Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion

The Theology of Change - 4

Transcript: AI Transcript

Professor: John Weaver

Subject: Old Testament Studies

Genre: Sermon

Dictation Name:

Date: 2018-08-12

Synopsis: John Weaver continues his series on the theology of change by focusing on the renewal of knowledge in the believer. Using Colossians 3:10 and Ephesians 4:24, he explains that salvation brings a renewal of knowledge that harks back to Adam's pre-fall understanding. Adam possessed intuitive, theological knowledge of God's will for himself and creation, which was lost and perverted after the fall. In Christ, this knowledge is restored and must grow from elementary gnosis to precise epignosis. Knowledge for its own sake leads to pride, but true knowledge applies God's will to all of life, conforming us to Christ's image. The sermon emphasizes that change is continual, moving from general understanding to a fuller, more accurate knowledge of God, resulting in maturity and godly living.

[John Weaver] Colossians 3 and verse 10, and then Ephesians 4 and verse 24. This happens to be the fourth message in the theology of change. So if you look in Colossians 3 and verse 10 to begin with, the Word of God says this, and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him. And then if you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 24, a similar verse says this, and that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. So far, we've been looking at the theology of change.

[John Weaver] In the first two messages, I dealt with a conviction versus a preference. I showed you at least four tests that would demonstrate whether or not we hold a preference or conviction, and those tests dealt with pleasure. profit, pressure, and persecution. And last week I just pointed out the fact that the Scripture teaches us indeed that we will change because change is an absolute necessity. We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards. We will either progress in the faith or we will digress. We cannot remain neutral. We cannot remain stationary. We're going to either change for the better or for the worse.

[John Weaver] Now, let me just go ahead and say that in one sense of the word, there should not be any ignorant Christians. And the reason I say that is because of Colossians 3 and verse 10. The Bible says,"...and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." If you'll look in verse 11, he said,"...where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all."

[John Weaver] So it really doesn't matter who you are or where you are. If you have been saved by the grace of God, then you have been renewed in knowledge. So when God saves someone, He renews us in knowledge.

[John Weaver] Now, the interesting thing about the word renewed here, it is the Greek word anakanao, which literally means to renew. to cause to grow up new, to make new, to be changed from one kind of life to another, or to change from that which is right from a corrupt estate." So he says that we are renewed in our knowledge, so we have been given new knowledge. So once you have been saved, you have been changed. And according to Scripture, that change should be constant and it should be continual in your life. And yes, your theology should change as well. Your theology changes in the fact that it becomes a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Word of God, and it also should change in the sense that we are able to make applications of our theology to every area and every sphere of life.

[John Weaver] Now, since we are renewed in our knowledge, there is an implication in Colossians 3 and verse 10 that harks back to the knowledge that Adam held before the fall. When the fall occurred, man's knowledge became perverted in one sense of the word, And in another sense of the word, that knowledge actually became lost. For instance, if you look back in Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians 4, and let's begin reading there at verse 17. Ephesians 4, verse 17.

[John Weaver] Paul writes, This I say therefore, and testify of the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness." So he talked here about, since the fall, how man's mind is totally alienated from God, totally ignorant of God, and blind toward God.

[John Weaver] So when you read Colossians 3 and verse 10, and the Bible tells you that we are renewed in knowledge, you cannot help but think of the knowledge that Adam possessed before the fall. So if you'll look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 2, and let me show you verses 19 and 20. Genesis chapter 2, verses 19 and 20. Let me explain to you what Adam was really doing. Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 19. The Bible says, And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, That was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found of help, meat, or suitable for him." Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was naming the animals. Let me just tell you what Adam was not doing.

[John Weaver] Adam was not looking at a cow and saying, well, she's stubborn, I'll just call her old bossy. Or that pig there, I'm just going to call him Arnold. No, Adam was not doing that at all. What Adam was actually doing was reading out of those animals the very purpose for which God created those animals. Francis Nigel Lee, in his book, The Central Significance of Culture, actually stated that Adam was literally scientifically classifying the animals. Let me give you just a couple of quotes just to point out the fact that practically every commentator is stating basically that what Adam was doing was actually reading the will of God out of every one of those creatures and naming them accordingly. John Tramp, the old Puritan, says this, a sign of his sovereignty or dominion, that is, Adam's dominion and sovereignty in that sense of the word because God placed him over all of these animals. He said, a sign of his sovereignty, an argument also of his wisdom in giving them names according to their natures. So he read out of those animals the very nature in which God created them.

[John Weaver] Matthew Poole says it like this, in giving him names, he considered there several natures and perfections. Adam Clarke goes a little bit further, I want you to listen. He said, Adam gave names, but how? From an intimate knowledge of the nature and properties of each creature. Here we see the perfection of his knowledge. For it is well known that the names affixed to the different animals in Scripture always express some prominent feature and essential characteristic of the creatures to which they are applied. Had he not possessed an intuitive knowledge of the grand and distinguishing properties of those animals, he never could have given them such names. This one circumstance is a strong proof of the original perfection and excellence of man while in a state of innocence.

[John Weaver] Nor need we wonder at the account. Adam was the work of an infinitely wise and perfect being, and the effect must resemble the cause that produced it." So let me just say it very plainly. Adam was not a caveman. Adam was not a dummy. The truth of the matter is, Adam was exceedingly brilliant. He had knowledge, an intuitive knowledge of the will of God, not only for himself, but for these creatures as well. And thus he named them according to their properties and according to their nature that God created in them.

[John Weaver] Now, all of this knowledge was lost After the fall, in one sense it became perverted, in another sense it was lost and or totally rejected. So if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Romans chapter 1 and verse 21. Here the Word of God tells us exactly about the perversion of this knowledge. Romans 1 verse 21, the Bible says, Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up." Note, if you would, they did not like to retain the knowledge of God. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image. Now, if you'll skip down to verse 28, watch this very clearly stated, and even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient.

[John Weaver] So they not only perverted that knowledge, they totally rejected anything in relationship to God. Now, I want you to understand something about Adam's knowledge. Adam's knowledge was not just simply an accumulation of facts. It was not knowledge for knowledge's sake. It was intensely theological. His knowledge had reverence to God and His will and His purpose. Adam knew the will of God not only for himself, but for those animals that God created.

[John Weaver] So, that brings me to this point. Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless. You can have a multitude of degrees behind your name, and you may know a lot of facts, and you may have a lot of head knowledge, but if you do not know how to apply those facts and apply that knowledge, and especially if you do not know how it relates to God, His will, and His purpose, then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless.

[John Weaver] Moreover, the scripture teaches that such is nothing more than vanity and pride. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to first Corinthians, chapter eight. First Corinthians, chapter eight. And look at verses one and two. First Corinthians, chapter eight at verses one and two. Paul says, now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. But look at this next statement. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing, yet as he ought to know. Knowledge or scholarship just simply for its own sake, creates pride, arrogance, and presumption. Now, interestingly, when Paul says in verse 1, knowledge puffeth up, he uses the Greek word, phusiao, which literally means to blow up, to puff up, to inflate, to cause to swell up, to make proud, to bear oneself loftily, arrogantly, and proudly. Isn't that interesting? He says, knowledge, just for knowledge's sake, just simply blows somebody up in pride. And such arrogance and such pride are normally perceived in certain individuals.

[John Weaver] And when I was a boy, we would say, and we would call such an individual, Mr. Know-it-all. did not care about anyone or anything, he just wanted to show what he knew and how much he knew. And so this is why the Apostle Paul says, that knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to note, if you would please, someone that has knowledge just for knowledge's sake, someone that is puffed up like this, They have to demonstrate their superiority. They have to demonstrate their knowledge by mocking anyone who happens to disagree with them, or maybe not know as much as they do about some subject. They have to mock them. They have to ridicule them. And they will seek to disparage them in any way if they simply do not submit to them and acknowledge that they are the Mr. Know-it-all, that they are the superior individual.

[John Weaver] Paul goes on to explain in verse 2 that once we have reached the apex, the height of pride and arrogance and presumption, and we think that we have arrived, and we believe that we are number one, that we have it, then he says in verse 2, and if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. So Paul says, well, you think you've got it? You ain't. You don't know anything. So obviously.

[John Weaver] There is a condemnation in the Bible for knowledge, just for knowledge sake. You remember. What he says that knowledge puffeth up, that is, it creates pride. One of the seven things that God hates is pride. In Proverbs 6 and verse 16, he said, These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto them, and the first one is a proud look. And then in the book of Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 4, God says a high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin. So God despises pride. And when we are just wanting knowledge for knowledge's sake and we want to impress everyone with what we know, He says we don't know anything as we ought to know. Now, let me point out several things based upon Colossians 3 and verse 10 when the Bible says that we are renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created you.

[John Weaver] This harkens back to Adam. You have to remember several things about Adam. First of all, Adam was created full grown. He was never a baby. He never had to grow up. He was created full grown. Secondly, when God created Adam, Adam was immediately given responsibilities. He had to tend and keep and guard the garden. He had to work. I've heard people say, but work is a product of the fall. No. Work was before the fall. Work only became onerous after the fall. But God gave Adam work. So in order to fulfill his responsibilities, Adam needed knowledge. He must know how to apply that that God had given him if he's going to rule, if he's going to exercise dominion. He needs to know how to garden. He needs to know when to plant. He needs to know how to prune. He needs to know how to water. He needs to know everything about gardening. If he's going to protect and keep those animals, he has to know everything about those animals that he can possibly know.

[John Weaver] So obviously, he had to have knowledge. So when God created Adam, He created him not only with knowledge, but He gave him responsibilities, and there is indeed a biblical work ethic. So when you and I revolt against work and against responsibility, it is a revolt against maturity. We're refusing to grow up. I've always been amazed at some people. I have seen women in their sixties, And over, ha, flaunting a miniskirt and a see-through blouse. I thought, what?

[John Weaver] You know, they think they want to be a teeny-bopper or something like that. No! It's just like a grown man who refuses to work. That's a sign of immaturity, not a sign of maturity. So, what God is telling us, that we may have come into this world as babies, but we're not to stay babies.

[John Weaver] Now, I will confess this. There's only one area in the Bible where God says that we may legitimately and lawfully remain as babes. You say, where is that? Well, let me show you. Look in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Just turn over a few pages. 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Here is where you can legitimately remain a babe. He says, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 20, Be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men. So he said, you can be a little child in malice. What's that mean? Well, it's just like you've seen kids playing, and one of them stumbles or one of them gets pushed down and he runs in and he says, Momma, Momma, Johnny pushed me down.

[John Weaver] And she said, it'll be alright, son. Just go back outside and play. And three minutes later, they're hugging necks and playing again. I mean, it's all gone. It's all over with. So God said in children you can be malice, but in understanding, you must be men.

[John Weaver] Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, since we're talking about growing up and becoming men, look in Ephesians chapter 4, and let's begin reading the verse 11. I will come back to this passage next Sunday, Lord willing. And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers. Why? for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, or a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie and wait you to see.

[John Weaver] But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ." Now, the truth is we cannot grow until we have been regenerated and converted. But once we have been regenerated and converted, we are renewed in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge. And our renewal is the basis for growth.

[John Weaver] Now, I want you to turn back to Romans chapter 12. And as you turn back to Romans 12, I'm going to remind you of something. I told you in Colossians 3 in verse 10, when the Bible tells us that we are to be renewed in knowledge, that the Greek word was anakonao, and it literally means to renew, to cause to grow up, to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life. So you're going to ask yourself, well, how do I do that? Well, look in Romans 12 in verse 1 and 2.

[John Weaver] Paul writes, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

[John Weaver] Now, interestingly, The word renewed in Romans 12 and verse 2, and the word renewed in Colossians 3 and verse 10 are exactly the same. So how then are we to be renewed? Well, verse 2 tells us that we are to be renewed first negatively by not being conformed to this world. The word conformed literally means to be pressed into a mold. Do not come out a little worldling. Do not come out a little humanist. That's what he's saying. Don't let the world press you in this little mold. Well, how do you keep from being pressed into the mold?

[John Weaver] He says, Be ye transformed. By the way, the word transformed is where we get our English word metamorphosis. It's a butterfly. You remember, it goes through metamorphosis. It goes through stages. So literally, verse 2 says,"...and be not conformed to this world, but be you metamorphosized." How? By the renewing of your mind. By the renewing of your mind. So, as you learn then to think the thoughts of God, as you learn to think biblically and scripturally, And to bring your life in conformity to that, then he says you're going to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So we need to be constantly renewing our minds. We need to be constantly renovating our minds and changing them in the sense that we're becoming more and more biblical and more and more godly. So change in one sense of the word should always be on a daily basis. So if you're reading your Bible and you see truth, God opens your eyes, you should be changing at that particular point. You should learn to apply that to your life.

