J. D. Gallé | Friday, 31 July 2015
Optimally, the humility of a believer would grow in proportion to his or her knowledge of God’s Word, theological studies, etc. Oftentimes, however, this is not so. Instead, we begin to take pride in what we have learned. We come to believe that we are superior to those who know less than us. This is not a Calvinist problem or an Arminian problem, but a human one. Pride manifests itself in many forms; no human being is immune to its ill effects, small or great.
I fear that in our quest for doctrinal knowledge and purity we can all too easily neglect our walk before God. How many persons have died in a spiritually bankrupt state who knew so much? Their knowledge did not serve to benefit their relationship with Jesus Christ; rather, it perished with them. How many have been so rich intellectually but not rich towards God himself? How many have deluded themselves into believing that their storing up of knowledge was equivalent to a right relationship with God through faith in the Lord Jesus and his saving work? How ironic, how tragic would it be for one to discover on the last day that he or she is found alienated from God by pursuing biblical and theological knowledge as an end in itself, to the neglect of his or her soul?
Copyright © J. D. Gallé, 2015. All rights reserved.
