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You must be in fellowship prior to your Bible study, so that the spiritual information you receive can become a source, of blessing to your soul and produce spiritual growth. Ephesians 1:17 http://www.dailybiblestudy.org
17 That [hina] the God [theos] of our [hemon] Lord [kurios] Jesus [Iesous] Christ, [Christos] the Father [pater] of glory, [doxa] may give [didomi] unto you [humin] the spirit [pneuma] of wisdom [sophia] and [kai] revelation [apokalupsis] in [en] the knowledge [epignosis] of him: [autos]KJV-Interlinear
17 that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. NASB The God, is a reference to God the Father, the one of whom Satan wanted to be like the Most High. God that Father is the highest authority in all of existence. It is to Him that all religions seek to attain attention or equality or recognition. And this is sought through arrogance. However, the Father along with the Son and the Spirit designed a plan by which arrogance could be defeated, and that plan was that no one could approach the Father except through the Son. The term Son, implies a lesser authority, and arrogance does not want to recognize something lesser, but presumes that it can go around the Son and directly to the Father. Not so. If you have read the first couple of studies in the Psalms, then you already know that the Son, is a title, and not a physical family relationship within the Godhead. So, the very first thing that Paul wishes for you, is that you understand the Father, and the Son and the respective roles of the two in the spiritual realm, and thus the divine plan. All things spiritual must flow through the Son. That is the purpose and plan of salvation and the spiritual life. Both are deserving of glory. This arrangement requires humility and defeats arrogance. Next Paul desires, from within his prayer, from the prior verse, that you receive the spirit of wisdom. Spirit, 'pneuma,' and wisdom, 'sophia,' when combined refer to the breath or breathing, inhale and exhale of knowledge. This wisdom is a functional knowledge, a higher plane of knowledge that is operational within your thinking brain. It is not worldly academics or intellect, but knowledge and understanding of the spiritual realm that far exceeds everything in this physical world. And the revelation of Him, namely Jesus Christ who is the living word, but also represented by the written word, or the scriptures. The Bible is the revelation, or revealing of God, of Christ, of doctrine, of all things spiritual. In knowledge, 'epignosis,' and this word is the real focal point of this verse. There are two kinds of knowledge. The first is referred to as 'gnosis.' The second reference to knowledge is referred to as 'epignosis.' The difference between the two is the degree of possession that you have of knowledge. 'Gnosis,' is the knowledge of awareness of facts. 'Epignosis,' is the mastery of that knowledge. Suppose you are learning a new language, one in which you have no former knowledge. You learn some words, perhaps even to count to ten, but you do not have a level of knowledge of that language such that you could engage in even a simple conversation. That is limited knowledge. It has limited use. That is 'gnosis.' But once you have learned a language, have had several years of daily use, then you have more of a mastery of that language. You can read, and write, and have conversations, and watch movies and so forth. Your whole life is centered around that language and you know so much that you don't really give your knowledge much thought. You take your knowledge for granted, or it goes without saying. That is a mastery, or 'epignosis.' So, your knowledge of the Father, and of the Lord, and of the scriptures, when they are limited to 'gnosis,' have little if any value to you. But, when your knowledge of the scriptures and all things spiritual have been studied and learned and understood and used daily over a longer period of time, then you begin to have a mastery of that knowledge. You have wisdom, spiritual wisdom that is not only useful, but beneficial spiritually, for you. So, Pauls prayer is for you to learn such that you become a master of your own knowledge, and thoughts and therefore of your own destiny. For doctrine is a destiny in and of itself. This sets the stage for your entire life now, in this world, and in eternity when you get there. This is the key to your whole purpose of being here. Remember that if a prayer is Gods will, then He will hear it and it will be granted. But God never forces anything onto you. Paul prayed, but the prayer is a potential because it depends on your compliance with Gods plan. Will you study and learn and grow, and therefore have a guaranteed success in your spiritual life? Or will you disregard Gods plan and purpose and go your own way, and guarantee your own failure?
Now is the time to post a prayer. End Of Lesson Study to show thyself approved (mature) unto God, a workman that needs not to be ashamed, rightly dividing (studying/discerning), the Word of truth. |
