Saving Knowledge

“We fail to understand that knowledge is an act of communion. In some measure, everything we “know” becomes a part of us, and in becoming a part of us, we are changed. We are injured not only through the experience in which we gain knowledge but through the continuing burden of the knowledge that now lives in us. Such knowledge often leaves us broken and burdened in need of healing and relief. The change wrought by some knowledge can come close to destroying the one who knows it….To know is not the equivalent of mastering facts. Knowledge, in the New Testament, is equated with salvation itself (Jn. 17:3). But what kind of knowing is itself salvific? In the simplest terms, it is knowledge as participation.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“The theme of demons (false gods) giving knowledge to mankind for which it is not ready in order to bring about its destruction exists both in the Bible and in other ancient narratives, and this account from Genesis is exactly that type of story. Students of Greek mythology may recall the stories of Prometheus giving fire to mankind and the “gift” of ¬Pandora’s Box, both instances of knowledge man is not ready for bringing many evils into the world.” (Fr. Andrew Stephen Damick)

“True knowledge of God is dependent on one’s spiritual life. Theology is not simply an activity of the intellect but of the entire person and his or her way of life…knowledge of God is achieved gradually, and most people never attain it .” (Dr. Eugenia Scarvelis Constantinou) 

“It is doubtful that those who are constantly learning without finding the truth would recognize the truth if they came across it. Their knowledge is superficial. Their shallow minds cannot delve into the depth to the things of the Spirit. Paul speaks about this depth when he writes, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9-11). We have noted that knowledge requires a likeness between the knowers and what they know. Accordingly, Paul observes that no one knows what is in the heart and mind of other persons except they themselves. This means that only the Spirit knows what is in the heart and mind of the Spirit. Now Paul gets to the point, “We have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12). That is, we can only know the truth of God and salvation by the Spirit.” (Fr. Basil)

“Over the years I’ve become convinced that knowing a little is a good thing, if what you know is the right thing and in the right measure. I read less than I once did, and I read with far more selectiveness. I’ve noticed that some few books I read repeatedly with good effect. Give thought to knowledge as communion. To what do you wish to unite yourself? What do you want to avoid? Alarmingly, you can have communion with television and movies – a very sobering thought. What have you read that has fed your soul more than any other? Why was that so? Are there patterns in your reading?” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“It is easy to have a facility with doctrine and Christian thought. However, that same facility can be deeply misleading. It is possible to mistake such knowledge for saving knowledge. At the same time, it is not uncommon to disregard such things as kindness, generosity, and gentleness as nothing more than “morality.” The Christian life cannot be divided in such a manner. Saving knowledge is manifest as the character of Christ within us. Without this knowledge (which is synonymous with “character”) everything we take to be “knowledge,” such as doctrine and Scripture, will be woefully misunderstood, even to the point where it is working death within us.” (Father Stephen Freeman)

“What does it mean “to know?” Like English, Greek has various ways of speaking about knowing. Among them are to observe, to discern, to discover, to be aware of, and to recognize, but there are two words that define each other as opposites. The first comes from the root “to see” and means to perceive by observation…By such perception, we know the things of the world around us. The second is to know someone in a relationship…The closer our relationship, the more we know the person. We know Christ in this later sense. We can be familiar with the Lord and learn all about Him. But the knowledge of Christ that brings salvation and eternal life is much more than having His acquaintance. It is to have a deep and growing relationship with Him, a relationship of the heart that knows His heart.” (Fr. Basil)

“Christ has been here before us and He has built bridges for all the way – the bridge from sin to forgiveness, from despair to hope, from doubt to faith, from death to life. His apostles have passed His saving knowledge to us and Christ expects us like His Apostles to hand down this Holy Faith.” (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese)

“The Scriptures are not a place to do research about Christ or to study historical beliefs about the Messiah and Jesus’ fulfillment of that role. Through the Scriptures we encounter the risen, living Christ directly, just as those saints, prophets, and apostles about whom we read encountered Him in ages past. Through Christ, we see who God, the Holy Trinity, is. We come to understand the character of God and how He has acted in His creation throughout its history. This attunes our spiritual senses to be able to encounter Him anew in all our life in creation today.” (Fr. Stephen De Young)

“…it is impossible to impress God by being extremely religious or trying to earn a reward by doing enough good deeds of any kind. Our calling, instead, is humbly to embrace His healing to the point that we radiate His selfless love to other people. The more our character conforms to His, the more we will spontaneously offer ourselves to build relationships of love with our neighbors. To do so means that we will be able to say truthfully, “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal. 2:20)” (Fr. Philip LeMasters)

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