The Excellency of Knowledge

The Excellency of Knowledge

By Apostle Felix

Rom 1:28  And because they thought it was worthless to embrace the true knowledge of God, God gave them over to a worthless mind-set, to break all rules of proper conduct. 

Romans 1: 28

We have heard it said that ‘knowledge is power.’ Knowledge is a factor at the centre of every human behavior. Either good or bad behavior is largely controlled by knowledge. For example, gangsterism is an ideological problem, which is governed by a set of beliefs based on violence, criminality, intimidation and control. The fight against gangsterism is fighting against an ideological problem. All the evil vices in our communities are knowledge based. The best rehabilitation that can be offered to people that are struggling with issues such as drug, alcohol and other addictions is the transformation of the soul with the superior knowledge such as the word of God. The law breakers are not changed by locking them up behind prison bars.

Knowledge is power. Societies have been destroyed and others developed by knowledge. Knowledge can also be used for evil purposes such as apartheid system. Apartheid was a system that was based on corrupt knowledge to oppress a black man. This was the reason why individuals like Steve Biko, the founder of Black consciousness movement in South African was a big threat to the apartheid system. He was a threat because he sensitized the black people to appreciate their blackness and African roots. His ideology of making black South African to realize that they were not inferior to any race became a threat to the apartheid system. The strength of apartheid was the ignorance of the black people. However, Steve Biko’s message of liberating a black man’s mind from oppression was limited. It could not set a South African man free from sin. There is only one message that has the power to set man completely from his woes, which are caused by sin.

31  Jesus said to those Jews who believed in him, “When you continue to embrace all that I teach, you prove that you are my true followers.
32  For if you embrace the truth, it will release more freedom into your lives.”
33  Surprised by this, they said, “But we’re the descendants of Abraham and we’re already free. We’ve never been in bondage to anyone. How could you say that we will be released into more freedom?” 

John 8: 31 – 33

The Jewish people had a similar problem. They thought they were free just because they were descendants of Abraham and the knowledge of the law they had. They thought that was enough for one to be free. But their natural birth and the knowledge of the law was not enough to set them free from sin. They needed the knowledge of Christ for them to experience total freedom from sin. The law had no power to set man free from his sins. Jesus explained it in this way:

39  “You are busy analyzing the Scriptures, frantically poring over them in hopes of gaining eternal life. Everything you read points to me,
40  yet you still refuse to come to me so I can give you the life you’re looking for—eternal life! 

John 5: 39, 40

The Jews had the scriptures. Theses were men, who were well read in scriptures, but yet did not Christ. Christ is the essence of the scriptures. If Christ is removed from the scriptures then the Bible will be void of power. We have heard it said in the church that if miracles were taken from the Bible then it would just be a mere book. There is some truth in that statement, but it is not the absolute truth. This is because miracles are not the monopoly of the Kingdom of God. Miracles are also found in witch doctors’ shrines. What distinguishes the Bible from the rest of the books is the Person of Christ in the scriptures. Christ is the excellency of  the knowledge of God.

24  But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 

1 Corinthians 1: 24