You know I was always taught that the more knowledge you had the better off you were. In most cases I would completely agree with that (especially in one particular case, you'll see later). Everyone should remember the phrase, "and knowing is half the battle (Yo Joe!!!)." Yet can more knowledge kill you? Well if you were a spy and knew too much, that could get you killed. If you have a P.H.D. in physics and tried to get a job at a fast food joint; that could kill your employment chances. But could knowledge kill you spiritually? Well I would say yes... Allow me to elaborate.
First! Read Romans 7:7. Let's use the Message translation...
"But I
can hear you say, “If the law code was as bad as all that, it’s no
better than sin itself.” That’s certainly not true. The law code had a
perfectly legitimate function. Without its clear guidelines for right
and wrong, moral behavior would be mostly guesswork. Apart from the
succinct, surgical command, “You shall not covet,” I could have dressed
covetousness up to look like a virtue and ruined my life with it." MSG
2002 Eugene H. Peterson by NavPress Publishing
So knowledge, in this case the Law (as given to Moses from God), is and continues to be our doorway into the knowledge of sin. As Paul points out, we would not know that coveting was bad if God had not told us that. So that now we know, we know it's bad (and later in that chapter Paul talks about how even though he knows something is bad, he struggles with doing it). Now I know that this will come off as I'm trying to bash God or blame my (or others) sin on Him, but really I'm not. Sin is our problem, not God's.
Ok, read it from another translation...
"What
then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not
been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known
what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.”" ESV brought to you by Crossway
Does the knowledge of right and wrong lead me into the knowledge of what sin is?
Let's look at it this way...
"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”" Genesis 2:16-17 ESV
AH HA! We're faced with an Adam/Eve situation everyday. That single commandment led Adam and Eve into the knowledge of the sin of disobedience. And what happened after that? Well just like for you and me, the father of sinners came in, "dressed up" sin, or the knowledge there of, and both Adam and Eve gave in. Like Paul they knew what was right, but did wrong anyways.
So my point is this; knowledge does have an edge to it. Some of the knowledge that we receive in this world can lead us to the very gate of hell. Examples? Darwinism... That we're all just lumps of flesh that should be killed off when it is better for someone else (abortion). Newage-ism... Turn to yourself because you have the power to do anything (yet everything you do will eventually fail and fade away and again you'll be left with nothing). I'm sure there are others, they are not coming to my mind at this time.
But don't be discouraged by all of this talk, there is a knowledge that can bring life...
In Paul's letter to the Ephesians... "...that
the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the
Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him..." Eph 1:17 ESV (That's the case I referred to earlier, yeah[!], God baby!)
Knowledge of God and who He is brings life, always. And like Adam and Eve; He wants us to make that choice. The choice of the knowledge of good and evil, right and wrong, life or death. And as Moses said, "I
call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set
before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life,
that you and your offspring may live..." Deut 30:19 ESV
Don't let knowledge kill you off.... Know Him, know love, know life. PEACE!
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