Christians are often regarded as “Know-It-All”s by the faithless, because of the confidence we place in the knowledge of God and all things spiritual. Maybe it could also have something to do with how we seem to have an answer for everything…or how hard it is to get us to say “I don’t know”. As people of Faith, “we know that we know” many things. Faith used in this way is a type of knowledge…an assurance that it will be a happy ending after all, no matter what the journey throws at us.
Having faith really doesn’t mean that you know it all. It simply means that, even the things you don’t know, you have confidence in the One who knows to make it known in time, or to grant you the information required for you to handle whatever’s coming. Faith would actually not exist if you did know! No one recalls their name by faith, except if they just arose from a coma. As Christians are called to live by faith, not knowing is going to be our continuous experience. No matter how much we come to know, there will be many more things we are yet to know…
Unfortunately, it still remains that it is hard to get a Christian to say “I don’t know”. Especially when they are trying to convince someone else to believe and accept their understanding of God and Christianity. An authourity is someone who knows all there is to know about a subject, and well, you really can’t be an authourity on Christianity if you don’t know everything. And the problem with people who resist belief and try to make Christians drop their professed faith is the challenge that they must know it all, otherwise, why should they be so confident, and why should others believe them?!
Actually, Jesus Christ, who is the Authourity on Christianity did not claim to know it all either. Jesus actually admitted when He didn’t know something (Mark 13:32). And He was humble enough to say that everything He spoke was given to Him of God to speak (John 12:49). He was humble enough to pray to receive new knowledge, understanding and wisdom from the Father, and direction on how to go about His ministry (Luke 6:12-13). By His humility and dependency on God, He showed why it is needful for us not to know everything…
It is written that “knowledge puffs up, but charity edifies” (1 Cor 8:1). Knowledge has the tendency to make us proud, and so the giving of knowledge from God is partial, to help keep us humble and dependent on Him. We know that pride goes before a fall (Prov 16:18), so by holding back knowledge, God is safe-guarding us from ourselves. Paul went on to say “and if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know” (1 Cor 8:2). Even the things that we know…unless we are God, we can’t even claim all understanding of it, and if we think we know it all, we will truly underestimate the ONLY ONE who knows it all and suffer a mighty fall! That is why knowledge of science without submission to God is fatal to your salvation.
However, God is pleased to give us wisdom to overflowing! Wisdom does not need to have all knowledge… Wisdom is actually the rightful application of any knowledge (Charles Spurgeon). Wisdom doesn’t make anyone proud, and no one is in danger of having too much wisdom. We are invited to ask God for wisdom (Jam 1:5). We are advised to seek after wisdom, as the principle thing (Prov 4:7). Wisdom and love, like I have written before, are two sides of the same coin. When we have wisdom, we know love; and when we act in love, we act with wisdom. The greater one’s wisdom, the greater their humility…because wisdom is reliant on a relationship with God, and you can’t know God and be proud!
But it seems everyone is obsessed with knowing! Knowledge seems to be the currency in this world. They say “knowledge is power”, so as they strive for power, they seek to gain all knowledge and hoard it to use against others. Though we are not to shun knowledge nor reject it…we must first receive wisdom, so that when we gain knowledge, we will be able to rightly use it, and grow in our understanding of all things.
I am not afraid to admit that I don’t know many things. Even about Christianity. I enjoy my walk of faith, and the little discoveries I make along the way that change even what I thought I knew. The only thing I take comfort in KNOWING is God (Phil 3:8), because with Him I can gain wisdom, knowledge and understanding of all things. I don’t know all truth, but I am on that journey, and I suppose I will continue to be on that journey, even after I see God face to face. However, when we think we have known it all, we stop learning and growing…and well we soon discover that we knew nothing at all (Matt 26:29)!
It amazes me that many people, especially Christians, appear to be on a crusade to learn everything there is to know about a subject that God has already promised they will not discover! Jesus said, concerning His own second coming, “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, neither the Son, but the Father only” (Mark 13:32; Matt 24:36). Jesus promised that the day shall come as a thief in the night (Rev 16:15). But so many people obsessed with Bible prophecy will tell you that they can “calculate” to the day when the end will come.
Why the obsession with knowing? Can’t we trust God to lead us day by day…? Is that not the path of faith we are called to tread?
“Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him” (Heb 10:38).
Being watchful and prepared does not require that we know everything there is to know about that day and the hour. However, what we do when we create our perfect timelines and maps is set ourselves up for a fall… We loose our dependency on the Spirit and our humility, and ultimately stop walking by faith. Yes, Jesus said that we should observe the signs and know that the day is near (Luke 21:31)… Knowing that it is near, increases our expectation and dependency on God, it pushes us to be persistent with our preaching of the gospel…but not knowing the day or the hour will stop us from being arrogant and complacent “Know-It-All”s.