[John Weaver] Now, I pointed out in the last message how the Scripture tells us that we're to go from faith to faith, from strength to strength, from glory to glory. In order to do that, There must be a starting point. There must be a place of beginning. The starting point, the place of beginning, is the knowledge that we now possess. And it is to be developed into a fuller, more accurate, and more precise knowledge.

[John Weaver] Let me show you where most people are theologically. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark, chapter 8. Matthew, Mark. Second book in the New Testament. Mark, chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Mark 8, verse 22. Watch carefully. And he cometh to Bethsaida, And they bring a blind man unto him, and he besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of town. Have you ever wondered why Jesus took this blind man and led him out of town? Why did he not heal him in town? Well, look, if you would, he cometh to Bethsaida. Bethsaida was under the curse of God. He said, Woe unto thee, Bethsaida. And so he's not going to perform the work in Bethsaida. He takes the man by the hand and takes him out of town. Notice, if you would please, verse 23. He took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the town, and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught.

[John Weaver] And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking. He saw, but not clearly. Not precisely, not accurately. I see forms. I can't tell if it's a man or a tree or what, but I can see, but I just don't see clearly. Watch verse 25. After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up and he was restored and saw every man clearly.

[John Weaver] You know, that's exactly where most Christians are. They just do not see clearly. They do not see accurately. They do not see precisely. They see ministries walking. Our goal should be to have the most accurate and precise understanding of our Lord and his word as possible. And it is possible to have a more accurate and precise knowledge of God in His Word by His grace and by His power.

[John Weaver] And once we have it, then we're to apply it to every situation in our lives. So, let me break this down for you. What is our point of beginning? What is our starting point? Let me answer that for you. We're to go from gnosis to epignosis.

[John Weaver] Now, you're going to say, what in the world is that? Well, it just happens to be two Greek words. Gnosis is the Greek word for knowledge. That word knowledge occurs 28 times in our Bible. The verb is gnosko, which is I know. It occurs 223 times in the Bible. So gnosis is knowledge. Perhaps you have heard or read of a sect known as the Gnostics. The Gnostics took their name from the Greek word gnosis. Because they taught salvation by a special knowledge.

[John Weaver] You had to be in their group. You had to have their secrets in order to really be saved. And the truth of the matter is there were two different kinds of Gnostics. There were the Docetic Gnostics and there were the Corinthian Gnostics. The Docetic Gnostics are condemned, and of course the Corinthian Gnostics are condemned as well. But John particularly wrote against the Doctetic Gnostics in 1 John, and Paul wrote against the Gnostics in the book of Colossians as well. But I want you to look at 1 John very quickly, and I'm going to explain something to you, and see if you can figure this one out. Look in 1 John, chapter 1. It's interesting. what John writes. John 1, 1 John 1 and verse 1.

[John Weaver] He says,"...that which was from the beginning," talking about Jesus Christ,"...that which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life." So you'd have to ask yourself, Why did John say, we handled him? Why did he say that? And the answer is because of Gnosticism. See, the Docetic Gnostics believed that matter was inherently evil, so this table would be evil. This body would be evil. And so, they said Jesus Christ did not have a real body. Dokeo is the Greek word which means, I appear. In other words, they said that Jesus Christ was a divine apparition, that He was a mirage, that He did not have a real, literal, physical body because that would be material and that is sinful. And John said, He has a real, literal, fleshly body. We've only heard Him. We've only seen Him. We've handled Him. We've touched Him. He is real flesh and blood. So when you read that, it's against the Doketic Gnostics.

[John Weaver] The Corinthian Gnostics, their attitude was a little different. They said, yeah, matter is inherently evil, but it will perish. It will be destroyed. eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." You know, so their attitude was just, let's live it up because we're going to die anyhow. Well, the interesting thing is this. The word gnosis is a good Greek word. It is a good word, period, because it just simply refers to knowledge. However, it refers to what you and I would call a general knowledge, or an elementary knowledge or a rudimentary knowledge. When it is used in the Bible, and it is used in the Bible, and I will show you some passages, when it is used in the Bible, it speaks of knowledge in a general sense of the word, a knowledge of that which is lawful and not lawful, a general knowledge of right and wrong, a general knowledge of divine things. So I could say That probably when you're talking about gnosis, you're talking about something that's general, something that is elementary and sometimes something that is in the abstract.

[John Weaver] OK, so that's just gnosis. The second word is epignosis.

[John Weaver] Now, if you're listening, you can tell it's the same word with an epi on front. So gnosis and epignosis, what is the difference? The little word epi is a preposition. It literally means upon or in or unto. So if gnosis is knowledge, then epignosis would be knowledge unto knowledge or knowledge upon knowledge or knowledge into a more precise and accurate knowledge. So the word epignosis, which I will show you more next week, It's a word that demonstrates a far more accurate and precise knowledge than someone who just simply has gnosis. So gnosis then is knowledge, but it's elementary. It's the ABCs. It's the two plus two equal four. It could also be said that Gnosis is knowledge in the abstract in the sense that we may have it, but we're not exactly sure how to apply it. We don't know exactly what to do with it. We don't understand the purpose of God and the will of God in light of what we know. Now, I want you to turn to 2 Peter, back just a page or two, to 2 Peter chapter 1.

[John Weaver] And I'll point this out next week as well. But let's read verse 2. The Bible says in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2, Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. The word knowledge is the word epignosis. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the precise, accurate, or fuller knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." So if we want grace and peace to be multiplied unto us, it requires knowledge, a fuller knowledge, not just your ABCs, but a fuller knowledge of God.

[John Weaver] Now, every Christian starts with gnosis. Gnosis is just simply general knowledge. In fact, the Gospel is gnosis. It's general knowledge. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 76, Luke 1 verse 76, because Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is describing John's ministry. Look, if you would, Luke 1 and verse 76. He says, And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from on high

[John Weaver] hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace. Now, if you go back to verse 77, he says to give knowledge, to give the gnosis of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. I want to point something out. Do you realize the only thing that anyone can give, even the most educated, the most erudite scholar and preacher that has ever lived. The only thing that anyone can give is what you and I would call gnosis, a general and elementary knowledge. That's all we can give.

[John Weaver] We can declare that truth. There is a problem with this general knowledge. And that is, this general knowledge may be perverted, or it may be withheld. For instance, if you would turn right over to Luke chapter 11, Luke 11, and Luke, if you would please, at verse 52. Luke 11 and verse 52. Watch carefully. Our Lord says, Woe unto you lawyers, For you have taken away the key of knowledge, the key of gnosis.

[John Weaver] You entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in you hindered. So this elementary knowledge can be perverted. It can be hidden. And he condemns these lawyers for taking away the key of knowledge. They would not enter in and they hindered others who were entering in themselves.

[John Weaver] Now, It's absolutely necessary that each of us understands the importance of knowledge. Knowledge should not be disdained in any shape, form, or fashion, no matter if it's what you and I would call elementary knowledge. However, in our acquisition of knowledge, We have to understand that knowledge does not do us any good unless we know how to apply that knowledge. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 4 and look, if you would please, at verse 7. Proverbs 4 and verse 7. Look what he says.

[John Weaver] Wisdom is the principle thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding. I could know all day long that 2 plus 2 is 4, but if I do not know how to apply it, it does not do me any good. I can know several of the truths of Scripture, but if I do not know how to apply it, It is not doing me one bit of good."

[John Weaver] Our point of beginning is with our knowledge that we now have, our gnosis. It is to be a stepping stone to a fuller, more accurate, more precise knowledge of God. Once we have our starting place, our theology, our understanding, Our relationship with our Father will be greatly improved. We will know Him better, we will love Him more, and we will be worshipping Him more attentively. So, we are to progress from just gnosis to what you and I would call epignosis or a fuller or more precise and accurate knowledge.

[John Weaver] Now, let me make some applications. It is true that we lost everything in Adam. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that Adam was our federal head and our representative. So what Adam did, we did. When he sinned, we sinned. When he fell, we fell because we were in him. When he became corrupt and depraved and deprived of knowledge and holiness and righteousness, so did we.

[John Weaver] But here's the good news. Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians 15, is called the second man. He's called the last Adam. We gained far more in Jesus Christ than we ever lost in Adam. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 69, and look if you would please at verse 4. Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69, verse 4. This verse, by the way, is quoting in the New Testament concerning Jesus Christ Himself, especially in John 15. I think it's verse 25. But in Psalm 69, verse 4, he says, They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty. Notice this phrase.

[John Weaver] Then I restored that which I took not away. Our Lord did not take away the knowledge in righteousness and holiness, but He restored it. That's why the Bible says we're created in righteousness and holiness, and we're renewed in the knowledge of Him that created Him. So, our Lord restored that which He took not away. In Jesus Christ, our knowledge has been renewed. Moreover, He brought us back to the Father. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ also suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. So, here's what happened. In Adam, we ran from God. In Jesus Christ, we run to Him. In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we gained everything.

[John Weaver] So like Martha, we have to sit at his feet and learn to be changed into his image. Now, let me just tell you. I could tell you the will of God for each one of you today. No, I might not be able to tell you the will of God in every specific detail, but I can tell you the will of God in general. And that is found in Romans 8 and verse 29, for whom He did foreknow. He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son. that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. So it's God's will that we be conformed into the image of his Son. We're not to be pressed into the mold of the world, but we're to be pressed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the theology of change then, relates to the fact that we're changing more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. We're changing more and more in that we're becoming more biblical, more holy, more godly, and more obedient.

[John Weaver] It is only by His Spirit and through His Word that He will give us a fuller and more accurate and precise understanding that will teach us so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I want you to look at one last passage, Romans 11 and verse 36. Romans 11 and verse 36. One short verse, but one that is so packed It is unbelievable. Romans 11 and verse 36.

[John Weaver] For off him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen. For off him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately are all things. So if everything is off Him, that means He must teach us. If everything is through Him, we must come to Him. If everything is unto Him, it is to be for His honor and His glory and His praise.

[John Weaver] So if we are going to change theologically, If we're going to change our lives, it has to be for the child of God into a more precise and more accurate and fuller understanding of God and His Word, of our relationship to Him, and how His will and how His purpose applies to everything in life. I sat on our porch the other day, just for a few minutes, watching the little hummingbirds at the feeder. I've teased Alice.

[John Weaver] I said, she'll ask me what I want for supper. And I said, well, I think I want a plate full of hummingbird legs. Can you imagine how many hummingbird legs you'd have to eat just to get one bite? I wouldn't eat a hummingbird. I just was teasing her. But, you know, I watch those things and I could not help but think, you know, God has a purpose for those hummingbirds. Maybe it's just for our pleasure. Maybe it's for our enjoyment.

[John Weaver] He does tell us to go to the birds and learn. There's a lot of things we can learn from them, but everything Once you understand this, everything relates to God. It has a purpose. And when you get a fuller and more accurate and more precise understanding of these things, you will begin to see how everything just simply interlocks and relates to God and His Word and His will.

[John Weaver] Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And we pray, Lord, that You would teach us, that You would indeed build us up in the most holy faith, that You would grant us, Lord, a deeper, fuller, more accurate and precise understanding. And teach us, Lord, to be mature men and women in Jesus Christ. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

The Theology of Change - 4

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82018224562
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2018-08-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 111: The Theology of Change — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	59

Formatted Transcript

Introduction and Review

Weaver introduces the fourth message in the theology of change series, reviewing previous teachings on conviction versus preference and the necessity of continual change in the Christian life.

Colossians 3 and verse 10, and then Ephesians 4 and verse 24. This happens to be the fourth message in the theology of change. So if you look in Colossians 3 and verse 10 to begin with, the Word of God says this:

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:10

"And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

And then if you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 24, a similar verse says this:

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:10

"And that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

So far, we've been looking at the theology of change. In the first two messages, I dealt with a conviction versus a preference. I showed you at least four tests that would demonstrate whether or not we hold a preference or conviction, and those tests dealt with pleasure, profit, pressure, and persecution. And last week I just pointed out the fact that the Scripture teaches us indeed that we will change because change is an absolute necessity. We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards. We will either progress in the faith or we will digress. We cannot remain neutral. We cannot remain stationary. We're going to either change for the better or for the worse.

