I woke up recently with a verse on my mind.. “Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.” (1 Corinthians 8: 1) Immediately, I asked the Lord okay what about that? When you look at that verse, that is a pretty powerful contrast. Knowledge is important and very biblical, so my heart here is not to attack knowledge or those that seek it. The Holy Spirit was awakening me to this very important verse because I have been guilty of knowledge puffing me up and spewing said knowledge without much love.
In the original Greek, to puff up means to inflate, swell up, and it can mean arrogance or pride. Likewise, love builds up is likened to building a house. It also means building up character, helping someone stand, and for them to be strong and sturdy. Love is what edifies and its power is exceedingly greater than my knowledge. If you read further along in that verse, you will find Paul talking to mature believers. We need to make sure that we take into consideration that others do not have the same experiences we have or the same knowledge. We then have to be mindful not to tear down someone’s new foundation with some “truth.” Sometimes I think we are itching to tell someone what we think or what we know as opposed to just itching to love them.
Knowledge has to be laced with love or that wisdom might be more hurtful than helpful.
It is imperative that we remember that Jesus sent his son to die for guilty people. You and I are as guilty as them- we have all sinned and fallen short.
1 Corinthians 13:1-2 “If I speak in the tongues of men or angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and I have a faith that can move mountains but do not have love, I am nothing.”
Knowledge will put me and my thoughts first but love will put other people first. Knowledge is important but love is essential. Jesus appreciates that I have learned a thing or two, but that thing or two has to be surrendered.
2 Peter 1:5-9 “Make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.”
Just when I was already feeling conviction, this verse adds another level of responsibility. We have to add Jesus to what we got. Faith needs goodness all over it. Our so-called knowledge needs some self-control, which means giving someone a piece of your mind without slathering it in love is wrong. To our godliness, we need to add mutual affection, not just affection for Jesus. And to mutual affection, we need to add more love. If we are not also mindful of growing in these areas too, we risk being nearsighted and blind.
The knowledge of God leads to humility not puffiness.
2 Corinthians 10: 5 “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
What the Lord showed me this week is the above verse is not restricted to just bad thoughts or lies like I always thought. But what if this includes taking captive what has exalted itself above the knowledge of God? What if that means taking captive my so-called good thoughts? My so-called good arguments? A stronghold is a false argument in which a person seeks shelter. Some of us have been seeking shelter on a stance we’ve had for a long time. Has Jesus gotten ahold of that stance? You and I are now responsible to give everything over to the Holy Spirit’s detector. This is a whole new level of surrender too. We don’t just get to coast with our knowledge, it has to be searched just like any other carry-on bag.
Knowledge is cool and it's a biblical gift. But how many times do we know a lot of information but are not transformed by said information? Because knowledge can puff up, we need to check the levels of our humility.
Philippians 2:6-8 “Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death- even death of a cross.”
Jesus regarded other people as better than himself, and we ought to be doing the same. Being humble means I care more about our relationship than I do about being right. One way to know if you regard others better than yourself is if you believe that you have something to learn or receive from them. How many times do we dismiss people and what they have to say because we think we know better or that we are better?
Knowledge puffs up but love builds up.