Within our daily lives, the more we practice, the better we become at using the knowledge we possess. When it comes to the Christian life, knowledge works the same way. We learn through studying the Bible and listening to our Pastors and teachers, which becomes experiential knowledge when we start to use it in our lives. One of the aspects of salvation is that we can mature; however, the only way to progress in experiential knowledge is to put into practice the knowledge we learned.
We do not use law to gain experience in the Christian life, for by law no one is justified before God. Rather, through law comes the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 3:20), because law gives the sin nature strength (1 Corinthians 15:56). It is because of this corrupt nature, while knowing the difference between good and evil, that the human race decided, even when having a full experiential knowledge of God, for He walked with any who would seek Him, that retaining a truthful knowledge of God was not of value and changed the image of the incorruptible God into that of corruptible humans, birds, animals, and creeping things so that we could follow our desire to do wrong while rejecting the truth (Romans 1:28). However, God still desires that all humans come to a full experiential knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), through which we overcome the sin nature. Therefore, God gave the Church pastors even teachers for its edification to bring us into a oneness of the faith unto a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:11), so that we are no longer inarticulate babblers tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men (Ephesians 4:14). God wants us to experience salvation, not just know about it; therefore, He has given to us all things pertaining to life and godliness in Christ so that by these promises we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3). We gain experiential knowledge by being diligent to add to our faith virtue, and to our virtue knowledge, and to our knowledge self-control and to our self-control patience, and to our patience godliness, and to our godliness brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness love, for in doing these things we will never be unfruitful in the full experiential knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8)
As we grow in full experiential knowledge while increasing in wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9), we gain the ability to perceive the truth and properly determine what actions in our lives are excellent so that we are filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:9). The result is governing our lives in a worthy manner of our Lord and increasing in good works and experiential knowledge (Colossians 1:10).
Putting on the new man in Christ and rejecting the old man in Adam, who is corrupted by the deceitful desires from the flesh, results in a life that experiences salvation, not just knows about it (Colossians 3:10). We do this by starting within the mind and framing it according to what God has said about us, and then acting in harmony with who we are in Christ.
Let us not be those who are always learning but never coming to a full experiential knowledge (2 Timothy 3:7); rather, in our lives, let us work out the knowledge we have while bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, discerning bad and good through the exercising of our senses, so that our actions show a proper opinion of God by living out the salvation He has so graciously given to us as we come to a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God.
Full Experiential Knowledge (ἐπίγνωσις)
Within our daily lives, the more we practice, the better we become at using the knowledge we possess. When it comes to the Christian life, knowledge works the same way. We learn through studying the Bible and listening to our Pastors and teachers, which becomes experiential knowledge when we start to use it in our lives. One of the aspects of salvation is that we can mature; however, the only way to progress in experiential knowledge is to put into practice the knowledge we learned.
We do not use law to gain experience in the Christian life, for by law no one is justified before God. Rather, through law comes the full experiential knowledge of the sin nature (Romans 3:20), because law gives the sin nature strength (1 Corinthians 15:56). It is because of this corrupt nature, while knowing the difference between good and evil, that the human race decided, even when having a full experiential knowledge of God, for He walked with any who would seek Him, that retaining a truthful knowledge of God was not of value and changed the image of the incorruptible God into that of corruptible humans, birds, animals, and creeping things so that we could follow our desire to do wrong while rejecting the truth (Romans 1:28). However, God still desires that all humans come to a full experiential knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4), through which we overcome the sin nature. Therefore, God gave the Church pastors even teachers for its edification to bring us into a oneness of the faith unto a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God (Ephesians 4:11), so that we are no longer inarticulate babblers tossed around by every wind of teaching by the trickery of men (Ephesians 4:14). God wants us to experience salvation, not just know about it; therefore, He has given to us all things pertaining to life and godliness in Christ so that by these promises we can escape the corruption that is in the world through lust (2 Peter 1:3). We gain experiential knowledge by being diligent to add to our faith virtue, and to our virtue knowledge, and to our knowledge self-control and to our self-control patience, and to our patience godliness, and to our godliness brotherly kindness, and to our brotherly kindness love, for in doing these things we will never be unfruitful in the full experiential knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1:5-8)
As we grow in full experiential knowledge while increasing in wisdom and spiritual understanding (Colossians 1:9), we gain the ability to perceive the truth and properly determine what actions in our lives are excellent so that we are filled with the fruits of righteousness through Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:9). The result is governing our lives in a worthy manner of our Lord and increasing in good works and experiential knowledge (Colossians 1:10).
Putting on the new man in Christ and rejecting the old man in Adam, who is corrupted by the deceitful desires from the flesh, results in a life that experiences salvation, not just knows about it (Colossians 3:10). We do this by starting within the mind and framing it according to what God has said about us, and then acting in harmony with who we are in Christ.
Let us not be those who are always learning but never coming to a full experiential knowledge (2 Timothy 3:7); rather, in our lives, let us work out the knowledge we have while bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, discerning bad and good through the exercising of our senses, so that our actions show a proper opinion of God by living out the salvation He has so graciously given to us as we come to a full experiential knowledge of the Son of God.