Renewed in Knowledge After the Image of God

Exposition of Colossians 3:10 shows that believers are renewed in knowledge, meaning a change from a corrupt state to a new kind of life, with implications for continual growth.

Now, let me just go ahead and say that in one sense of the word, there should not be any ignorant Christians. And the reason I say that is because of Colossians 3 and verse 10. The Bible says, "...and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." If you'll look in verse 11, he said,

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:11

"...where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all."

So it really doesn't matter who you are or where you are. If you have been saved by the grace of God, then you have been renewed in knowledge. So when God saves someone, He renews us in knowledge.

Now, the interesting thing about the word renewed here, it is the Greek word anakainoo, which literally means to renew, to cause to grow up new, to make new, to be changed from one kind of life to another, or to change from that which is right from a corrupt estate. So he says that we are renewed in our knowledge, so we have been given new knowledge. So once you have been saved, you have been changed. And according to Scripture, that change should be constant and it should be continual in your life. And yes, your theology should change as well. Your theology changes in the fact that it becomes a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Word of God, and it also should change in the sense that we are able to make applications of our theology to every area and every sphere of life.

Adam's Pre-Fall Knowledge

Adam's naming of the animals demonstrated an intuitive, theological knowledge of God's will and purpose for each creature, a knowledge that was lost and perverted after the fall.

Now, since we are renewed in our knowledge, there is an implication in Colossians 3 and verse 10 that harks back to the knowledge that Adam held before the fall. When the fall occurred, man's knowledge became perverted in one sense of the word, and in another sense of the word, that knowledge actually became lost. For instance, if you look back in Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians 4, and let's begin reading there at verse 17. Ephesians 4, verse 17. Paul writes,

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:17-19

"This I say therefore, and testify of the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness."

So he talked here about, since the fall, how man's mind is totally alienated from God, totally ignorant of God, and blind toward God.

So when you read Colossians 3 and verse 10, and the Bible tells you that we are renewed in knowledge, you cannot help but think of the knowledge that Adam possessed before the fall. So if you'll look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 2, and let me show you verses 19 and 20. Genesis chapter 2, verses 19 and 20. Let me explain to you what Adam was really doing. Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 19. The Bible says, "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found an help meet, or suitable for him." Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was naming the animals. Let me just tell you what Adam was not doing.

Adam was not looking at a cow and saying, "Well, she's stubborn, I'll just call her old bossy." Or that pig there, "I'm just going to call him Arnold." No, Adam was not doing that at all. What Adam was actually doing was reading out of those animals the very purpose for which God created those animals. Francis Nigel Lee, in his book, The Central Significance of Culture, actually stated that Adam was literally scientifically classifying the animals. Let me give you just a couple of quotes just to point out the fact that practically every commentator is stating basically that what Adam was doing was actually reading the will of God out of every one of those creatures and naming them accordingly. John Trapp, the old Puritan, says this: "A sign of his sovereignty or dominion, that is, Adam's dominion and sovereignty in that sense of the word because God placed him over all of these animals." He said, "A sign of his sovereignty, an argument also of his wisdom in giving them names according to their natures." So he read out of those animals the very nature in which God created them.

Matthew Poole says it like this: "In giving him names, he considered their several natures and perfections." Adam Clarke goes a little bit further, I want you to listen. He said, "Adam gave names, but how? From an intimate knowledge of the nature and properties of each creature. Here we see the perfection of his knowledge. For it is well known that the names affixed to the different animals in Scripture always express some prominent feature and essential characteristic of the creatures to which they are applied. Had he not possessed an intuitive knowledge of the grand and distinguishing properties of those animals, he never could have given them such names. This one circumstance is a strong proof of the original perfection and excellence of man while in a state of innocence."

"Nor need we wonder at the account. Adam was the work of an infinitely wise and perfect being, and the effect must resemble the cause that produced it." So let me just say it very plainly. Adam was not a caveman. Adam was not a dummy. The truth of the matter is, Adam was exceedingly brilliant. He had knowledge, an intuitive knowledge of the will of God, not only for himself, but for these creatures as well. And thus he named them according to their properties and according to their nature that God created in them.

Now, all of this knowledge was lost after the fall. In one sense it became perverted, in another sense it was lost and or totally rejected. So if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Romans chapter 1 and verse 21. Here the Word of God tells us exactly about the perversion of this knowledge. Romans 1 verse 21, the Bible says,

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:21-23

"Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up."

Note, if you would, they did not like to retain the knowledge of God. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image. Now, if you'll skip down to verse 28, watch this very clearly stated: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient."

The Perversion and Rejection of Knowledge

Romans 1 describes how fallen humanity perverted and rejected the knowledge of God, exchanging His glory for idols and being given over to a reprobate mind.

So they not only perverted that knowledge, they totally rejected anything in relationship to God. Now, I want you to understand something about Adam's knowledge. Adam's knowledge was not just simply an accumulation of facts. It was not knowledge for knowledge's sake. It was intensely theological. His knowledge had reverence to God and His will and His purpose. Adam knew the will of God not only for himself, but for those animals that God created.

The Danger of Knowledge for Knowledge's Sake

Knowledge pursued merely for its own sake leads to pride and arrogance, as 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 warns; such knowledge is worthless without application and relationship to God.

So, that brings me to this point. Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless. You can have a multitude of degrees behind your name, and you may know a lot of facts, and you may have a lot of head knowledge, but if you do not know how to apply those facts and apply that knowledge, and especially if you do not know how it relates to God, His will, and His purpose, then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless. Moreover, the scripture teaches that such is nothing more than vanity and pride. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians, chapter 8. 1 Corinthians, chapter 8. And look at verses 1 and 2. 1 Corinthians, chapter 8 at verses 1 and 2. Paul says,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 8:1-2

"Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge."

But look at this next statement.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 8:1-2

"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."

Knowledge or scholarship just simply for its own sake creates pride, arrogance, and presumption. Now, interestingly, when Paul says in verse 1, "knowledge puffeth up," he uses the Greek word phusioo, which literally means to blow up, to puff up, to inflate, to cause to swell up, to make proud, to bear oneself loftily, arrogantly, and proudly. Isn't that interesting? He says, knowledge, just for knowledge's sake, just simply blows somebody up in pride. And such arrogance and such pride are normally perceived in certain individuals.

And when I was a boy, we would say, and we would call such an individual, "Mr. Know-it-all." He did not care about anyone or anything, he just wanted to show what he knew and how much he knew. And so this is why the Apostle Paul says, that knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. Now, I want you to note, if you would please, someone that has knowledge just for knowledge's sake, someone that is puffed up like this, they have to demonstrate their superiority. They have to demonstrate their knowledge by mocking anyone who happens to disagree with them, or maybe not know as much as they do about some subject. They have to mock them. They have to ridicule them. And they will seek to disparage them in any way if they simply do not submit to them and acknowledge that they are the Mr. Know-it-all, that they are the superior individual.

Paul goes on to explain in verse 2 that once we have reached the apex, the height of pride and arrogance and presumption, and we think that we have arrived, and we believe that we are number one, that we have it, then he says in verse 2, "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." So Paul says, well, you think you've got it? You ain't. You don't know anything. So obviously.

There is a condemnation in the Bible for knowledge just for knowledge's sake. You remember what he says, that knowledge puffeth up, that is, it creates pride. One of the seven things that God hates is pride. In Proverbs 6 and verse 16, he said,

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:16-17

"These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him,"

and the first one is a proud look. And then in the book of Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 4, God says, "A high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin." So God despises pride. And when we are just wanting knowledge for knowledge's sake and we want to impress everyone with what we know, He says we don't know anything as we ought to know. Now, let me point out several things based upon Colossians 3 and verse 10 when the Bible says that we are renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created you.

Adam's Maturity and Responsibility

Adam was created full-grown with responsibilities and a work ethic, modeling maturity; believers are called to grow up in understanding, not remaining children.

This harks back to Adam. You have to remember several things about Adam. First of all, Adam was created full grown. He was never a baby. He never had to grow up. He was created full grown. Secondly, when God created Adam, Adam was immediately given responsibilities. He had to tend and keep and guard the garden. He had to work. I've heard people say, "But work is a product of the fall." No. Work was before the fall. Work only became onerous after the fall. But God gave Adam work. So in order to fulfill his responsibilities, Adam needed knowledge. He must know how to apply that that God had given him if he's going to rule, if he's going to exercise dominion. He needs to know how to garden. He needs to know when to plant. He needs to know how to prune. He needs to know how to water. He needs to know everything about gardening. If he's going to protect and keep those animals, he has to know everything about those animals that he can possibly know.

So obviously, he had to have knowledge. So when God created Adam, He created him not only with knowledge, but He gave him responsibilities, and there is indeed a biblical work ethic. So when you and I revolt against work and against responsibility, it is a revolt against maturity. We're refusing to grow up. I've always been amazed at some people. I have seen women in their sixties and over, flaunting a miniskirt and a see-through blouse. I thought, what?

You know, they think they want to be a teeny-bopper or something like that. No! It's just like a grown man who refuses to work. That's a sign of immaturity, not a sign of maturity. So, what God is telling us, that we may have come into this world as babies, but we're not to stay babies.

Now, I will confess this. There's only one area in the Bible where God says that we may legitimately and lawfully remain as babes. You say, where is that? Well, let me show you. Look in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Just turn over a few pages. 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Here is where you can legitimately remain a babe. He says, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 20,

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 14:20

"Be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

So he said, you can be a little child in malice. What's that mean? Well, it's just like you've seen kids playing, and one of them stumbles or one of them gets pushed down and he runs in and he says, "Momma, Momma, Johnny pushed me down."

And she said, "It'll be alright, son. Just go back outside and play." And three minutes later, they're hugging necks and playing again. I mean, it's all gone. It's all over with. So God said in malice you can be children, but in understanding, you must be men.

The Process of Renewal: From Gnosis to Epignosis

Renewal comes by not conforming to the world but being transformed through mind renewal (Romans 12:1-2). Believers progress from elementary knowledge (gnosis) to precise, applicable knowledge (epignosis).

Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, since we're talking about growing up and becoming men, look in Ephesians chapter 4, and let's begin reading at verse 11. I will come back to this passage next Sunday, Lord willing.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:11-15

"And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers. Why? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, or a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

"But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ." Now, the truth is we cannot grow until we have been regenerated and converted. But once we have been regenerated and converted, we are renewed in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge. And our renewal is the basis for growth. Now, I want you to turn back to Romans chapter 12. And as you turn back to Romans 12, I'm going to remind you of something. I told you in Colossians 3 and verse 10, when the Bible tells us that we are to be renewed in knowledge, that the Greek word was anakainoo, and it literally means to renew, to cause to grow up, to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life. So you're going to ask yourself, well, how do I do that? Well, look in Romans 12 in verse 1 and 2.

Paul writes,

Scripture Reading — Romans 12:1-2

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Now, interestingly, the word renewed in Romans 12 and verse 2, and the word renewed in Colossians 3 and verse 10 are exactly the same. So how then are we to be renewed? Well, verse 2 tells us that we are to be renewed first negatively by not being conformed to this world. The word conformed literally means to be pressed into a mold. Do not come out a little worldling. Do not come out a little humanist. That's what he's saying. Don't let the world press you in this little mold. Well, how do you keep from being pressed into the mold?

He says, "Be ye transformed." By the way, the word transformed is where we get our English word metamorphosis. It's a butterfly. You remember, it goes through metamorphosis. It goes through stages. So literally, verse 2 says, "...and be not conformed to this world, but be you metamorphosized." How? By the renewing of your mind. By the renewing of your mind. So, as you learn then to think the thoughts of God, as you learn to think biblically and scripturally, and to bring your life in conformity to that, then he says you're going to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So we need to be constantly renewing our minds. We need to be constantly renovating our minds and changing them in the sense that we're becoming more and more biblical and more and more godly. So change in one sense of the word should always be on a daily basis. So if you're reading your Bible and you see truth, God opens your eyes, you should be changing at that particular point. You should learn to apply that to your life.

Now, I pointed out in the last message how the Scripture tells us that we're to go from faith to faith, from strength to strength, from glory to glory. In order to do that, there must be a starting point. There must be a place of beginning. The starting point, the place of beginning, is the knowledge that we now possess. And it is to be developed into a fuller, more accurate, and more precise knowledge. Let me show you where most people are theologically. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark, chapter 8. Matthew, Mark. Second book in the New Testament. Mark, chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Mark 8, verse 22. Watch carefully.

Scripture Reading — Mark 8:22-25

"And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of town."

