Salvation By Knowledge?
No amount of knowledge can save you. Salvation is not reserved for the wealthy and intelligent. Jesus came to rescue the poor and ignorant people. He condemned the highly educated and argumentative leaders of the synagogs. The Pharisees were known to be men of excellent knowledge who studied the Scriptures as a career. Yet, no amount of knowledge and study helped them recognize the signs of the Messiah standing before them. The Pharisees knew more than the average person, yet they rejected Christ as savior. The people who followed the teachings of the Pharisees fell under the same deception of self-righteousness. Because they knew the Pharisees as being intelligent, they automatically assumed they were right. However, when confronted by Jesus, their so-called knowledge was revealed as a misinterpretation of Scripture. They did not believe Jesus was the Messiah to come; they believed the Messiah would rescue them from Roman oppression. The people who believed the Pharisees over Jesus followed suit by crying out to crucify Christ, because in their sight, Jesus failed as a savior from Rome. They wanted a savior for their time. Jesus came to be the Savior for all eternity.
No amount of knowledge can save someone. I will go as far as to say that no one can be saved by faith in what you know. Just because you know something does not validate your salvation. You will treat your wisdom as your works and place your faith in what you know and understand. I see too many Christians teaching false doctrines without listening to what they are saying. They make claims of being saved, yet their belief is in their own works or wisdom. Knowledge and wisdom are necessary to have, but faith goes beyond the Words preached. Faith is the active practice of the given knowledge. God gives us just the right amount of knowledge at certain moments in our lives to understand and believe. The revelation of Scripture and doctrine occurs over time as we grow. We are fed the Word at the right time, with the right amount. But those who hold to hearing only, and not living out their faith, are in danger of falling into heresy and cult-like beliefs.
We need the Bible, we need the Church of Christ, and we need the Holy Spirit to teach and guide our understanding. Without them, we are prone to misinterpret Scripture to suit our desires and needs. We must hold on to the traditional teachings of the Church, which were handed down from the Apostles and Disciples, who received them from Christ Himself.
Knowledge alone can never save. Just because someone knows about Jesus does not save. Consider why, in a group of people hearing the Gospel, only some accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, while others do not. Is it because one person was more intelligent than the other? Was the individual more thoughtful and well-educated? Was it just a lack of knowledge and understanding on the other’s part? They both heard the same message and were given the same invitation, but why does one follow and the other chooses not to? I will tell you it is not by wisdom that one receives Christ, but by the grace of God alone.
On many occasions in the Bible, Christ explains that He chose us to be with Him, not the other way around. He is the one who calls. This may sound unfair to you because it rips the freedom of choice from your hands, but that feeling of unfairness comes from your brainwashing that’s been going on all your life. Why is it so crucial for some Christians to believe they chose Christ and not Christ choosing them? This debate has been going on for centuries, and I think the root cause of why we want to feel like we chose Christ is a lack of assurance of salvation. Those who are not assured of salvation want to point to a time, a moment when they chose Christ. They quote many passages that teach about choosing to follow Christ, using these Scripture verses as weapons to fight off theology that doesn’t align with theirs. However, holding on to the right to choose only leads to self-righteousness, because choosing means the outcome occurred by the action we took. They want God to approve of their will to choose. God honors their choice and saves them. If that were the case, then I would be doomed to hell, because I know there was nothing in me that desired to choose God over my enjoyment of sins. My choices always end in misery and failure. I would never have chosen to follow Christ. It was a miracle of God to save a sinner like me, and I know if you are saved, you, too, have experienced a miracle of new birth.
Our natural state is to be sinful, because we live under the curse of Adam’s sin. Our minds are always inclined to go against God. Our natural state is not to pursue God but to run from Him, just as Adam did in the Garden (Gen 3:8-10). Although Adam and Eve hid from God due to their sin, God continued to pursue them, knowing what they had done. God did not give up, but called them to Himself. They repented and turned back to God, not with grateful hearts, but accusative ones. They blamed their sin on each other and the devil, making claims that the devil made them do it (Gen 3).
