Knowing what is worth knowing

NORSK
"Knowledge is an easy burden to carry", my teacher used to tell me. However, sometimes I get a little frustrated by myself because of all the useless knowledge that seem to pop up now and then. Even worse is the tendency I have to share it. 

A couple of weeks back I watched “News in a new way” on Norwegian TV. The philosopher Henrik Syse was one of the guests. One of the topics was the phrase "everything will be OK in the end" and if this was an accepted theory. Syse was quick to respond with some ‘useless knowledge’ which is also part of my portfolio: "Yes, Origen presented that theory, and it is called apocatastasis!"

Because I love words, it was love at first sight when I saw the beautiful word apocatastasis for the first time. And ever since, I've shared the word and meaning of apocatastasis on several occasions, and it's really quite unnecessary.

Yesterday Paul began his exhortation in this way:

But know this...
2 Timothy 3:1

It is an important task for a mentor to communicate that which is "worth knowing". In the story about the man who was born blind and was healed by Jesus, the scribes wanted the young man to make a positional statement on Jesus’ sinfulness. The young man replied:

“Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”
Joh 9:25

This answer made the Jews throw the young man out of the synagogue. On the outside he met Jesus again, and Jesus said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.” Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.” Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

What he knew, led to knowledge of the essence.
 
Today 'manna':

The essence is worth knowing.

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“We need to wash the foundation”

NORSK
“Throughout the new history book we use the words ‘wash the foundation’. With this we mean brushing dust off the main values ​​of the Salvation Army, with a focus on the whole person’s physical, social and spiritual needs”, I said to a journalist in connection with the release of the so far last history book about The Salvation Army in Norway.

The first person I heard speaking about the values ​​of the foundation, was Jan Størksen. It must have been about 25 years ago. The values of the foundation determine how we build and present ourselves and our mission, and for Jan and the Salvation Army in Norway, the choice was that the key words "Soup, soap, salvation" should saturate everything we did, said and published.

However, this is the foundation of the mission. In our salvation, there is also a foundation:

Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”
2 Timothy 2:19

Paul has written about the foundation earlier, and there it became evident ‘who’ it is:

For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11

Does Jesus have a "seal" with an inscription, like Paul wrote to Timothy?
Beyond doubt, the assumptions alluded to in the inscriptions are in accordance with the Bible in general and Jesus' own statements recorded by the evangelists:

1) Regarding ‘knowing his’, Jesus said:

“I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me”
John 10:14

“Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”
John 14:21

Paul reiterated this:

But whoever loves God is known by God
1 Corinthians 8:3

2) Regarding 'unrighteousness', Jesus said:

And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’
Matt 7:23

Therefore, I believe it was important for Paul to stress that our righteousness is part of the foundation:

It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
1 Corinthians 1:30

‘Manna' for today:

The inscription on the foundation must be visible in my life

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(1) Rebecca Solevåg was editor of “Soup, soap, salvation” – published in 2013

It is about insight

NORSK
I like a good overview and a deep insight in all meanings of the words. Therefore, I prefer to look at several translations of the Bible, particularly when I only look at one verse – an even more important when my focus is on a single word. 

When I look at the ingredients of Peter’s fruit-recipe, I need to do it word by word. Today it is about the Greek word ‘gnosis’, and most English version choose ‘knowledge’ in their translation:

“add to your …virtue knowledge,”
2 Pet 1:5 

‘Gnosis’ can be translated: ‘knowledge, understanding or insight’ – therefore knowledge is 100% acceptable. Personally, I prefer ‘insight’, and I had to check the English definition of the word, and here is one: Insight = ‘penetrating mental vision or discernment; faculty of seeing into inner character or underlying truth’. 

I realise that I have English as my second language with the limited ‘insight’ that involves, but I think Peter has the spiritual insight in mind when he uses this ingredient in his recipe. And even thought knowledge may contain this nuance as well (1), I feel that ‘insight’ better explains why it is placed as the third ingredient in the recipe, or third link in the chain.