Have you ever wondered why Jesus took this blind man and led him out of town? Why did he not heal him in town? Well, look, if you would, he cometh to Bethsaida. Bethsaida was under the curse of God. He said, "Woe unto thee, Bethsaida." And so he's not going to perform the work in Bethsaida. He takes the man by the hand and takes him out of town. Notice, if you would please, verse 23.

Scripture Reading — Mark 8:22-25

"He took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the town, and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught."

"And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking." He saw, but not clearly. Not precisely, not accurately. I see forms. I can't tell if it's a man or a tree or what, but I can see, but I just don't see clearly. Watch verse 25. "After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up and he was restored and saw every man clearly." You know, that's exactly where most Christians are. They just do not see clearly. They do not see accurately. They do not see precisely. They see men as trees walking. Our goal should be to have the most accurate and precise understanding of our Lord and his word as possible. And it is possible to have a more accurate and precise knowledge of God in His Word by His grace and by His power.

And once we have it, then we're to apply it to every situation in our lives. So, let me break this down for you. What is our point of beginning? What is our starting point? Let me answer that for you. We're to go from gnosis to epignosis.

Now, you're going to say, what in the world is that? Well, it just happens to be two Greek words. Gnosis is the Greek word for knowledge. That word knowledge occurs 28 times in our Bible. The verb is ginosko, which is I know. It occurs 223 times in the Bible. So gnosis is knowledge. Perhaps you have heard or read of a sect known as the Gnostics. The Gnostics took their name from the Greek word gnosis, because they taught salvation by a special knowledge.

Gnosticism and the Nature of Knowledge

The sermon explains the historical Gnostics and distinguishes between general knowledge (gnosis) and fuller, more accurate knowledge (epignosis), using 2 Peter 1:2 and Luke 1:76-77.

You had to be in their group. You had to have their secrets in order to really be saved. And the truth of the matter is there were two different kinds of Gnostics. There were the Docetic Gnostics and there were the Corinthian Gnostics. The Docetic Gnostics are condemned, and of course the Corinthian Gnostics are condemned as well. But John particularly wrote against the Docetic Gnostics in 1 John, and Paul wrote against the Gnostics in the book of Colossians as well. But I want you to look at 1 John very quickly, and I'm going to explain something to you, and see if you can figure this one out. Look in 1 John, chapter 1. It's interesting what John writes. 1 John 1 and verse 1.

He says, "...that which was from the beginning," talking about Jesus Christ, "...that which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life." So you'd have to ask yourself, why did John say, "we handled him"? Why did he say that? And the answer is because of Gnosticism. See, the Docetic Gnostics believed that matter was inherently evil, so this table would be evil. This body would be evil. And so, they said Jesus Christ did not have a real body. Dokeo is the Greek word which means, I appear. In other words, they said that Jesus Christ was a divine apparition, that He was a mirage, that He did not have a real, literal, physical body because that would be material and that is sinful. And John said, He has a real, literal, fleshly body. We've not only heard Him, we've not only seen Him, we've handled Him. We've touched Him. He is real flesh and blood. So when you read that, it's against the Docetic Gnostics.

The Corinthian Gnostics, their attitude was a little different. They said, "Yeah, matter is inherently evil, but it will perish. It will be destroyed. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." You know, so their attitude was just, let's live it up because we're going to die anyhow. Well, the interesting thing is this. The word gnosis is a good Greek word. It is a good word, period, because it just simply refers to knowledge. However, it refers to what you and I would call a general knowledge, or an elementary knowledge or a rudimentary knowledge. When it is used in the Bible, and it is used in the Bible, and I will show you some passages, when it is used in the Bible, it speaks of knowledge in a general sense of the word, a knowledge of that which is lawful and not lawful, a general knowledge of right and wrong, a general knowledge of divine things. So I could say that probably when you're talking about gnosis, you're talking about something that's general, something that is elementary and sometimes something that is in the abstract.

OK, so that's just gnosis. The second word is epignosis. Now, if you're listening, you can tell it's the same word with an epi on front. So gnosis and epignosis, what is the difference? The little word epi is a preposition. It literally means upon or in or unto. So if gnosis is knowledge, then epignosis would be knowledge unto knowledge or knowledge upon knowledge or knowledge into a more precise and accurate knowledge. So the word epignosis, which I will show you more next week, it's a word that demonstrates a far more accurate and precise knowledge than someone who just simply has gnosis. So gnosis then is knowledge, but it's elementary. It's the ABCs. It's the two plus two equal four. It could also be said that gnosis is knowledge in the abstract in the sense that we may have it, but we're not exactly sure how to apply it. We don't know exactly what to do with it. We don't understand the purpose of God and the will of God in light of what we know. Now, I want you to turn to 2 Peter, back just a page or two, to 2 Peter chapter 1.

And I'll point this out next week as well. But let's read verse 2. The Bible says in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:2

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

The word knowledge is the word epignosis. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the precise, accurate, or fuller knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So if we want grace and peace to be multiplied unto us, it requires knowledge, a fuller knowledge, not just your ABCs, but a fuller knowledge of God.

Now, every Christian starts with gnosis. Gnosis is just simply general knowledge. In fact, the Gospel is gnosis. It's general knowledge. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 76, Luke 1 verse 76, because Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is describing John's ministry. Look, if you would, Luke 1 and verse 76. He says,

Scripture Reading — Luke 1:76-79

"And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace."

Now, if you go back to verse 77, he says "to give knowledge," to give the gnosis of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. I want to point something out. Do you realize the only thing that anyone can give, even the most educated, the most erudite scholar and preacher that has ever lived, the only thing that anyone can give is what you and I would call gnosis, a general and elementary knowledge. That's all we can give.

The Necessity of Applying Knowledge

Knowledge must be applied to be beneficial; Proverbs 4:7 emphasizes getting wisdom and understanding, moving from elementary knowledge to a deeper, practical knowledge of God.

We can declare that truth. There is a problem with this general knowledge. And that is, this general knowledge may be perverted, or it may be withheld. For instance, if you would turn right over to Luke chapter 11, Luke 11, and look, if you would please, at verse 52. Luke 11 and verse 52. Watch carefully. Our Lord says, "Woe unto you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge, the key of gnosis."

"You entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in you hindered." So this elementary knowledge can be perverted. It can be hidden. And he condemns these lawyers for taking away the key of knowledge. They would not enter in and they hindered others who were entering in themselves.

Now, it's absolutely necessary that each of us understands the importance of knowledge. Knowledge should not be disdained in any shape, form, or fashion, no matter if it's what you and I would call elementary knowledge. However, in our acquisition of knowledge, we have to understand that knowledge does not do us any good unless we know how to apply that knowledge. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 4 and look, if you would please, at verse 7. Proverbs 4 and verse 7. Look what he says.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 4:7

"Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding."

I could know all day long that 2 plus 2 is 4, but if I do not know how to apply it, it does not do me any good. I can know several of the truths of Scripture, but if I do not know how to apply it, it is not doing me one bit of good.

Our point of beginning is with our knowledge that we now have, our gnosis. It is to be a stepping stone to a fuller, more accurate, more precise knowledge of God. Once we have our starting place, our theology, our understanding, our relationship with our Father will be greatly improved. We will know Him better, we will love Him more, and we will be worshipping Him more attentively. So, we are to progress from just gnosis to what you and I would call epignosis or a fuller or more precise and accurate knowledge.

Restoration in Christ and Conformity to His Image

What was lost in Adam is restored in Christ, who restores knowledge and brings us to God. God's will is our conformity to Christ's image, achieved through Spirit and Word.

Now, let me make some applications. It is true that we lost everything in Adam. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that Adam was our federal head and our representative. So what Adam did, we did. When he sinned, we sinned. When he fell, we fell because we were in him. When he became corrupt and depraved and deprived of knowledge and holiness and righteousness, so did we.

But here's the good news. Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians 15, is called the second man. He's called the last Adam. We gained far more in Jesus Christ than we ever lost in Adam. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 69, and look if you would please at verse 4. Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69, verse 4. This verse, by the way, is quoted in the New Testament concerning Jesus Christ Himself, especially in John 15, I think it's verse 25. But in Psalm 69, verse 4, he says, "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty." Notice this phrase.

"Then I restored that which I took not away." Our Lord did not take away the knowledge and righteousness and holiness, but He restored it. That's why the Bible says we're created in righteousness and holiness, and we're renewed in the knowledge of Him that created us. So, our Lord restored that which He took not away. In Jesus Christ, our knowledge has been renewed. Moreover, He brought us back to the Father. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ also suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. So, here's what happened. In Adam, we ran from God. In Jesus Christ, we run to Him. In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we gained everything.

So like Martha, we have to sit at his feet and learn to be changed into his image. Now, let me just tell you. I could tell you the will of God for each one of you today. No, I might not be able to tell you the will of God in every specific detail, but I can tell you the will of God in general. And that is found in Romans 8 and verse 29, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." So it's God's will that we be conformed into the image of his Son. We're not to be pressed into the mold of the world, but we're to be pressed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the theology of change then, relates to the fact that we're changing more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. We're changing more and more in that we're becoming more biblical, more holy, more godly, and more obedient.

It is only by His Spirit and through His Word that He will give us a fuller and more accurate and precise understanding that will teach us so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I want you to look at one last passage, Romans 11 and verse 36. Romans 11 and verse 36. One short verse, but one that is so packed it is unbelievable. Romans 11 and verse 36. "For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen." For of him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately are all things. So if everything is of Him, that means He must teach us. If everything is through Him, we must come to Him. If everything is unto Him, it is to be for His honor and His glory and His praise.

Conclusion: All Things of, Through, and to God

Romans 11:36 teaches that all things originate, are sustained, and exist for God's glory; theological change means growing in precise understanding of how everything relates to God.

So if we are going to change theologically, if we're going to change our lives, it has to be for the child of God into a more precise and more accurate and fuller understanding of God and His Word, of our relationship to Him, and how His will and how His purpose applies to everything in life. I sat on our porch the other day, just for a few minutes, watching the little hummingbirds at the feeder. I've teased Alice. I said, she'll ask me what I want for supper. And I said, well, I think I want a plate full of hummingbird legs. Can you imagine how many hummingbird legs you'd have to eat just to get one bite? I wouldn't eat a hummingbird. I just was teasing her. But, you know, I watch those things and I could not help but think, you know, God has a purpose for those hummingbirds. Maybe it's just for our pleasure. Maybe it's for our enjoyment.

He does tell us to go to the birds and learn. There's a lot of things we can learn from them, but everything—once you understand this—everything relates to God. It has a purpose. And when you get a fuller and more accurate and more precise understanding of these things, you will begin to see how everything just simply interlocks and relates to God and His Word and His will. Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And we pray, Lord, that You would teach us, that You would indeed build us up in the most holy faith, that You would grant us, Lord, a deeper, fuller, more accurate and precise understanding. And teach us, Lord, to be mature men and women in Jesus Christ. In Thy name we pray, Amen.

Study Guide

Major Themes

Renewal of Knowledge in Salvation

Summary: Salvation brings a renewal of knowledge, changing believers from a corrupt state to a new life, with continual growth in understanding God's will.

Evidence: Colossians 3:10 says 'have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.' The Greek word anakainoo means to renew, cause to grow up new, change from a corrupt estate.

Adam's Original Knowledge and Its Loss

Summary: Adam possessed intuitive, theological knowledge of God's purposes, demonstrated in naming the animals, which was lost and perverted after the fall.

Evidence: Weaver cites Genesis 2:19-20 and commentators like John Trapp and Adam Clarke to show Adam read God's will from the creatures. Romans 1:21-28 shows the perversion and rejection of that knowledge.

The Danger of Prideful Knowledge

Summary: Knowledge pursued for its own sake puffs up with pride, which God hates; true knowledge is humble and edifying.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 says 'knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.' Proverbs 6:16-17 lists a proud look as an abomination. Weaver warns against being a 'Mr. Know-it-all.'

Maturity and Growth in Understanding

Summary: Believers are called to grow from spiritual infancy to maturity, not remaining children in understanding but becoming mature men and women in Christ.

Evidence: Ephesians 4:11-15 speaks of growing up into Christ, no longer children tossed to and fro. 1 Corinthians 14:20 says 'in understanding be men.'

Transformation Through Mind Renewal

Summary: Change occurs by not conforming to the world but being transformed through the renewing of the mind, leading to proving God's will.

Evidence: Romans 12:1-2 commands believers to be transformed by the renewing of their mind. The word 'transformed' relates to metamorphosis.

