“Faith, goodness, knowledge …”
“… make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, …” (2Pet 1:5)
As some of us prepare to start University exams, while the younger ones are enjoying school holidays, we are still in the Easter season and it is a good time to revise what happened around the time of Jesus’ death, resurrection and appearances before he ascended into heaven. One of the fascinating accounts is the knowledge contest between Jesus and the two men on the road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-32); as they discussed, they accused Jesus of not knowing the Jerusalem current affairs. Jesus in turn pushed them to the edge and called them ‘foolish’ and ‘slow’ before giving a clear exposition of the Scriptures about the Messiah. It must have been a poignant knowledge contest indeed.
Knowledge is important; as we study whatever subject or field, things revealed help us to grow. Love your subjects and work on them with a passion. The Apostle Peter admonishes that faith needs to be supplemented with many other qualities; the two men had faith in the man whose death they were lamenting, but they lacked enough knowledge about him, and that became for them a limiting factor in their salvation. Faith alone can be shaken if not fortified with the revealed qualities that we are encouraged to grow in ourselves and in one another. In the case of these men, knowledge of the Scriptures needed to be taken to a higher level for their faith to be effective. Are you a believer? You need to check also if you are growing in the knowledge of the Scriptures.
One of the difficulties in our academic systems is the aspect of relating what we study with our faith and spirituality. But when you think about it, they actually relate well: do you marvel at the Creator of the magnificent universe with its gravitational interactions and nature laws that are studied in physical sciences? What about the Creator of a human mind that is the sensational subject of psychology and philosophy students? All kinds of knowledge point to the greatness of our God and can play a part in deepening our faith. The most important knowledge however, is that about the Messiah. Knowledge standing on her own can produce pride that kills, but when it supplements faith, both are made fruitful and the possessor will in due course receive the grand benefit of life eternal.
Peace be with you!