The Benefits of God's Knowledge – Part 1

David W Palmer

We have seen that God is the God of knowledge; he wants us to have knowledge, he gives knowledge, and it is found in Jesus. Next, we turn our attention to searching out the benefits of knowledge.

Knowledge is life

(John 17:3 NKJV) “And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”

Jesus reveals a startling truth in this statement. This verse forms part of the great High Priestly prayer that he prayed before his crucifixion. While praying for his followers, Jesus revealed the essence of eternal life; it is knowing God and Jesus Christ whom God sent. This clearly shows the importance of knowledge; eternal life comes from it. No wonder Jesus expects us to “learn of him” (Mat. 11:29 KJV).

We saw earlier that knowledge is hidden in Jesus, yet Scripture also reveals that Jesus is our life:

(Colossians 3:4 NKJV) “When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.” (See also: John 14:6, Acts 3:15)

True knowledge is knowing him who is truth. What’s more, if we know him, this means that we are also in union with the one who is the source of life. This underlines Jesus’s revelation that life comes from knowing his Father and him.

Furthermore, Jesus is also the “Word of God” (John 1:1–3). This shows that life comes from knowing the word, and that eternal life comes from eternally knowing the Father and Jesus, the living word. The following Scriptures confirm that knowledge of God’s word is life:

(Proverbs 4:20–22 NKJV) “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. {21} Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; {22} For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their flesh.”

(John 6:63 NKJV) “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.”

2. Knowledge gives grace and peace

(2 Peter 1:2 NKJV) “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.”

This is an exciting Scripture as it shows how we can have grace and peace multiplied to us. Both grace and peace are very wonderful and desirable properties. Grace is brilliant, because it is God’s unmerited favor; this means that God will give us what we need even though we do not deserve it. Best of all, it means that we can receive what we most need: the ability to change to be like Jesus.

Peace is also a magnificent quality, and we experience it when we are in right relationship with God. Jesus, after all, is the “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6 KJV); peace comes from knowing him and being in right relationship with him—him ruling, and we in humble submission and worship.

According to the above Scripture, both grace and peace are multiplied to us by knowing him—through a complete knowledge of, and about, God and the Lord Jesus Christ:

(Matthew 11:29–30 NKJV) “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. {30} For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Today we are reminded again that the true knowledge that Jesus wants us to have is both a learned knowledge—with Jesus, the Living Word as the teacher—and relational knowing. Prayer, study, and meditation help us gain the knowledge of God’s truth, while worship, humility, and drawing near help us come to relational knowledge of him who is Truth.

From knowing him in both these ways, we receive many benefits. We have looked at the first two today: knowledge is life—effervescent, bubbling, exuberant life; and knowledge multiplies grace and peace to us. Wow, let’s keep studying and pressing into him today for the true knowledge that Jesus wants us to receive as we learn from and of him.