Knowledge

I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord.- Philippians 3:8

What do you know? What is it that you do not know? What do you wish you knew? Do you know that you know or do you think that you know?

Knowledge has diverse dimensions and a plurality of perspectives. Your understanding can become your undoing and your reasoning can run you into remorse and regret. Thinking can be a dangerous thing; not thinking can cause self-destruction. What do you know?

Do you have Exact Knowledge? Exact knowledge is factual data on a specific subject or object. Knowing that one plus one equals two is exact knowledge. Knowing that water is wet, that fire will burn you, or that no single snowflake is the same – is exact knowledge. Exact knowledge is non-argumentative and non-debatable. It is so because it is so.

Do you have Exclusive Knowledge? Exclusive knowledge is information obtained for a specific skill or task. Having computer literacy, knowing how to perform open heart surgery, knowing how to make hot water cornbread, or knowing how to exegete a verse of scripture – is exclusive knowledge. Exclusive knowledge comes about because of interest, desire or demand.

Do you have Experiential Knowledge? Experiential knowledge is reflective and responsive knowledge from a previous encounter. Experiential knowledge comes about not because you have been told but because you have been touched, not because you have been instructed but because you have been impacted. Experiential knowledge does not wait for the class to start – it starts its own class.

This is the knowledge that the apostle Paul had, experiential “I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord”. Read Philippians 3:4-11 to get Paul’s complete thought. When you know Christ Jesus as Lord you have exact knowledge, exclusive knowledge and experiential knowledge. The word “know” in the text is “Ginosko” which means to know experientially and reflectively. The question is not what you know, but who do you know. Do you know Him?