Progression from Gnosis to Epignosis

Summary: Christians start with elementary knowledge (gnosis) and must progress to a fuller, more precise, and applicable knowledge (epignosis) of God.

Evidence: Weaver explains the Greek terms gnosis and epignosis, using Luke 1:77 (gnosis of salvation) and 2 Peter 1:2 (epignosis of God). Mark 8:22-25 illustrates seeing clearly.

Restoration of Knowledge in Christ

Summary: What was lost in Adam is restored and surpassed in Christ, who renews knowledge and brings believers back to God.

Evidence: Psalm 69:4 says 'I restored that which I took not away,' applied to Christ. 1 Corinthians 15 calls Christ the last Adam. 1 Peter 3:18 says Christ brings us to God.

Conformity to Christ as God's Will

Summary: God's ultimate will for believers is conformity to the image of His Son, achieved through the Spirit and Word, resulting in holiness and obedience.

Evidence: Romans 8:29 says we are predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son. Weaver states we are to be pressed into Christ's image, not the world's mold.

Key Arguments

Change is continual and necessary for believers

Summary: Believers cannot remain stationary; they either progress or digress in the faith, and change should be constant and continual.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards.'

Salvation renews knowledge, not just imparts facts

Summary: The renewal of knowledge in Colossians 3:10 is a change from a corrupt state to a new life, implying a restoration of Adam's pre-fall theological knowledge.

Evidence: Weaver explains anakainoo means 'to be changed from one kind of life to another' and links it to Adam's knowledge before the fall.

Adam's knowledge was theological and practical

Summary: Adam's naming of animals was not arbitrary but reflected an intuitive understanding of God's will and purpose for each creature, demonstrating his original perfection.

Evidence: Citing Adam Clarke: 'Had he not possessed an intuitive knowledge of the grand and distinguishing properties of those animals, he never could have given them such names.'

Knowledge without application and relation to God is worthless

Summary: Scholarship and knowledge for their own sake lead to pride and are condemned; true knowledge must be applied to life and understood in relation to God's will.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless.' 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 supports this.

Pride is the inevitable result of knowledge pursued selfishly

Summary: Knowledge puffs up, creating arrogance and a need to demonstrate superiority, but such a person truly knows nothing as they ought.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 8:1-2: 'Knowledge puffeth up... if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.'

Spiritual maturity requires growing up in understanding

Summary: While believers may remain childlike in malice, they must become mature in understanding, not remaining infants tossed by false doctrine.

Evidence: Ephesians 4:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:20 are cited to show the call to maturity and stability in doctrine.

Mind renewal is the mechanism of transformation

Summary: Transformation into Christ's image occurs by not conforming to the world but by the continual renewing of the mind through God's Word.

Evidence: Romans 12:1-2: 'Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.'

Believers must progress from elementary to precise knowledge

Summary: The Christian life begins with general knowledge (gnosis) of salvation but must advance to a fuller, more accurate knowledge (epignosis) that enables application.

Evidence: Weaver distinguishes gnosis and epignosis, using Luke 1:77 and 2 Peter 1:2, and illustrates with the blind man in Mark 8 who first saw men as trees, then clearly.

Scripture References

Colossians 3:10

Context: Introduced as the primary text: believers have put on the new man renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator.

Ephesians 4:24

Context: Parallel verse to Colossians 3:10, stating the new man is created in righteousness and true holiness.

Colossians 3:11

Context: Cited to show that renewal in knowledge applies to all believers regardless of background; Christ is all in all.

Ephesians 4:17-19

Context: Describes the darkened understanding and ignorance of the Gentiles, illustrating the loss of knowledge after the fall.

Genesis 2:19-20

Context: Adam naming the animals, demonstrating his intuitive knowledge of their natures and God's purposes.

Romans 1:21-23

Context: Shows how humanity perverted the knowledge of God, becoming vain in imaginations and changing God's glory into images.

Romans 1:28

Context: Humanity did not like to retain God in their knowledge, so God gave them over to a reprobate mind.

1 Corinthians 8:1-2

Context: Knowledge puffs up but love edifies; if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing as he ought.

Proverbs 6:16-17

Context: Listed among the seven things God hates is a proud look, connecting to the danger of prideful knowledge.

Proverbs 21:4

Context: A high look and a proud heart are sin, reinforcing God's hatred of pride.

1 Corinthians 14:20

Context: Believers are to be children in malice but men in understanding, emphasizing maturity.

Ephesians 4:11-15

Context: God gave ministers to equip saints for maturity, so they are no longer children tossed by false doctrine.

Romans 12:1-2

Context: Believers are to present their bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed by the renewing of their minds.

Mark 8:22-25

Context: The blind man healed in stages, first seeing men as trees, then clearly, illustrating the need for precise spiritual sight.

1 John 1:1

Context: John emphasizes handling the Word of life to counter Docetic Gnosticism, which denied Christ's physical body.

2 Peter 1:2

Context: Grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge (epignosis) of God and Jesus, showing the value of precise knowledge.

Luke 1:76-79

Context: John the Baptist's ministry was to give knowledge (gnosis) of salvation to God's people.

Luke 11:52

Context: Jesus condemns lawyers for taking away the key of knowledge (gnosis), hindering others from entering.

Proverbs 4:7

Context: Wisdom is the principal thing; with all getting, get understanding, emphasizing application of knowledge.

Psalm 69:4

Context: Quoted to show Christ restored what He took not away, referring to the restoration of knowledge and righteousness.

Historical References

Francis Nigel Lee, The Central Significance of Culture

Context: Cited to support the idea that Adam was scientifically classifying the animals when naming them.

John Trapp, Puritan commentator

Context: Quoted as saying Adam's naming was a sign of his sovereignty and wisdom in giving names according to their natures.

Matthew Poole, commentator

Context: Quoted as saying Adam considered the several natures and perfections of the animals when naming them.

Adam Clarke, commentator

Context: Quoted extensively on Adam's intuitive knowledge of the nature and properties of each creature, proving his original perfection.

Docetic Gnostics

Context: A sect that believed matter was evil and denied Christ had a physical body; John wrote against them in 1 John 1:1.

Corinthian Gnostics

Context: A sect that believed matter was evil but would perish, leading to licentious living; Paul wrote against them in Colossians.

Important Quotes

We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards. We will either progress in the faith or we will digress. We cannot remain neutral. We cannot remain stationary. We're going to either change for the better or for the worse.

Significance: Establishes the inevitability and necessity of continual change in the Christian life, setting the foundation for the sermon's argument.

Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless. You can have a multitude of degrees behind your name, and you may know a lot of facts, and you may have a lot of head knowledge, but if you do not know how to apply those facts and apply that knowledge, and especially if you do not know how it relates to God, His will, and His purpose, then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless.

Significance: Highlights the core message that knowledge must be theological and applicable, not merely academic, to have value.

Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

Significance: Quoting 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 to warn against the pride that comes from knowledge pursued for self-aggrandizement.

Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Significance: Key verse (Romans 12:2) explaining the process of change through mind renewal, central to the sermon's application.

I see men as trees walking.

Significance: From Mark 8:24, used to illustrate the imprecise spiritual sight of many Christians who need to progress to clearer understanding.

Then I restored that which I took not away.

Significance: Psalm 69:4 applied to Christ, emphasizing that He restored the knowledge and righteousness lost in Adam.

For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Significance: Romans 11:36 used to summarize that all knowledge and change must be oriented toward God's glory and purpose.

Discussion Questions

How does understanding Adam's pre-fall knowledge change your view of what it means to be 'renewed in knowledge' as a Christian?

Context: Weaver argues that Colossians 3:10 harks back to Adam's intuitive, theological knowledge. Discuss how this shapes our pursuit of knowledge today.

In what ways have you seen knowledge lead to pride in yourself or others? How can we pursue knowledge while remaining humble?

Context: Based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 and the warning against being a 'Mr. Know-it-all.'

What does it look like practically to 'not be conformed to this world' but be 'transformed by the renewing of your mind' in daily life?

Context: Romans 12:1-2 is presented as the mechanism for change. Discuss specific areas where mind renewal is needed.

Weaver says most Christians are like the blind man who saw 'men as trees walking.' In what areas of theology or life do you feel your understanding is still blurry?

Context: Using Mark 8:22-25 as an illustration of imprecise spiritual sight.

What is the difference between gnosis and epignosis, and why is it important to progress from one to the other?

Context: The sermon's central linguistic distinction; discuss how to move from elementary knowledge to precise, applicable knowledge.

How does the truth that Christ 'restored that which He took not away' encourage you in your struggles with sin and ignorance?

Context: Psalm 69:4 applied to Christ's work of restoring knowledge and righteousness.

In what ways can we ensure that our pursuit of knowledge is always 'unto Him'—for His glory—rather than for our own reputation?

Context: Romans 11:36 teaches all things are to God's glory; discuss motivations for learning.

Applications

Pursue knowledge with the goal of application and godliness

Summary: Believers should not seek knowledge for its own sake but to understand God's will and apply it to every area of life.

Evidence: Weaver states, 'if you do not know how to apply those facts... then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless.'

Guard against pride in intellectual pursuits

Summary: Recognize that knowledge can puff up; cultivate humility and love as the proper context for learning.

Evidence: 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 is cited: 'Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.'

Commit to continual mind renewal through Scripture

Summary: Daily engage in renewing the mind by thinking biblically, leading to transformation and proving God's will.

Evidence: Romans 12:2: 'Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.'

Strive for spiritual maturity and doctrinal stability

Summary: Grow up in understanding, moving beyond spiritual infancy to maturity, so as not to be tossed by false teaching.

Evidence: Ephesians 4:14-15: 'that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro.'

Progress from elementary to precise knowledge of God

Summary: Move beyond basic gospel knowledge to a deeper, more accurate understanding of God and His purposes.

Evidence: Weaver explains the need to go from gnosis to epignosis, using 2 Peter 1:2.

View all of life in relation to God's will and purpose

Summary: Recognize that everything—from work to nature—has a God-given purpose and should be understood theologically.

Evidence: Weaver reflects on hummingbirds: 'everything relates to God. It has a purpose.'

Embrace responsibility and work as part of mature Christian living

Summary: Rejecting work and responsibility is a revolt against maturity; believers should model Adam's pre-fall work ethic.

Evidence: Weaver says, 'when you and I revolt against work and against responsibility, it is a revolt against maturity.'

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:17:06Z

deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | weaver_study | 2026-06-05T19:25:38Z

Clean Transcript

The Theology of Change - 4

Clean readable transcript. This view follows the Commentary.net cleaned segment text while preserving timestamps for audio follow-along.

