The Quality and Quantity of the Knowledge of God
Awake to righteousness, and sin not; for some have not the knowledge of God: I speak this to your shame. (1 Corinthians 15:34 KJV)
The knowledge of God is a spiritual substance. And as a physical object such as money, we can have or not have it. However, just as having money in your pocket will immediately change your living condition, having the knowledge of God in your heart will transform your relationship with God and your spiritual experiences.
As a spiritual substance, the knowledge of God has quantity and quality. While quantity refers to the amount, quality alludes to the kind or depth of knowledge. Both the quantity and the quality of spiritual knowledge in us affect our spiritual lives. In fact, our experience of God is conditioned by our revelation of Him, and that revelation is the quantity and quality of the knowledge of the scripture the Spirit has given us. Regrettably, the term knowledge today often begets thoughts of intellectual endeavors, scholarship, academics, or theology. However, God’s knowledge hinges on a relationship with Him and our spiritual experience, not intellectual pursuits.
The quantity of the knowledge of God is the amount of knowledge we have. Knowledge, in general, is gradable and incremental, and so is the knowledge of God. In His infinite wisdom, God wrapped up the totality of His revelation to us in the Bible. The quantity of God’s knowledge is the amount of the revealed knowledge in the Bible we know. If the Bible is 100% knowledge, what percentage of it do you currently know? 30%? 50%? We should strive to learn as much about the book as possible. Why? The quantity of the knowledge of God is proportional to the warmth of our relationship with Him and the degree of our spiritual experiences of the divine.
Besides quantity, God’s knowledge has quality or increasing depth. The best Biblical illustration of this idea of quality is from Hebrews 5:13-14:
“for everyone who lives on milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, since he is a child. But solid food is for the mature…” (Hebrews 5:13–14 ESV)
The knowledge of the Word has milk for babes and solid food for the mature. By God’s wisdom, I came to know that there are biblical truths for young Christians and others for the mature. God wants us to move from the elementary principles of the faith, dealing with milk, to the more profound things about the person and the work of Christ (Hebrews 6:1).
Even while you read this article, the knowledge of God in you can be quantified and graded. I hope it is not about 1% or so in quantity and only milk. Keep growing and increasing in the knowledge of God to upgrade your spiritual life.
What is the quantity and quality of the knowledge of God described above? How would you describe the knowledge of God you have?
Reading through the Bible regularly and in-depth Bible studies with the right exegetical skills will increase the breadth and depth of God’s knowledge in you. We have free online courses to equip you to study the Bible personally, effectively, and experientially. Visit Deshen School of the Spirit to learn more.
Ask the Spirit to help you increase your knowledge of God.