Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up (1 Corinthians 8:1)

Published in

Yomelijah

6 min readJun 19, 2022

Discernment or insight is a higher degree of understanding, which allows to understand more complex knowledge, in biblical spirituality. In Paul’s inspired letter to Hebrews, he refers in two forms of knowledge, the elementary teaching and the “solid (spiritual) food”, which is a more complex knowledge. In the Greek text, there are two words that refer to these respectively two categories of knowledge. They are in the second letter of Peter, Gnosis and Epignosis: “May undeserved kindness and peace be increased to you by an accurate knowledge (Epignosis) of God and of Jesus our Lord. (…) For this very reason, put forth all earnest effort to supply to your faith virtue, to your virtue knowledge (Gnosis), to your knowledge self-control, to your self-control endurance, to your endurance godly devotion” (2 Peter 1:2,5,6) .
In this translation of the Bible, the expression “accurate knowledge” seems to illustrate the precision of a more complex, more detailed biblical knowledge. It allows knowing when the Greek word “Gnosis” (Knowledge) and “Epignosis” (Accurate knowledge), appear in the Greek text by means of this translation of the Bible. Nevertheless, any knowledge, no matter how difficult of comprehension it requires, should be “exact” (at least for its holder). Therefore, it is interesting to examine the definition of these two words and then return to Paul’s inspired letter to Hebrews. The Greek word “Gnosis” is translated as knowledge in the general sense (in several fields) or science (Strong’s Concordance (G1108)). The Greek prefix “Epi” (before Gnosis) has the general meaning of elevation or direction (Strong’s Concordance (G1909)). Therefore, the Greek word “Epignosis” alludes to a “higher” knowledge, which requires a greater degree of intelligence, the discernment. The “directional” meaning of the prefix “Epi” indicates a more specialized, more detailed knowledge (Strong’s Concordance (G1922)). Therefore, the understanding is to the knowledge (Gnosis), what is the discernment or insight to the more complex knowledge (Epignosis).
However, when we read the dialogue between God and Job, Jehovah God asked him about different areas of knowledge of creation, sciences, which implies a general knowledge of these things. For example, Jehovah God, in the various rhetorical questions that He asked to Job, addressing the knowledge of various sciences: Job 38: The original arrangement of the earth to receive life, and its general functioning, the creation of atmosphere, wind, clouds, rain, lightning, glaciers, snow, boundary between sea and continents, rivers and river systems (channel for flooding), source of light , astronomy through the study of the constellations. In Job 39, 40 and 41, the animal kingdom is described.

When Jehovah God asked Job about these wide-ranging areas of knowledge of creation and science, it is assumed that Job had knowledge of them in part, of course, without having the full knowledge of Jehovah God. All this to say that probably the contemporaries of Abraham, Moses, Job and Easterners in general, they had great part of this knowledge to be able to live in these geographical places. Thus, in some respects, to have a polyvalent or a general knowledge (gnosis), can turn out to be more advantageous than more specialized knowledge (epignosis), without this general culture. The two aspects of knowledge, polyvalent knowledge or general culture (gnosis) and specialty (epignosis), must be associated with each other, both on the individual level, as of the general instruction of peoples (even if, obviously, the text of Job is written in the Hebrew language, which does not have the same word, in that case, the idea of ”knowledge”, must be contextualized, to have the precise meaning).
Returning to the letter to the Hebrews: “For although by now you should be teachers, you again need someone to teach you from the beginning the elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God, and you have gone back to needing milk, not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). The elementary things are quoted: “Therefore, now that we have moved beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying a foundation again, namely, repentance from dead works and faith in God, the teaching on baptisms and the laying on of the hands, the resurrection of the dead and everlasting judgment. And this we will do, if God indeed permits” (Hebrews 6:1–3). And the “solid (spiritual) food” is in almost all the inspired letter to Hebrews (chapters 1–13). Although very interesting, this deep biblical teaching is not always easy to understand at first reading, even to the very point that the Apostle Peter himself wrote about Paul’s inspired letters: “Furthermore, consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you according to the wisdom given him, speaking about these things as he does in all his letters. However, some things in them are hard to understand, and these things the ignorant and unstable are twisting, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16).
Despite the fact that it is not always easy to understand at first reading this sometimes very deep Bible teaching, all Christians who aspire to reach Christian maturity, especially Bible teachers, must make an effort to understand it, praying for God’s help (Matthew 11:25, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Hebrews 5: 11–14–6: 1–3). Returning to the letter to the Hebrews: “For although by now you should be teachers, you again need someone to teach you from the beginning the elementary things of the sacred pronouncements of God, and you have gone back to needing milk, not solid food” (Hebrews 5:12). The elementary things are quoted: “Therefore, now that we have moved beyond the primary doctrine about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying a foundation again, namely, repentance from dead works and faith in God, the teaching on baptisms and the laying on of the hands, the resurrection of the dead and everlasting judgment. And this we will do, if God indeed permits” (Hebrews 6:1–3). And the “solid (spiritual) food” is in almost all the inspired letter to Hebrews (chapters 1–13).
Although very interesting, this deep biblical teaching is not always easy to understand at first reading, even to the very point that the Apostle Peter himself wrote about Paul’s inspired letters: “Furthermore, consider the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote you according to the wisdom given him, speaking about these things as he does in all his letters. However, some things in them are hard to understand, and these things the ignorant and unstable are twisting, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction” (2 Peter 3:15,16). Despite the fact that it is not always easy to understand at first reading this sometimes very deep Bible teaching, all Christians who aspire to reach Christian maturity, especially Bible teachers, must make an effort to understand it, praying for God’s help (Matthew 11:25, 1 Corinthians 2:16, Hebrews 5: 11–14–6: 1–3).
It is important not to forget the purpose of the knowledge of God, in relation to intelligence and discernment, which is to seek to encourage our neighbor and our brother or sister in faith: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up” (1 Corinthians 8:1).

Choose your preferred language to read the whole article “The Spiritual Maturity”:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/437426849

French: http://www.yomelijah.com/442444233

Spanish: http://www.yomeliah.com/442444349

Portuguese: http://www.yomelias.com/436041687

Choose your preferred language to read the whole article “Joy in Christian Hope”:

English: http://www.yomelyah.com/435551624

Spanish: http://www.yomeliah.com/435166233

Portuguese: http://www.yomelias.com/435862259

Catalan: http://www.yomeliah.com/441436636

Italian: http://www.yomelyah.com/439476890

French: http://www.yomelijah.com/434579444