It begins with faith, and to faith I add the virtues I choose as values for my life. This choice leads to a new insight, an inner recognition of the fact that I stand in a meaningful relation both with God and my fellow men. This create a form of base on which a small seed may find enough nourishment to start to grow. The seed is the hope of fruit

‘Manna’ for today:

Insight nourishes hope for fruit

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(1) Three reflections on knowing:

• ‘It is about knowing as in …#1’
• ‘It is about knowing as in …#2’
• ‘It is about knowing as in …#3’

It is about the good circle

NORSK
As a child, I used all my volume when I sang “Jesus wants me for a sunbeam” and the song taught me that it would happen by me trying to please him in every way. It was a good song to sing.

However, if the song is used in combination with e.g.: “O be careful little eyes what you see”, I am not sure that it necessarily leaves children with a correct image of God. 

The challenge is even bigger in Norwegian. In our version “the Father up above” translates well, while the next line stops with “he is looking down” and skips “in love” because love needs two extra syllables in Norwegian. Two syllables can make a lot of difference.

I am sure that the intentions of the translator were good, and the Biblical truth is still there. The point is that the base, which must be the experience and understanding of God who is boundless in love and grace, needs to be built first. It is the sequence of things that is important - a matter of concern even for Paul:

“..since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God..”
Col 1:9-10

As I grow older my understanding of how much I am loved has been steadily growing, and that experience has become the motivation for my longing to please the Lord, not just a little, but in every way. I believe that the result will be that I bear more fruit and grow in my knowledge of him. This will please both him, and me, and I find myself in “a good circle” – also called the process of holiness.

‘Manna’ for today:

Holiness is about the good circle

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It is about knowing, as in… #3

NORSK
I am still reflecting on the chorus-line that has been focus the last couple of days:
“Be at rest and know that I am the Lord!”
Today, it is about ‘knowing’ as in the word ‘acquainting’, referring to the process of learning to know the Lord in a way that becomes a personal relationship. If I want to be holy, I need to know the one who is holy.

“Let’s know, let’s press on to know the Lord;
whose appearing is as certain as the dawn;
who will come to us like the showers,
like the spring rains that give drink to the earth.”
Hos 6:3 (CEB)

The verse is from a prophecy of Hosea and stands in a context I will come back to tomorrow, but it is very important for me to focus on the aspect of learning to know the Lord in an intimate way. Some people make the mistake to think that they know God because they have knowledge about him. 

Why is this a mistake?
I have some knowledge about one of the most powerful men on earth (at least for a few months more), but my knowledge about president Obama is very different from that of his close friends and close family.

I believe that the disciples had reach this kind of relationship with Jesus, when he just before his death proclaimed: 

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15

The challenge “Press on to know the Lord!” is an exhortation to know him as close as a member of the family of God – ‘the community of the saints’.

‘Manna’ for today:

Let’s press on to know the Lord!

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It is about knowing, as in…. #1

NORSK
I am going to play on the word knowing for a couple of days. The chorus I quoted yesterday contains the word, which in Norwegian can have at least three interpretations, and since all are important when I explore the well of holiness. The line I am referring to is:

“Be at rest and know that I am the Lord!”

Today, it is about knowing as in “learning”, meaning seeking knowledge about the Lord. If I want to be holy, I need to know as much as possible about the Lord. There are several ways of doing that. A good way is to start early, as in the example of Timothy:

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
2 Tim 3:14-17  

I was fortunate to have this kind of upbringing, and I praise God for it. If you have not been in the same position, the well I drank from – “All Scripture” = The Bible – is still available as the most important source to give knowledge about God and his holiness. 

The process of knowing should never stop with knowledge about God – therefore all the aspects of knowing needs to be explored, but we should never forget the importance of learning:

Train up a child in the way he should go,
And when he is old he will not depart from it.
Prov 22:6  

‘Manna’ for today:

Learning is an important part of knowing!

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