Colossians 3 and verse 10, and then Ephesians 4 and verse 24. This happens to be the fourth message in the theology of change. So if you look in Colossians 3 and verse 10 to begin with, the Word of God says this: "And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." And then if you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 24, a similar verse says this: "And that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." So far, we've been looking at the theology of change.
#1 | 0:00 to 0:46 | cleaned
In the first two messages, I dealt with a conviction versus a preference. I showed you at least four tests that would demonstrate whether or not we hold a preference or conviction, and those tests dealt with pleasure, profit, pressure, and persecution. And last week I just pointed out the fact that the Scripture teaches us indeed that we will change because change is an absolute necessity. We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards. We will either progress in the faith or we will digress. We cannot remain neutral. We cannot remain stationary. We're going to either change for the better or for the worse.
#2 | 0:47 to 1:32 | cleaned
Now, let me just go ahead and say that in one sense of the word, there should not be any ignorant Christians. And the reason I say that is because of Colossians 3 and verse 10. The Bible says, "...and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge, after the image of him that created him." If you'll look in verse 11, he said, "...where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all."
#3 | 1:32 to 2:01 | cleaned
So it really doesn't matter who you are or where you are. If you have been saved by the grace of God, then you have been renewed in knowledge. So when God saves someone, He renews us in knowledge.
#4 | 2:01 to 2:15 | cleaned
Now, the interesting thing about the word renewed here, it is the Greek word anakainoo, which literally means to renew, to cause to grow up new, to make new, to be changed from one kind of life to another, or to change from that which is right from a corrupt estate. So he says that we are renewed in our knowledge, so we have been given new knowledge. So once you have been saved, you have been changed. And according to Scripture, that change should be constant and it should be continual in your life. And yes, your theology should change as well. Your theology changes in the fact that it becomes a deeper understanding and appreciation of the Word of God, and it also should change in the sense that we are able to make applications of our theology to every area and every sphere of life.
#5 | 2:16 to 3:17 | cleaned
Now, since we are renewed in our knowledge, there is an implication in Colossians 3 and verse 10 that harks back to the knowledge that Adam held before the fall. When the fall occurred, man's knowledge became perverted in one sense of the word, and in another sense of the word, that knowledge actually became lost. For instance, if you look back in Ephesians chapter 4, Ephesians 4, and let's begin reading there at verse 17. Ephesians 4, verse 17.
#6 | 3:17 to 3:57 | cleaned
Paul writes, "This I say therefore, and testify of the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness." So he talked here about, since the fall, how man's mind is totally alienated from God, totally ignorant of God, and blind toward God.
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So when you read Colossians 3 and verse 10, and the Bible tells you that we are renewed in knowledge, you cannot help but think of the knowledge that Adam possessed before the fall. So if you'll look back in your Bibles to the book of Genesis chapter 2, and let me show you verses 19 and 20. Genesis chapter 2, verses 19 and 20. Let me explain to you what Adam was really doing. Genesis chapter 2, beginning there with verse 19. The Bible says, "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them. And whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found an help meet, or suitable for him." Now, the Bible tells us that Adam was naming the animals. Let me just tell you what Adam was not doing.
#8 | 4:39 to 5:54 | cleaned
Adam was not looking at a cow and saying, "Well, she's stubborn, I'll just call her old bossy." Or that pig there, "I'm just going to call him Arnold." No, Adam was not doing that at all. What Adam was actually doing was reading out of those animals the very purpose for which God created those animals. Francis Nigel Lee, in his book, The Central Significance of Culture, actually stated that Adam was literally scientifically classifying the animals. Let me give you just a couple of quotes just to point out the fact that practically every commentator is stating basically that what Adam was doing was actually reading the will of God out of every one of those creatures and naming them accordingly. John Trapp, the old Puritan, says this: "A sign of his sovereignty or dominion, that is, Adam's dominion and sovereignty in that sense of the word because God placed him over all of these animals." He said, "A sign of his sovereignty, an argument also of his wisdom in giving them names according to their natures." So he read out of those animals the very nature in which God created them.
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Matthew Poole says it like this: "In giving him names, he considered their several natures and perfections." Adam Clarke goes a little bit further, I want you to listen. He said, "Adam gave names, but how? From an intimate knowledge of the nature and properties of each creature. Here we see the perfection of his knowledge. For it is well known that the names affixed to the different animals in Scripture always express some prominent feature and essential characteristic of the creatures to which they are applied. Had he not possessed an intuitive knowledge of the grand and distinguishing properties of those animals, he never could have given them such names. This one circumstance is a strong proof of the original perfection and excellence of man while in a state of innocence."
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"Nor need we wonder at the account. Adam was the work of an infinitely wise and perfect being, and the effect must resemble the cause that produced it." So let me just say it very plainly. Adam was not a caveman. Adam was not a dummy. The truth of the matter is, Adam was exceedingly brilliant. He had knowledge, an intuitive knowledge of the will of God, not only for himself, but for these creatures as well. And thus he named them according to their properties and according to their nature that God created in them.
#11 | 8:14 to 8:53 | cleaned
Now, all of this knowledge was lost after the fall. In one sense it became perverted, in another sense it was lost and or totally rejected. So if you will turn in your Bibles to the book of Romans chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 21. Romans chapter 1 and verse 21. Here the Word of God tells us exactly about the perversion of this knowledge. Romans 1 verse 21, the Bible says, "Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up." Note, if you would, they did not like to retain the knowledge of God. They changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image. Now, if you'll skip down to verse 28, watch this very clearly stated: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient."
#12 | 8:54 to 10:27 | cleaned
So they not only perverted that knowledge, they totally rejected anything in relationship to God. Now, I want you to understand something about Adam's knowledge. Adam's knowledge was not just simply an accumulation of facts. It was not knowledge for knowledge's sake. It was intensely theological. His knowledge had reverence to God and His will and His purpose. Adam knew the will of God not only for himself, but for those animals that God created.
#13 | 10:27 to 11:06 | cleaned
So, that brings me to this point. Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless. You can have a multitude of degrees behind your name, and you may know a lot of facts, and you may have a lot of head knowledge, but if you do not know how to apply those facts and apply that knowledge, and especially if you do not know how it relates to God, His will, and His purpose, then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless.
#14 | 11:08 to 11:50 | cleaned
Moreover, the scripture teaches that such is nothing more than vanity and pride. Let me show you. Look in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians, chapter 8. 1 Corinthians, chapter 8. And look at verses 1 and 2. 1 Corinthians, chapter 8 at verses 1 and 2. Paul says, "Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge." But look at this next statement. "Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." Knowledge or scholarship just simply for its own sake creates pride, arrogance, and presumption. Now, interestingly, when Paul says in verse 1, "knowledge puffeth up," he uses the Greek word phusioo, which literally means to blow up, to puff up, to inflate, to cause to swell up, to make proud, to bear oneself loftily, arrogantly, and proudly. Isn't that interesting? He says, knowledge, just for knowledge's sake, just simply blows somebody up in pride. And such arrogance and such pride are normally perceived in certain individuals.
#15 | 11:54 to 13:38 | cleaned
And when I was a boy, we would say, and we would call such an individual, "Mr. Know-it-all." He did not care about anyone or anything, he just wanted to show what he knew and how much he knew. And so this is why the Apostle Paul says, that knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth.
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Now, I want you to note, if you would please, someone that has knowledge just for knowledge's sake, someone that is puffed up like this, they have to demonstrate their superiority. They have to demonstrate their knowledge by mocking anyone who happens to disagree with them, or maybe not know as much as they do about some subject. They have to mock them. They have to ridicule them. And they will seek to disparage them in any way if they simply do not submit to them and acknowledge that they are the Mr. Know-it-all, that they are the superior individual.
#17 | 14:04 to 14:41 | cleaned
Paul goes on to explain in verse 2 that once we have reached the apex, the height of pride and arrogance and presumption, and we think that we have arrived, and we believe that we are number one, that we have it, then he says in verse 2, "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." So Paul says, well, you think you've got it? You ain't. You don't know anything. So obviously.
#18 | 14:42 to 15:18 | cleaned
There is a condemnation in the Bible for knowledge just for knowledge's sake. You remember what he says, that knowledge puffeth up, that is, it creates pride. One of the seven things that God hates is pride. In Proverbs 6 and verse 16, he said, "These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him," and the first one is a proud look. And then in the book of Proverbs chapter 21 and verse 4, God says, "A high look and a proud heart and the plowing of the wicked is sin." So God despises pride. And when we are just wanting knowledge for knowledge's sake and we want to impress everyone with what we know, He says we don't know anything as we ought to know. Now, let me point out several things based upon Colossians 3 and verse 10 when the Bible says that we are renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created you.
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This harks back to Adam. You have to remember several things about Adam. First of all, Adam was created full grown. He was never a baby. He never had to grow up. He was created full grown. Secondly, when God created Adam, Adam was immediately given responsibilities. He had to tend and keep and guard the garden. He had to work. I've heard people say, "But work is a product of the fall." No. Work was before the fall. Work only became onerous after the fall. But God gave Adam work. So in order to fulfill his responsibilities, Adam needed knowledge. He must know how to apply that that God had given him if he's going to rule, if he's going to exercise dominion. He needs to know how to garden. He needs to know when to plant. He needs to know how to prune. He needs to know how to water. He needs to know everything about gardening. If he's going to protect and keep those animals, he has to know everything about those animals that he can possibly know.
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So obviously, he had to have knowledge. So when God created Adam, He created him not only with knowledge, but He gave him responsibilities, and there is indeed a biblical work ethic. So when you and I revolt against work and against responsibility, it is a revolt against maturity. We're refusing to grow up. I've always been amazed at some people. I have seen women in their sixties and over, flaunting a miniskirt and a see-through blouse. I thought, what?
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You know, they think they want to be a teeny-bopper or something like that. No! It's just like a grown man who refuses to work. That's a sign of immaturity, not a sign of maturity. So, what God is telling us, that we may have come into this world as babies, but we're not to stay babies.
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Now, I will confess this. There's only one area in the Bible where God says that we may legitimately and lawfully remain as babes. You say, where is that? Well, let me show you. Look in 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Just turn over a few pages. 1 Corinthians 14 and verse 20. Here is where you can legitimately remain a babe. He says, 1 Corinthians 14 verse 20, "Be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men." So he said, you can be a little child in malice. What's that mean? Well, it's just like you've seen kids playing, and one of them stumbles or one of them gets pushed down and he runs in and he says, "Momma, Momma, Johnny pushed me down."
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And she said, "It'll be alright, son. Just go back outside and play." And three minutes later, they're hugging necks and playing again. I mean, it's all gone. It's all over with. So God said in malice you can be children, but in understanding, you must be men.
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Now, if you would turn right over to the book of Ephesians chapter 4, since we're talking about growing up and becoming men, look in Ephesians chapter 4, and let's begin reading at verse 11. I will come back to this passage next Sunday, Lord willing. "And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers. Why? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, or a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
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"But speaking the truth in love may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ." Now, the truth is we cannot grow until we have been regenerated and converted. But once we have been regenerated and converted, we are renewed in righteousness, holiness, and knowledge. And our renewal is the basis for growth.
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Now, I want you to turn back to Romans chapter 12. And as you turn back to Romans 12, I'm going to remind you of something. I told you in Colossians 3 and verse 10, when the Bible tells us that we are to be renewed in knowledge, that the Greek word was anakainoo, and it literally means to renew, to cause to grow up, to make new, to be changed into a new kind of life. So you're going to ask yourself, well, how do I do that? Well, look in Romans 12 in verse 1 and 2.
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Paul writes, "I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."
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Now, interestingly, the word renewed in Romans 12 and verse 2, and the word renewed in Colossians 3 and verse 10 are exactly the same. So how then are we to be renewed? Well, verse 2 tells us that we are to be renewed first negatively by not being conformed to this world. The word conformed literally means to be pressed into a mold. Do not come out a little worldling. Do not come out a little humanist. That's what he's saying. Don't let the world press you in this little mold. Well, how do you keep from being pressed into the mold?
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He says, "Be ye transformed." By the way, the word transformed is where we get our English word metamorphosis. It's a butterfly. You remember, it goes through metamorphosis. It goes through stages. So literally, verse 2 says, "...and be not conformed to this world, but be you metamorphosized." How? By the renewing of your mind. By the renewing of your mind. So, as you learn then to think the thoughts of God, as you learn to think biblically and scripturally, and to bring your life in conformity to that, then he says you're going to prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So we need to be constantly renewing our minds. We need to be constantly renovating our minds and changing them in the sense that we're becoming more and more biblical and more and more godly. So change in one sense of the word should always be on a daily basis. So if you're reading your Bible and you see truth, God opens your eyes, you should be changing at that particular point. You should learn to apply that to your life.
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Now, I pointed out in the last message how the Scripture tells us that we're to go from faith to faith, from strength to strength, from glory to glory. In order to do that, there must be a starting point. There must be a place of beginning. The starting point, the place of beginning, is the knowledge that we now possess. And it is to be developed into a fuller, more accurate, and more precise knowledge.
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Let me show you where most people are theologically. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Mark, chapter 8. Matthew, Mark. Second book in the New Testament. Mark, chapter 8. And let's begin reading there with verse 22. Mark 8, verse 22. Watch carefully. "And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of town." Have you ever wondered why Jesus took this blind man and led him out of town? Why did he not heal him in town? Well, look, if you would, he cometh to Bethsaida. Bethsaida was under the curse of God. He said, "Woe unto thee, Bethsaida." And so he's not going to perform the work in Bethsaida. He takes the man by the hand and takes him out of town. Notice, if you would please, verse 23. "He took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the town, and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught."
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"And he looked up and said, I see men as trees walking." He saw, but not clearly. Not precisely, not accurately. I see forms. I can't tell if it's a man or a tree or what, but I can see, but I just don't see clearly. Watch verse 25. "After that, he put his hands again upon his eyes and made him look up and he was restored and saw every man clearly."
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You know, that's exactly where most Christians are. They just do not see clearly. They do not see accurately. They do not see precisely. They see men as trees walking. Our goal should be to have the most accurate and precise understanding of our Lord and his word as possible. And it is possible to have a more accurate and precise knowledge of God in His Word by His grace and by His power.
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And once we have it, then we're to apply it to every situation in our lives. So, let me break this down for you. What is our point of beginning? What is our starting point? Let me answer that for you. We're to go from gnosis to epignosis.
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Now, you're going to say, what in the world is that? Well, it just happens to be two Greek words. Gnosis is the Greek word for knowledge. That word knowledge occurs 28 times in our Bible. The verb is ginosko, which is I know. It occurs 223 times in the Bible. So gnosis is knowledge. Perhaps you have heard or read of a sect known as the Gnostics. The Gnostics took their name from the Greek word gnosis, because they taught salvation by a special knowledge.
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You had to be in their group. You had to have their secrets in order to really be saved. And the truth of the matter is there were two different kinds of Gnostics. There were the Docetic Gnostics and there were the Corinthian Gnostics. The Docetic Gnostics are condemned, and of course the Corinthian Gnostics are condemned as well. But John particularly wrote against the Docetic Gnostics in 1 John, and Paul wrote against the Gnostics in the book of Colossians as well. But I want you to look at 1 John very quickly, and I'm going to explain something to you, and see if you can figure this one out. Look in 1 John, chapter 1. It's interesting what John writes. 1 John 1 and verse 1.
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He says, "...that which was from the beginning," talking about Jesus Christ, "...that which was from the beginning which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled of the Word of life." So you'd have to ask yourself, why did John say, "we handled him"? Why did he say that? And the answer is because of Gnosticism. See, the Docetic Gnostics believed that matter was inherently evil, so this table would be evil. This body would be evil. And so, they said Jesus Christ did not have a real body. Dokeo is the Greek word which means, I appear. In other words, they said that Jesus Christ was a divine apparition, that He was a mirage, that He did not have a real, literal, physical body because that would be material and that is sinful. And John said, He has a real, literal, fleshly body. We've not only heard Him, we've not only seen Him, we've handled Him. We've touched Him. He is real flesh and blood. So when you read that, it's against the Docetic Gnostics.
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The Corinthian Gnostics, their attitude was a little different. They said, "Yeah, matter is inherently evil, but it will perish. It will be destroyed. Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." You know, so their attitude was just, let's live it up because we're going to die anyhow. Well, the interesting thing is this. The word gnosis is a good Greek word. It is a good word, period, because it just simply refers to knowledge. However, it refers to what you and I would call a general knowledge, or an elementary knowledge or a rudimentary knowledge. When it is used in the Bible, and it is used in the Bible, and I will show you some passages, when it is used in the Bible, it speaks of knowledge in a general sense of the word, a knowledge of that which is lawful and not lawful, a general knowledge of right and wrong, a general knowledge of divine things. So I could say that probably when you're talking about gnosis, you're talking about something that's general, something that is elementary and sometimes something that is in the abstract.
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OK, so that's just gnosis. The second word is epignosis.
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Now, if you're listening, you can tell it's the same word with an epi on front. So gnosis and epignosis, what is the difference? The little word epi is a preposition. It literally means upon or in or unto. So if gnosis is knowledge, then epignosis would be knowledge unto knowledge or knowledge upon knowledge or knowledge into a more precise and accurate knowledge. So the word epignosis, which I will show you more next week, it's a word that demonstrates a far more accurate and precise knowledge than someone who just simply has gnosis. So gnosis then is knowledge, but it's elementary. It's the ABCs. It's the two plus two equal four. It could also be said that gnosis is knowledge in the abstract in the sense that we may have it, but we're not exactly sure how to apply it. We don't know exactly what to do with it. We don't understand the purpose of God and the will of God in light of what we know. Now, I want you to turn to 2 Peter, back just a page or two, to 2 Peter chapter 1.
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And I'll point this out next week as well. But let's read verse 2. The Bible says in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2, "Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord." The word knowledge is the word epignosis. Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the precise, accurate, or fuller knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. So if we want grace and peace to be multiplied unto us, it requires knowledge, a fuller knowledge, not just your ABCs, but a fuller knowledge of God.
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Now, every Christian starts with gnosis. Gnosis is just simply general knowledge. In fact, the Gospel is gnosis. It's general knowledge. If you'll turn back in your Bibles to the book of Luke chapter 1, and let's begin reading there with verse 76, Luke 1 verse 76, because Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, is describing John's ministry. Look, if you would, Luke 1 and verse 76. He says, "And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace."
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Now, if you go back to verse 77, he says "to give knowledge," to give the gnosis of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins. I want to point something out. Do you realize the only thing that anyone can give, even the most educated, the most erudite scholar and preacher that has ever lived, the only thing that anyone can give is what you and I would call gnosis, a general and elementary knowledge. That's all we can give.
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We can declare that truth. There is a problem with this general knowledge. And that is, this general knowledge may be perverted, or it may be withheld. For instance, if you would turn right over to Luke chapter 11, Luke 11, and look, if you would please, at verse 52. Luke 11 and verse 52. Watch carefully. Our Lord says, "Woe unto you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge, the key of gnosis."
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"You entered not in yourselves, and them that were entering in you hindered." So this elementary knowledge can be perverted. It can be hidden. And he condemns these lawyers for taking away the key of knowledge. They would not enter in and they hindered others who were entering in themselves.
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Now, it's absolutely necessary that each of us understands the importance of knowledge. Knowledge should not be disdained in any shape, form, or fashion, no matter if it's what you and I would call elementary knowledge. However, in our acquisition of knowledge, we have to understand that knowledge does not do us any good unless we know how to apply that knowledge. I want you to look in your Bibles to the book of Proverbs chapter 4 and look, if you would please, at verse 7. Proverbs 4 and verse 7. Look what he says.
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"Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding." I could know all day long that 2 plus 2 is 4, but if I do not know how to apply it, it does not do me any good. I can know several of the truths of Scripture, but if I do not know how to apply it, it is not doing me one bit of good.
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Our point of beginning is with our knowledge that we now have, our gnosis. It is to be a stepping stone to a fuller, more accurate, more precise knowledge of God. Once we have our starting place, our theology, our understanding, our relationship with our Father will be greatly improved. We will know Him better, we will love Him more, and we will be worshipping Him more attentively. So, we are to progress from just gnosis to what you and I would call epignosis or a fuller or more precise and accurate knowledge.
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Now, let me make some applications. It is true that we lost everything in Adam. The Bible teaches in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 that Adam was our federal head and our representative. So what Adam did, we did. When he sinned, we sinned. When he fell, we fell because we were in him. When he became corrupt and depraved and deprived of knowledge and holiness and righteousness, so did we.
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But here's the good news. Jesus Christ, in 1 Corinthians 15, is called the second man. He's called the last Adam. We gained far more in Jesus Christ than we ever lost in Adam. I want you to look in your Bibles to Psalm 69, and look if you would please at verse 4. Psalm 69 and verse 4. Psalm 69, verse 4. This verse, by the way, is quoted in the New Testament concerning Jesus Christ Himself, especially in John 15, I think it's verse 25. But in Psalm 69, verse 4, he says, "They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head. They that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty." Notice this phrase.
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"Then I restored that which I took not away." Our Lord did not take away the knowledge and righteousness and holiness, but He restored it. That's why the Bible says we're created in righteousness and holiness, and we're renewed in the knowledge of Him that created us. So, our Lord restored that which He took not away. In Jesus Christ, our knowledge has been renewed. Moreover, He brought us back to the Father. The Bible tells us in 1 Peter 3, verse 18, that Christ also suffered for our sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. So, here's what happened. In Adam, we ran from God. In Jesus Christ, we run to Him. In Adam, we lost everything. In Jesus Christ, we gained everything.
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So like Martha, we have to sit at his feet and learn to be changed into his image. Now, let me just tell you. I could tell you the will of God for each one of you today. No, I might not be able to tell you the will of God in every specific detail, but I can tell you the will of God in general. And that is found in Romans 8 and verse 29, "For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." So it's God's will that we be conformed into the image of his Son. We're not to be pressed into the mold of the world, but we're to be pressed into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. So the theology of change then, relates to the fact that we're changing more and more into the image of Jesus Christ. We're changing more and more in that we're becoming more biblical, more holy, more godly, and more obedient.
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It is only by His Spirit and through His Word that He will give us a fuller and more accurate and precise understanding that will teach us so that we may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. I want you to look at one last passage, Romans 11 and verse 36. Romans 11 and verse 36. One short verse, but one that is so packed it is unbelievable. Romans 11 and verse 36.
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"For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen." For of him, that is originally, through him, that is providentially, and to him that is ultimately are all things. So if everything is of Him, that means He must teach us. If everything is through Him, we must come to Him. If everything is unto Him, it is to be for His honor and His glory and His praise.
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So if we are going to change theologically, if we're going to change our lives, it has to be for the child of God into a more precise and more accurate and fuller understanding of God and His Word, of our relationship to Him, and how His will and how His purpose applies to everything in life. I sat on our porch the other day, just for a few minutes, watching the little hummingbirds at the feeder. I've teased Alice.
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I said, she'll ask me what I want for supper. And I said, well, I think I want a plate full of hummingbird legs. Can you imagine how many hummingbird legs you'd have to eat just to get one bite? I wouldn't eat a hummingbird. I just was teasing her. But, you know, I watch those things and I could not help but think, you know, God has a purpose for those hummingbirds. Maybe it's just for our pleasure. Maybe it's for our enjoyment.
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He does tell us to go to the birds and learn. There's a lot of things we can learn from them, but everything—once you understand this—everything relates to God. It has a purpose. And when you get a fuller and more accurate and more precise understanding of these things, you will begin to see how everything just simply interlocks and relates to God and His Word and His will.
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Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, we bow to Thee this day. We thank You for Your truth. We thank You for Your Word. And we pray, Lord, that You would teach us, that You would indeed build us up in the most holy faith, that You would grant us, Lord, a deeper, fuller, more accurate and precise understanding. And teach us, Lord, to be mature men and women in Jesus Christ. In Thy name we pray, Amen.
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deepseek | deepseek-v4-pro | clean_readable_transcript | 2026-06-05T12:17:06Z

