once we see that excellence, resolution and Christian energy are the basis for beginning our salvation life journey, we need to find out what this new life is all about. That takes some very elemental knowledge. St. Peter mentions knowledge a couple of times in the preceding verses: 2nd 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.” (KJV) (emphasis mine).
Knowledge is how we find out about God and Jesus, and all the things pertaining to life and godliness that He has given us according to His divine power. It also tells us that we have exceeding great and precious promises that help us learn to be partakers of the divine nature, God’s very nature of love, and how to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
So where does the knowledge come from? We have a certain amount of knowledge just due to our life already. But is it the knowledge we need? Evidently, we need more knowledge, a new kind of knowledge. The knowledge we have already lets us get along in the world and we always need more of that. But now we need the knowledge of God and of Jesus. Even if we were raised in church and read the Bible all our lives, there is more, always more that we need to know.
Jesus said in John’s gospel, John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” (KJV) Then in verse 36, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (KJV) There it is then, if we continue in His WORD. That’s where the truth is, the truth that can set us free. Free from what? His eye witness St. Peter says through this truth we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust, and that corruption is sin.
We want to be free from sin. We want to conquer lust. We want to know God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. There is only one place we can get that knowledge, the Bible. St. Paul says in Colossians 2:1-3: “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh: That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.” (KJV)
ALL the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. There is our source right there. If we want to know the Lord, we have to get started in the place where ALL that knowledge is, the Bible. “Oh, I can’t understand the Bible.” Don’t tell me that. All you have to do is start reading it. If you want to learn anything else in life, don’t you just go to where that knowledge is obtained: school, college, apprenticeship, a particular teacher?
Proverbs chapter 3 tells us that God’s WORD is life to those who find it, and health to all their flesh. Praise God, I’ve found it! Your WORD IS LIFE to me and HEALTH to all my flesh, glory to God! Amen.
Restoration Ministries 