Knowledge: Information From God
You should remember that knowledge lies at the heart of the struggle between the two kingdoms; because knowledge is where the adversary mounted his original attack on humanity. Satan's most powerful weapon is ignorance, but to use it he must first destroy or distort true knowledge. That is exactly what he did with Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. He deceived and overcame them by attacking the source and substance of their knowledge.
The first thing God gave Adam for their protection was information. (16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, (17) but of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17) Adam received knowledge; he knew what the boundaries were and what was expected of him. Furthermore, he passed this knowledge on to Eve after she appeared on the scene. As long as they obeyed God and respected His boundaries, they would live and prosper and enjoy unlimited fellowship with the Creator.
Keep in mind, Satan, that serpent and deceiver, was very subtle in his approach. He did not launch a direct attack on God, but sowed seeds of distrust in Adam and Eve's minds that led them to doubt and question the truth and veracity of the knowledge God had given them and therefore, to doubt God Himself.
(Read Genesis 3:1-5)
Now keep this in mind, the first thing the devil did was attempt to get Eve to doubt whether she correctly understood God's instructions: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" Next he suggested to her that God was not being straightforward with them in His prohibitions against eating the fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden. "You will not surely die... For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In this he represented God as knowing both good and evil. In His omniscience, God understands the nature of evil, but in His perfection He does not know evil experientially. Satan knows evil because he is evil and, after their disobedience, Adam and Eve knew it also.
As a result of Satan's ploy, Adam and Eve developed a distorted understanding of knowledge God had given them. They succumbed to the devil's manipulation and trickery to become "like God", although they were already like Him. Once they took the devil's bait, they fell into sin and became like the devil. In their sin, Adam and Eve, rather than becoming like God, became less like God than they were before.
The first thing God gave Adam for their protection was information. (16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, (17) but of the tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17) Adam received knowledge; he knew what the boundaries were and what was expected of him. Furthermore, he passed this knowledge on to Eve after she appeared on the scene. As long as they obeyed God and respected His boundaries, they would live and prosper and enjoy unlimited fellowship with the Creator.
Keep in mind, Satan, that serpent and deceiver, was very subtle in his approach. He did not launch a direct attack on God, but sowed seeds of distrust in Adam and Eve's minds that led them to doubt and question the truth and veracity of the knowledge God had given them and therefore, to doubt God Himself.
(Read Genesis 3:1-5)
Now keep this in mind, the first thing the devil did was attempt to get Eve to doubt whether she correctly understood God's instructions: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?" Next he suggested to her that God was not being straightforward with them in His prohibitions against eating the fruit from the tree in the middle of the Garden. "You will not surely die... For God knows when you eat of it your eyes will be open and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." In this he represented God as knowing both good and evil. In His omniscience, God understands the nature of evil, but in His perfection He does not know evil experientially. Satan knows evil because he is evil and, after their disobedience, Adam and Eve knew it also.
As a result of Satan's ploy, Adam and Eve developed a distorted understanding of knowledge God had given them. They succumbed to the devil's manipulation and trickery to become "like God", although they were already like Him. Once they took the devil's bait, they fell into sin and became like the devil. In their sin, Adam and Eve, rather than becoming like God, became less like God than they were before.
Knowledge is Important
Keep in mind that the kingdom of darkness gets its power from that which we do not know. The truth we are ignorant of cannot protect us against Satan's deceptions. That is why we must devote ourselves to studying, learning, experiencing and practicing the Word of God, which is our constitution as Kingdom Citizens. The light of knowledge dispels the darkness of deception and ignorance; the light of truth destroys the darkness of lies and error.
Keep in mind, Satan hates the Word of God. He has no weapon that can stand against it. Whenever God's Word is taught or proclaimed, Satan immediately attempts to steal it away or blind and confuse people's minds so that they do not understand and believe. As ruler of the kingdom of darkness, Satan fears the light. He fears the One who is the light and he fears all who walk in the light. Satan is afraid of us because, as believers, we are children of the light. We possess and display in our lives the divine light of truth and knowledge, spelling his destruction.
It is important to know the difference between what the world calls knowledge and the true knowledge of the Kingdom of God. The constitution teaches that all of us, as descendants of Adam and Eve, are spiritual heirs to their sinfulness and are born as children of darkness. This means that we are born in ignorance. Even as we grow, no matter how much education we receive, our fundamental ignorance remains until it is removed in Christ. No matter how smart we are, no matter how many degrees or titles we may carry after our name; until we come to know God through faith in Christ and begin to obey His word, we remain in the darkness of spiritual ignorance. Without enlightenment of the divine truth of Christ, all other knowledge ultimately is irrelevant.
Keep in mind that knowledge unenlightened by the truth of God is dark knowledge. We may have a B.S. an M.S. and a Ph.D., but without the Lord all we have is dark information. It may be sufficient to help us navigate in the world of darkness but by itself will never lead us to the truth. Apart from the revelation of the Spirit of God, none of us could ever find our way into the light. Darkly educated people are like those whom Paul described to his young protege, Timothy, as "always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth" (II Timothy 3:7)
Remember that darkness is the absence of accurate information about God. It is possible to spend a lifetime in the schools of the Kingdom of darkness and never see the light. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus, expert of the Jewish law, that he needed to be born again (read John 3:3). In effect, Jesus said to him, "Nicodemus, you need to start over. What you have learned up to now is no good." A person of great learning who does not know the Lord is nothing more than a highly educated fool, and needs to get a clue.
Keep in mind, Satan hates the Word of God. He has no weapon that can stand against it. Whenever God's Word is taught or proclaimed, Satan immediately attempts to steal it away or blind and confuse people's minds so that they do not understand and believe. As ruler of the kingdom of darkness, Satan fears the light. He fears the One who is the light and he fears all who walk in the light. Satan is afraid of us because, as believers, we are children of the light. We possess and display in our lives the divine light of truth and knowledge, spelling his destruction.
It is important to know the difference between what the world calls knowledge and the true knowledge of the Kingdom of God. The constitution teaches that all of us, as descendants of Adam and Eve, are spiritual heirs to their sinfulness and are born as children of darkness. This means that we are born in ignorance. Even as we grow, no matter how much education we receive, our fundamental ignorance remains until it is removed in Christ. No matter how smart we are, no matter how many degrees or titles we may carry after our name; until we come to know God through faith in Christ and begin to obey His word, we remain in the darkness of spiritual ignorance. Without enlightenment of the divine truth of Christ, all other knowledge ultimately is irrelevant.
Keep in mind that knowledge unenlightened by the truth of God is dark knowledge. We may have a B.S. an M.S. and a Ph.D., but without the Lord all we have is dark information. It may be sufficient to help us navigate in the world of darkness but by itself will never lead us to the truth. Apart from the revelation of the Spirit of God, none of us could ever find our way into the light. Darkly educated people are like those whom Paul described to his young protege, Timothy, as "always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth" (II Timothy 3:7)
Remember that darkness is the absence of accurate information about God. It is possible to spend a lifetime in the schools of the Kingdom of darkness and never see the light. That is why Jesus told Nicodemus, expert of the Jewish law, that he needed to be born again (read John 3:3). In effect, Jesus said to him, "Nicodemus, you need to start over. What you have learned up to now is no good." A person of great learning who does not know the Lord is nothing more than a highly educated fool, and needs to get a clue.