We want someone to say, “Good job” and pat us on the back for a job well done. The educated will either learn with humility or arrogance. Some arrogant, educated people will reject and try to argue against the simple message of the Gospel by complicating it with doctrines that they don’t fully understand. The humble learner always approaches every subject with humility and a teachable heart. They are aware of their shortcomings and are always willing to learn. They are not swayed by nonsense theology and contradictions. If you are unwilling to know the truth, you will never discover it. Truth comes to the humble and meek, not the arrogant and proud. Until pride is destroyed in oneself, you will have a difficult time believing in Jesus. My recommendation: Kill the pride within you, or that pride will kill you.
Wisdom cannot save, but wisdom is necessary. You cannot live in ignorance, thinking that the smarter you become, the further you will fall from God. Again, this will only happen if pride dwells in your heart. Wisdom is a blessing and should be used to glorify God. Using everything of who you are, and serving God with your talents, is a humble act. You realize you are nothing apart from God, and you will never amount to keeping the laws of God by your own efforts. A humble person depends on God’s mercy and grace for salvation, and nothing else.
Conclusion
Having assurance of salvation is essential for the life of a believer. We don’t hear God’s voice audibly, nor can we see Him. But we are called to believe and have faith in Him. Walking for many years with God, you will come to points in your walk where the road is bumpy and rough. You may even feel like quitting, questioning why you hold the beliefs you do. God will test you, whether you have genuinely placed your faith in Christ or something else, by allowing you to go through the fire to refine your faith. You will struggle with works of righteousness. You will struggle with doubt and fear. You will struggle with sin. You will battle with confusion and embarrassment because you don’t know the Word of God like you think you should. But take heart, because all those experiences are what purify your faith, making it genuine. Only God knows your heart. Sometimes, we don’t even know ourselves. But God knows even the number of hairs we have on our heads at any given time. God knows you well. We face trials and tribulations as believers because the trials shape and perfect our faith in Jesus Christ. The trials reveal the genuineness of our faith. Can you see someone’s faith by what they say, or what they are going through? True faith stands firm in the midst of trials and tribulations. False faith crumbles and cannot stand when tested. God reveals our faith through trials. Once your faith grows, there is no turning back. It will increase over time, just as a baby grows with love, nutrition, and security. Your faith is not stagnant, nor was it ever meant to be. There is no such thing as stagnant one-time faith. Just because you believed back then doesn’t mean you still believe today. Your faith may have started strong, but without care, it will wither and die like the parable of the sower taught in Matthew 13:1–23. Your faith must be in the living Christ today, and not only the Christ from the past. We are believers, believers of the risen Jesus from the dead, and are currently overseeing all creation in Heaven. True Christians believe Jesus.
Do you have genuine faith in Jesus Christ? Do you believe in what He said and did? Did you receive Him as the Lord of your life? Your faith must be in Christ alone and nothing else. If you place your faith in works, it will lead to disappointment. If you place your faith in your knowledge without humility, you will begin to believe you are the only one who knows the truth. Your heart will be filled with pride in yourself and your wisdom.
Your faith must be in Christ, and Christ alone. Believe Jesus. Believe what he said and what He did. Believe He will do what He said He will do. Believe that Jesus is the Christ and the only way of salvation. Stop trusting in yourself and what you are doing. Believe Him and not yourself. When you do this, you will be flooded with the assurance of salvation from God. He will restore and renew your heart at every turn and every bump on the road. He will never leave you to walk alone, although it may feel that way at times; you are always in the presence of God (Jam 1:2-4). Every difficult bump and hurdle you face will pass over easily because you realize your faith is not in yourself, your circumstance, or anyone else other than God. You will sense God’s presence in those moments of difficulty, and you will feel His embrace. Nothing can or will surprise Him. He will lead you to a place of assurance where you will feel like a little baby, comfortable and confident in the arms of your loving Father. He wants you to trust in His only Son, whom He gave. Jesus is our assurance of salvation. There is no other means of assurance other than Christ and His perfect life. Are you confident in the finished works of Jesus and claim His life as your own, while giving to Him all your sins through repentance? If you have, then you are a brother or sister in Jesus Christ. You have, or will have, absolute assurance and confidence in Him.
Philippians 4:7
“And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
