FAITH’S KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST (2)

“Ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

—2 Peter 1:8

“The source of this knowledge is the Word of God. We cannot know anything of God without the Bible. Faith believes everything revealed in the Word of God—the history, the miracles, the doctrines, the promises—, and faith is informed and increased by the Word of God, especially by hearing the preaching. That is why preaching must have content—the minister may not bring silly stories and moral lessons to entertain the people of God. That is why, too, we must hear preaching. A Christian who absents himself from preaching and does not read the Scriptures at home must expect to have weak faith. A Christian who diligently attends the means of grace ought to expect an increased and strengthened faith. But none of this means that faith is merely intellectual. The knowledge of faith is the knowledge of love, the knowledge of a personal relationship, the knowledge of the covenant. The covenant is friendship. Friends know about one another. They know one another’s likes, dislikes, and interests. And friends know one another. They have communion, they share one another’s lives, they spend time together, and they communicate. What a privilege that the infinitely glorious God would condescend to know us and to permit us to know Him, through faith in Jesus Christ!”

—Martyn McGeown