KNOWLEDGE…Wonderful, desirable and powerful! Passage after passage in Scripture commends its acquisition. Knowledge, however, can become a source of pride. Maybe, for example, you know a bunch of “big words.” You may be able to slap together a phrase that no one but the very well educated can understand. But, if your big words hinder communication, what good are they? Knowledge for its own sake is as useless as a parka in Miami. “Knowledge makes arrogant, but love edifies (builds up)” (1 Corinthians 8:1). If your goal is to impress the easily impressed with your “smarts,” then acquiring a lot of facts, figures and information (whether practical or not) should work well. Truly, you have your reward. But what then?
All Scripture has a purpose, an application, a meaning that influences the course of our life — how we speak, what we say, what we do and why we do it, our goals, our relationships, the quality and purpose of our work, how we spend our time, how we use our talents and resources, etc., etc. The Word that we preach or teach potentially makes a difference in the lives of those who hear(depending on their degree of absorption). Otherwise our preaching and teaching is in vain. “Knowledge is of no value unless you put it into practice,” wrote Anton Chekhov. And Samuel Johnson said, “Between falsehood and useless truth there is little difference. As gold which he cannot spend will make no man rich, so knowledge which cannot apply will make no man wise.”
Always, always we must make our lessons practical and applicable to everyday life. It is not our job as teachers to convey obscure theological theories and opinions. People need to know how to live! Charles Stanley wisely observed: “I think a lot of people, even Christians are willing to be satisfied with gaining lots and lots of biblical knowledge — and many people go to Bible studies and don’t realize it isn’t enough to know what’s right, it’s applying the information and knowledge that you have.”
Jesus was frequently called, “Teacher.” But the goal of His teaching was to bring light into the lives of souls stumbling in the darkness. His teaching brought grace to those enslaved by sin and captive by man-made laws and traditions. He walked among the spiritually bereft teaching those who followed about an abundant way of life.
So keep your well-educated pride to yourself and preach and teach the simplicity and purity of the life-changing good news.
Whitticisms 