What Kind of Knowledge?

It's often been said that it's not what you know, but who you know, that determines success.  If this statement is at all true in the natural, it is above all true in the supernatural, or spiritual, realm. 

Many people have become scripture scholars without knowing the One of Whom the Scriptures speak, the Christ of God.  Jesus told the Pharisees, "You search the scriptures because you believe that in them you have life, but you refuse to come to Me that you might have life."  Millions of people have never known the scriptures, but they have known Jesus Christ, and in Him they know they have eternal life.  There is only one "knowledge" test that all of us must pass--and that is knowing Jesus.  And it is easy to know Him:  Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone will open to me, I will come in...(Rev. 3:20).

He scolded those who on the last day would say, "But we performed mighty deeds in your name...." and His answer was, "But I never knew you."  If we open our lives and hearts to Him, He will know us, and we will know Him.

Knowing God does not depend upon our education or our culture.  C.S. Lewis says that one thing that used to puzzle him is this:  "Is it not frightfully unfair that this new life should be confined to people who have heard of Christ and been able to believe in Him?  But the truth is God has not told us what His arrangements about the other people are.  We do  know that no man can be saved except through Christ; we do not know that only those who know [about] Him can be saved through Him."  I think that is exactly right----God has more options than we can imagine or dream of.  If we cannot imagine how the "others"--those who have never heard of Jesus---will be saved, it should not surprise us at all.  It is enough that God knows how they are saved.  Personally, I think it will be much like Barak O'Bama's surprising discovery that he has Irish ancestors---who knew?

What we do know for certain is that the Spirit of God is the Spirit of Jesus---they are not two spirits, but one.  And anyone who keeps within himself the Spirit of God and listens to Him is led by God, and his life embodies the Spirit of Jesus, the Spirit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22). 

What we also know is that those who incarnate the spirit of the world do not have the spirit of Jesus in them, despite whatever knowledge or education they have received.  And this spirit is also obvious---immorality, impurity, debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy, drunkeness, orgies, and the like (Gal. 5:19).

This does not mean that we can judge others, or even ourselves, for we are all "on the way" from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God.  At the end of time, we might all say, Who knew?