The Truth You Know

    I used to be involved in a group that had some marvelous teachers. Their teaching was so revelatory that it encouraged me to seek for great revelations from the word of God. God gave me some great revelation and I am sure I probably over spiritualized some things to make a point. One day as I was reading Acts 17 and I saw in verse 21 where Athenians and foreigners spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing. I realized that my hunger for some new revelation had gotten out of balance. I am not saying that we are not to search the word. I believe God will reveal  truth to us by the Holy Spirit. What God reveals is not for information, but for application. Knowledge puffs up. Revelation without application and impartation is simply information and will not provide motivation.

       Many times we hear people say ,"The truth will set you free." That passage is taken out of context and is not always true as it is quoted. Let's look at the context.  Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, " If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free. Romans 8:31,32   It is the truth that we know that sets us free.   The word know there is a stronger word than intellectual knowledge. It is the word "ginosko" #1097 in the Strong's. My Spirit-Filled Life Bible defines it this way: To perceive, understand, recognize, gain knowledge, realize, come to know. "Ginosko" is the knowledge that has an inception, a progress, and an attainment. It is the reconition of truth by personal experience.      In other words ginosko is experiential knowledge. It is the truth we experience that sets us.  Statistically over 85 per cent of Americans believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God. It is pretty obvious that 85 percent of Americans are not saved.  It is that experiential knowledge, that knowing relationship with Jesus Christ that saves us.

        It is wonderful to know the word of God, to understand the types and shadows, and to be able to communicate truths. What a joy it is to plumb the depths of His infinite wisdom! But our great store of knowledge is of no value unless we introduce people to the Truth. Paul expressed his fear that the Corinthians' minds would be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.  Jesus said, I am the way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father but by Me. John 14:11  Jesus is the Truth and if you know the Truth, He will set you free.