This and many other things that Christians claim to know cause division in God’s House (Tit 3:9). In the abundance of knowledge, wisdom and love seems to be lacking. Can we be content like Jesus to not know everything? Can we be content to speak with confidence only the things God has revealed to us to share, and not profess to know things that are beyond our understanding? The search for truth calls for continuous humility in realising that you are dependent on God to know what you do know, and to retain knowledge and understanding so as to be in a position to learn more.
We don’t have to win every argument. There is humilty in not knowing, and foolishness in knowing too much. If the unbeliever demands that you prove all that you know, so they can come to know too…speak to them these wise words from our Lord:
“Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 18:3).
Photo credit: http://www.pixabay.com
If you liked this post, you might like WHEN I CONSIDER THE UNIVERSE
Are you blessed by this ministry? Why not partner with me?
It's kind to share :)
Categories: Critical Thinking, Issues of Life, The Latest, True Religion
Grace and Truth 
I’ve long said that these are three of the wisest words a person can say. The great thing about not knowing something is that it presents the opportunity to learn something. Imagine a world where we knew everything and had no knowledge left to gain–how boring. We may disagree on many points, but I can agree in that I respect someone who can say “I don’t know.”
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks for visiting, reading and sharing your comment! I appreciate your contribution. We will never know it all, because there is always something to know. See the abundance of knowledge in this world, and we still haven’t figured out how to fix the equality divide… If only wisdom was as common as knowledge 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I like this. Ah yes. Knowlegde puffs up but love edifies. There are times the Spirit has cautioned me to shut up when I wanted to talk. And there were times I felt I wish I knew so much so I could tell the world about Jesus. But do you know what God’s word told me? He took me to where Paul explained that it’s not in the wisdom of words BUT the power of God. It is not a bunch of words that bring people to Christ. It is whom God wills. If I like I should say all there is to say and there’s no power there or Maybe God did not send me, then there’s no point really. And I’m coming to be at peace with myself step by step that I don’t know everything and it’s okay to not know everything. I Can’t. No human being can. Even unbelievers don’t. A whole infinite God in my Head? You want me to explode abi? Loool. I know Jesus is the Son of God. I believe and I’m just here to tell you that I don’t have all the answers but I know someone who does and who is the solution of the world’s mess. Jesus.
So yea. It’s not so bad afterall. And thanks for sharing this. Makes me remember that I don’t have to know it all. I am confident in the little God dishes to me each time because even that little is so HUGE at the time. lol. Sometimes it takes my breath away and it makes me long for more. That’s what it’s all about. Longing for more of our savior each and everyday. Eating Him as that bread of Life and being like…’Oh my, this tastes delicious.., how can I get more of this? Haha” Oh taste and see that the Lord is Good. if you’re not tasting it, then you can’t get my gist of how much God is good and full of Love.
So, yea, I may not know all, but I know enough because of the time spent with my savior and the intimacy we share. It’s like the real thing going on in my life more than any other thing. In a way that even if all is taken away from me, as long as I have Jesus. He’s my soul, my life and my all.
Sorry for the long post. I got caught up I guess.
Much love dear. xo!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Please don’t apologise for your passionate contribution! I love it. This is what fellowship is about. I appreciate how you have shared and your experience with the Father. Some of your sentiments I’ve shared them in my posts Think JESUS and If I Didn’t Believe In God.
I like what you said about not being in the abundance of words, but in the power of God to deliver men from their sins and into His will. Sometimes, we think the burden is our shoulders because we have been sent out to bear fruit…but Christ’s burden is light and His yoke is easy. We just have to be faithful to do our part and leave the hard one to Him 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Knowing is an interesting thing. It is not the same as knowledge (at least not in my Book). We don’t know everything at all times, but we can know everything that we need to know in the present moment that we find ourselves in. It has nothing to do with whipping out the right answers in a textbook fashion, but rather having the Spirit of Christ. If that dwells in us, we have another little thing called inspiration. This gives us what we need to know at the moment we need to know it.
It’s quite simple really. I didn’t know the answer a moment ago. I can’t say it was me that knew the answer when it came either. It was Christ in me. So there we go.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Having God and Christ gives us access to knowledge, wisdom and understanding beyond ourselves. Thanks for sharing 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
There is humility in not knowing and foolishness in knowing too much. Great reminder. 👍
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks dear 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hello Ufuoma. I really enjoyed reading this. I think you raised a very important point. I’ve written along this line on my blog once: https://debbyhub.com/2017/08/29/the-religion-with-the-best-argument/
I consider this as a beautiful extension of what I wrote.
Well written. I pray this truth sinks into my spirit some more.
http://Www.debbyhub.com
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Debbie 😊 Will check out your post.
LikeLike