Jesus answered, “Thou wie the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy understanding. “(Matthew 22:37)
Did you love God with all your mind?Or have you been childish in your understanding of spiritual things (1 Co 14:20)?We want to invite you to immerse yourself in the depths of God’s knowledge.
- The following excerpt is from chapter 12 of John Piper’s book “THINK”.
- Published by Editora Fiel.
- In this passage in the book.
- Piper discusses the text of 1 Co.
- 8.
- 1-11 and warns the reader of the purpose of all knowledge based on truth: love of God and neighbour.
How did Paul address the knowledge that appeased currants?In 1 Co. 8. 2, Paul said, “If anyone thinks he knows something, in fact, he has not yet learned to know. “This is not to say that Paul thought that Christians did not know things Ten times in this epistle, it draws the attention of the Corinthians for not knowing crucial things that they should already know about God and life (3. 16; 5. 6; 6. 2, 3, 9, 15, 16, 19; 9. 13). , 24).
When Paul rebuked them for thinking they “knew something,” he had his attitude in mind. In a sense, they “knew. ” But they didn’t know what it was like for them to know, so, in a deep sense, they didn’t know at all, they didn’t have the only kind of knowledge that will eventually be taken into account. They knew.
It’s deep. Paul said that knowledge (and the thought that produces it) is not true simply because it contains a correct doctrine about the food offered to idols. These Christians knew real facts about God and his freedom, but Paul said they had just imagined that they had done so. In other words, they had no real knowledge. They didn’t know how they were supposed to know, so they didn’t really know. They figured they knew.
Now the crucial question is: what would make this imaginary knowledge true?The answer can be found in the text above and in the next text.
In the text above, Paul said that love builds (v. 1). This implies that any knowledge that is not at the service of love is not true knowledge, it is a knowledge of prostitution. It is as if God put surgical instruments in our hands and taught us to save the sick, but we use them to perform an excellent act of juggling while the sick die Is there knowledge and thought for love?By building God’s people in faith. Thought that produces pride, rather than love, is not a true thought; we just imagined we thought. God doesn’t see you thinking, it’s not surgery, it’s juggling.
As I tried to understand what verse 2 means by saying, “Have you not yet learned to know?”, I said that the answer is in the text above and in the following text. We have already seen it in the text above: “Love build it?(v. 1).
Now on the last 😕 But if someone loves God, is he known?(V. 3). Paul assimilated knowing how we should know how to love God; In relation to verse 1, he made love for people the criterion of true knowledge and, in relation to verse 3, made love for God the criterion of true knowledge.
We see the connection between this text of love for God with all our understanding, this is the reason for our spirit. And in this passage, Paul said that loving God is what we do when we know, how [should we] know? In Paul’s view, God gives us the thought and the knowledge to love God and love people.
The lesson learned from 1 Corinthians 8,1-3 is that thought is dangerous and indispensable. Without a deep work of grace in the heart, knowledge?Fruit of reflection? Inflated. But with grace in our hearts, thought opens the door to humble knowledge, and this knowledge is the fuel of the fire of love for God and man, if we abandon serious reflection in our search for God, this fire will be extinguished.