The Theology of Change - 4

John Weaver | Freedom Ministries

John Weaver continues his series on the theology of change by focusing on the renewal of knowledge in the believer. Using Colossians 3:10 and Ephesians 4:24, he explains that salvation brings a renewal of knowledge that harks back to Adam's pre-fall understanding. Adam possessed intuitive, theological knowledge of God's will for himself and creation, which was lost and perverted after the fall. In Christ, this knowledge is restored and must grow from elementary gnosis to precise epignosis. Knowledge for its own sake leads to pride, but true knowledge applies God's will to all of life, conforming us to Christ's image. The sermon emphasizes that change is continual, moving from general understanding to a fuller, more accurate knowledge of God, resulting in maturity and godly living.

Introduction and Review

Weaver introduces the fourth message in the theology of change series, reviewing previous teachings on conviction versus preference and the necessity of continual change in the Christian life.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:10

"And have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him."

And then if you look in Ephesians 4 and verse 24, a similar verse says this:

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:10

"And that you put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness."

Renewed in Knowledge After the Image of God

Exposition of Colossians 3:10 shows that believers are renewed in knowledge, meaning a change from a corrupt state to a new kind of life, with implications for continual growth.

Scripture Reading — Colossians 3:11

"...where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcision nor uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, but Christ is all in all."

So it really doesn't matter who you are or where you are. If you have been saved by the grace of God, then you have been renewed in knowledge. So when God saves someone, He renews us in knowledge.

Adam's Pre-Fall Knowledge

Adam's naming of the animals demonstrated an intuitive, theological knowledge of God's will and purpose for each creature, a knowledge that was lost and perverted after the fall.

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:17-19

"This I say therefore, and testify of the Lord, that you henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, that is the uselessness, the worthlessness of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart, who, being past feeling, have given themselves over into lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness."

So he talked here about, since the fall, how man's mind is totally alienated from God, totally ignorant of God, and blind toward God.

Scripture Reading — Romans 1:21-23

"Because when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts, and creeping things. Wherefore God gave them up."

The Perversion and Rejection of Knowledge

Romans 1 describes how fallen humanity perverted and rejected the knowledge of God, exchanging His glory for idols and being given over to a reprobate mind.

The Danger of Knowledge for Knowledge's Sake

Knowledge pursued merely for its own sake leads to pride and arrogance, as 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 warns; such knowledge is worthless without application and relationship to God.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 8:1-2

"Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge."

But look at this next statement.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 8:1-2

"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know."

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 6:16-17

"These six things doth the Lord hate, yea, seven are an abomination unto him,"

Adam's Maturity and Responsibility

Adam was created full-grown with responsibilities and a work ethic, modeling maturity; believers are called to grow up in understanding, not remaining children.

