-by Kevin DeYoung

A few weeks ago I started a Sunday evening series on 2 Peter. We’re only seven verses into the book, but already I can see the importance of knowledge in this epistle. In verse 2 Peter asks that grace and peace be multiplied to his hearers in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. In the next verse we see that we have been granted all things necessary for life and godliness through our knowledge of Christ. And again in verse 5 Peter instructs us to add to our faith virtue and to virtue knowledge. Growing in knowledge is clearly central to our growth in godliness.

No doubt, this knowledge is more than an awareness of doctrinal propositions. Peter wants his Christian audience to grow in discernment and in a relational “knowing” of God. But it would be a mistake to make “knowledge” nothing but a synonym for living a godly life. Why specify the need for knowledge in verse 5 if it is not different than virtue or self-control or godliness? When Peter talks about grace and peace coming through knowledge he means that learning about God, which includes a cognitive dimension, is key for Christian maturity.

Now, some Christians love to talk about knowledge and learning about God. But, as we all know, the smartest doctrinal whipper-snappers don’t always set the standard for Christlikeness. Because of this, and for a host of other reasons I imagine, some Christians are eager to downplay the importance of knowledge. They are quick to point out “knowledge puffs up.” They will talk about how doctrine matters, but a lot of other things matter too. And make no mistake, the “but” in that sentence is what really matters.

So how should we talk about knowledge, doctrine, and learning in the Christian life? I want to propose a simple change of the conjunction that may help clear up a lot of problems.

Instead of saying “Knowledge of God is important, but…” let’s say, “Knowledge of God is important, so that…” In the first sentence knowledge is quickly affirmed, only to be subtly undermined in the second half of the sentence. But if we use “so that” instead of “but” we’ve managed to affirm knowledge without apology while affirming that knowledge (the good kind at least) is producing something. Growing in knowledge is crucial so that we can receive peace and grace and be empowered for holiness.

The problem is not too much knowledge or too much doctrine or caring too much about thinking. The problem is when knowledge of God becomes a vat instead of a vessel. Doctrinal knowledge is to the Christian life what blood is to the human body. If the blood flows through vessels, it literally gives life to the whole body. But if you just collected blood in a big bucket, some kind of grotesque vat, then you’ve got something unnatural going on. Blood isn’t meant to be stored in a vat. It is meant to flow through vessels of veins and arteries. Likewise, knowledge is not meant to be pooled in a giant theological noggin. Good doctrine and a robust understanding of God is meant to flow through us, producing fruit, leading to worship, making us more like Christ.

We need to find ways to stop pitting head Christians against heart Christians. We shouldn’t allow some churches to be “doctrine churches” and others to be some other kind of church. Every Christian must have knowledge and grow in knowledge. After all, as Peter reminds us, it’s how grace and peace will be multiplied to us. It’s how we receive power for life and godliness.

So we need not make any apologies for insisting that Christians and churches care about knowledge and grow in knowledge. Let’s just add a “so that” before someone else tries to put in a “but.”

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2010/04/06/knowledge-so-that/