“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen”
and knowledge
Growth in “knowledge” is the second sphere, where we are to grow. Grace was the first sphere.
Growth comes from special knowledge–knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. The more we know Him, the more we love Him. Knowing Him endears us to Him.
Principle:
The more we know the Lord Jesus, the more we will love Him.
Application:
We cannot grow apart from knowledge. We often hear the notion that we do not need more “knowledge” but more application. People who make this statement have not paid close attention to the Bible because the Word of God repeatedly challenges us to gain more knowledge.
It is a false dichotomy to place knowledge and experience in tension with each other. God does not ask us to choose between the two. We cannot apply what we do not know. Neither can we allow knowledge to die within our bones and not apply it to our lives. Both of these notions are false.
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).
“That I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death…” (Philippians 3:10).
Decades after Paul came to Christ, he kept growing in knowledge of his Lord. Paul came to know Jesus as Savior. He spent the rest of his life seeking to know Him as Lord.
Our Lord is of such magnitude that we cannot know everything there is to know about Him quickly. It is a process that will go on throughout time and eternity.
We cannot know everything about a person, even in an extended engagement. Even marriage takes time to come to a full understanding of our partners. Communication is the process of self-revelation. The more we disclose ourselves, the better we know each other. The more we understand the Lord Jesus, the greater fellowship we will have with Him. The more we know the Lord, the more we love Him.