Scripture Reading — 1 Corinthians 14:20

"Be not children in understanding, howbeit in malice be ye children, but in understanding be men."

The Process of Renewal: From Gnosis to Epignosis

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 4:11-15

"And He gave some apostles and some prophets and some evangelists and some pastor-teachers. Why? For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God unto a perfect man, or a mature man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."

Paul writes,

Scripture Reading — Romans 12:1-2

"I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God."

Scripture Reading — Mark 8:22-25

"And he cometh to Bethsaida, and they bring a blind man unto him, and besought him to touch him. And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of town."

Scripture Reading — Mark 8:22-25

"He took the blind man by the hand, led him out of the town, and when he had spit on his eyes and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw aught."

Gnosticism and the Nature of Knowledge

The sermon explains the historical Gnostics and distinguishes between general knowledge (gnosis) and fuller, more accurate knowledge (epignosis), using 2 Peter 1:2 and Luke 1:76-77.

And I'll point this out next week as well. But let's read verse 2. The Bible says in 2 Peter chapter 1 and verse 2,

Scripture Reading — 2 Peter 1:2

"Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord."

Scripture Reading — Luke 1:76-79

"And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways, to give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of their sins, through the tender mercy of our God, whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in the darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet in the way of peace."

The Necessity of Applying Knowledge

Knowledge must be applied to be beneficial; Proverbs 4:7 emphasizes getting wisdom and understanding, moving from elementary knowledge to a deeper, practical knowledge of God.

Scripture Reading — Proverbs 4:7

"Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get wisdom. And with all thy getting, get understanding."

Restoration in Christ and Conformity to His Image

What was lost in Adam is restored in Christ, who restores knowledge and brings us to God. God's will is our conformity to Christ's image, achieved through Spirit and Word.

Conclusion: All Things of, Through, and to God

Romans 11:36 teaches that all things originate, are sustained, and exist for God's glory; theological change means growing in precise understanding of how everything relates to God.

The Theology of Change - 4

John Weaver | SermonAudio

Lecture Metadata	Details
Speaker	John Weaver
Source	SermonAudio
Media ID	82018224562
Subject	Old Testament Studies
Course	Genesis: Creation, Fall, and Dominion
Genre	Sermon
Date	2018-08-12
Dictation Name
Book	Book 111: The Theology of Change — Chapter 4
Source Timed Segments	59

Lecture Guide

Outline

Introduction and Review: Weaver introduces the fourth message in the theology of change series, reviewing previous teachings on conviction versus preference and the necessity of continual change in the Christian life.
Renewed in Knowledge After the Image of God: Exposition of Colossians 3:10 shows that believers are renewed in knowledge, meaning a change from a corrupt state to a new kind of life, with implications for continual growth.
Adam's Pre-Fall Knowledge: Adam's naming of the animals demonstrated an intuitive, theological knowledge of God's will and purpose for each creature, a knowledge that was lost and perverted after the fall.
The Perversion and Rejection of Knowledge: Romans 1 describes how fallen humanity perverted and rejected the knowledge of God, exchanging His glory for idols and being given over to a reprobate mind.
The Danger of Knowledge for Knowledge's Sake: Knowledge pursued merely for its own sake leads to pride and arrogance, as 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 warns; such knowledge is worthless without application and relationship to God.
Adam's Maturity and Responsibility: Adam was created full-grown with responsibilities and a work ethic, modeling maturity; believers are called to grow up in understanding, not remaining children.
The Process of Renewal: From Gnosis to Epignosis: Renewal comes by not conforming to the world but being transformed through mind renewal (Romans 12:1-2). Believers progress from elementary knowledge (gnosis) to precise, applicable knowledge (epignosis).
Gnosticism and the Nature of Knowledge: The sermon explains the historical Gnostics and distinguishes between general knowledge (gnosis) and fuller, more accurate knowledge (epignosis), using 2 Peter 1:2 and Luke 1:76-77.
The Necessity of Applying Knowledge: Knowledge must be applied to be beneficial; Proverbs 4:7 emphasizes getting wisdom and understanding, moving from elementary knowledge to a deeper, practical knowledge of God.
Restoration in Christ and Conformity to His Image: What was lost in Adam is restored in Christ, who restores knowledge and brings us to God. God's will is our conformity to Christ's image, achieved through Spirit and Word.
Conclusion: All Things of, Through, and to God: Romans 11:36 teaches that all things originate, are sustained, and exist for God's glory; theological change means growing in precise understanding of how everything relates to God.

Major Themes

Key Arguments

Change is continual and necessary for believers

Believers cannot remain stationary; they either progress or digress in the faith, and change should be constant and continual.

Weaver states, 'We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards.'

Salvation renews knowledge, not just imparts facts

The renewal of knowledge in Colossians 3:10 is a change from a corrupt state to a new life, implying a restoration of Adam's pre-fall theological knowledge.

Weaver explains anakainoo means 'to be changed from one kind of life to another' and links it to Adam's knowledge before the fall.

Adam's knowledge was theological and practical

Adam's naming of animals was not arbitrary but reflected an intuitive understanding of God's will and purpose for each creature, demonstrating his original perfection.

Citing Adam Clarke: 'Had he not possessed an intuitive knowledge of the grand and distinguishing properties of those animals, he never could have given them such names.'

Knowledge without application and relation to God is worthless

Scholarship and knowledge for their own sake lead to pride and are condemned; true knowledge must be applied to life and understood in relation to God's will.

Weaver says, 'Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless.' 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 supports this.

Pride is the inevitable result of knowledge pursued selfishly

Knowledge puffs up, creating arrogance and a need to demonstrate superiority, but such a person truly knows nothing as they ought.

1 Corinthians 8:1-2: 'Knowledge puffeth up... if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.'

Spiritual maturity requires growing up in understanding

While believers may remain childlike in malice, they must become mature in understanding, not remaining infants tossed by false doctrine.

Ephesians 4:11-15 and 1 Corinthians 14:20 are cited to show the call to maturity and stability in doctrine.

Mind renewal is the mechanism of transformation

Transformation into Christ's image occurs by not conforming to the world but by the continual renewing of the mind through God's Word.

Romans 12:1-2: 'Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind.'

Believers must progress from elementary to precise knowledge

The Christian life begins with general knowledge (gnosis) of salvation but must advance to a fuller, more accurate knowledge (epignosis) that enables application.

Weaver distinguishes gnosis and epignosis, using Luke 1:77 and 2 Peter 1:2, and illustrates with the blind man in Mark 8 who first saw men as trees, then clearly.

Scripture References

Colossians 3:10: Introduced as the primary text: believers have put on the new man renewed in knowledge after the image of the Creator.
Ephesians 4:24: Parallel verse to Colossians 3:10, stating the new man is created in righteousness and true holiness.
Colossians 3:11: Cited to show that renewal in knowledge applies to all believers regardless of background; Christ is all in all.
Ephesians 4:17-19: Describes the darkened understanding and ignorance of the Gentiles, illustrating the loss of knowledge after the fall.
Genesis 2:19-20: Adam naming the animals, demonstrating his intuitive knowledge of their natures and God's purposes.
Romans 1:21-23: Shows how humanity perverted the knowledge of God, becoming vain in imaginations and changing God's glory into images.
Romans 1:28: Humanity did not like to retain God in their knowledge, so God gave them over to a reprobate mind.
1 Corinthians 8:1-2: Knowledge puffs up but love edifies; if anyone thinks he knows anything, he knows nothing as he ought.
Proverbs 6:16-17: Listed among the seven things God hates is a proud look, connecting to the danger of prideful knowledge.
Proverbs 21:4: A high look and a proud heart are sin, reinforcing God's hatred of pride.
1 Corinthians 14:20: Believers are to be children in malice but men in understanding, emphasizing maturity.
Ephesians 4:11-15: God gave ministers to equip saints for maturity, so they are no longer children tossed by false doctrine.
Romans 12:1-2: Believers are to present their bodies as living sacrifices and be transformed by the renewing of their minds.
Mark 8:22-25: The blind man healed in stages, first seeing men as trees, then clearly, illustrating the need for precise spiritual sight.
1 John 1:1: John emphasizes handling the Word of life to counter Docetic Gnosticism, which denied Christ's physical body.
2 Peter 1:2: Grace and peace are multiplied through the knowledge (epignosis) of God and Jesus, showing the value of precise knowledge.
Luke 1:76-79: John the Baptist's ministry was to give knowledge (gnosis) of salvation to God's people.
Luke 11:52: Jesus condemns lawyers for taking away the key of knowledge (gnosis), hindering others from entering.
Proverbs 4:7: Wisdom is the principal thing; with all getting, get understanding, emphasizing application of knowledge.
Psalm 69:4: Quoted to show Christ restored what He took not away, referring to the restoration of knowledge and righteousness.

Historical References

Francis Nigel Lee, The Central Significance of Culture: Cited to support the idea that Adam was scientifically classifying the animals when naming them.
John Trapp, Puritan commentator: Quoted as saying Adam's naming was a sign of his sovereignty and wisdom in giving names according to their natures.
Matthew Poole, commentator: Quoted as saying Adam considered the several natures and perfections of the animals when naming them.
Adam Clarke, commentator: Quoted extensively on Adam's intuitive knowledge of the nature and properties of each creature, proving his original perfection.
Docetic Gnostics: A sect that believed matter was evil and denied Christ had a physical body; John wrote against them in 1 John 1:1.
Corinthian Gnostics: A sect that believed matter was evil but would perish, leading to licentious living; Paul wrote against them in Colossians.

Important Quotes

We're going to change whether we want to or not. We are either going to be going forward or we're going to be going backwards. We will either progress in the faith or we will digress. We cannot remain neutral. We cannot remain stationary. We're going to either change for the better or for the worse.

Establishes the inevitability and necessity of continual change in the Christian life, setting the foundation for the sermon's argument.

Knowledge just for knowledge's sake is worthless. Scholarship just for scholarship's sake is worthless. You can have a multitude of degrees behind your name, and you may know a lot of facts, and you may have a lot of head knowledge, but if you do not know how to apply those facts and apply that knowledge, and especially if you do not know how it relates to God, His will, and His purpose, then your knowledge and your scholarship is absolutely worthless.

Highlights the core message that knowledge must be theological and applicable, not merely academic, to have value.

Knowledge puffeth up, but charity or love edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know.

Quoting 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 to warn against the pride that comes from knowledge pursued for self-aggrandizement.

Be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Key verse (Romans 12:2) explaining the process of change through mind renewal, central to the sermon's application.

I see men as trees walking.

From Mark 8:24, used to illustrate the imprecise spiritual sight of many Christians who need to progress to clearer understanding.

Then I restored that which I took not away.

Psalm 69:4 applied to Christ, emphasizing that He restored the knowledge and righteousness lost in Adam.

For of him and through him and to him are all things to whom be glory forever. Amen.

Romans 11:36 used to summarize that all knowledge and change must be oriented toward God's glory and purpose.

Discussion Questions

[Question]

How does understanding Adam's pre-fall knowledge change your view of what it means to be 'renewed in knowledge' as a Christian?

[Context]

Weaver argues that Colossians 3:10 harks back to Adam's intuitive, theological knowledge. Discuss how this shapes our pursuit of knowledge today.

[Question]

In what ways have you seen knowledge lead to pride in yourself or others? How can we pursue knowledge while remaining humble?

[Context]

Based on 1 Corinthians 8:1-2 and the warning against being a 'Mr. Know-it-all.'

[Question]

What does it look like practically to 'not be conformed to this world' but be 'transformed by the renewing of your mind' in daily life?

[Context]

Romans 12:1-2 is presented as the mechanism for change. Discuss specific areas where mind renewal is needed.

[Question]

Weaver says most Christians are like the blind man who saw 'men as trees walking.' In what areas of theology or life do you feel your understanding is still blurry?

[Context]

Using Mark 8:22-25 as an illustration of imprecise spiritual sight.

[Question]

What is the difference between gnosis and epignosis, and why is it important to progress from one to the other?

[Context]

The sermon's central linguistic distinction; discuss how to move from elementary knowledge to precise, applicable knowledge.

[Question]

How does the truth that Christ 'restored that which He took not away' encourage you in your struggles with sin and ignorance?

[Context]

Psalm 69:4 applied to Christ's work of restoring knowledge and righteousness.

[Question]

In what ways can we ensure that our pursuit of knowledge is always 'unto Him'—for His glory—rather than for our own reputation?

[Context]

Romans 11:36 teaches all things are to God's glory; discuss motivations for learning.

Applications

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