And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19)
I want you to observe Apostle Paul’s choice of words carefully; he said, “And to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge.” How can you know something that surpasses knowledge? What’s he talking about? Here, he distinguishes between two kinds of knowledge: revelation knowledge and scientific knowledge. The word translates “know” above is “ginosko,” which means to have the understanding or knowledge by revelation.
For the other word translated “knowledge,” the Apostle Paul chose another Greek word “gnosis” which is knowledge based on science or intellectual activity. This is knowledge that is gained through the physical senses. It’s knowledge based on intellectual prowess. However, the bible shows the superiority of “ginosko”-Revelation knowledge-over “gnosis”, scientific knowledge. Understanding the love of Christ is beyond scientific or intellectual knowledge; it requires “ginosko”.
Intellectual knowledge doesn’t tell the significance of the Cross. This is the reason the natural man can’t understand why Jesus had to be crucified, and what His death, burial and resurrection mean to the world. He may read about it but there is no revelation. Putting both together, Paul could have said, “And to ginosko the love of Christ which surpasses gnosis”; that is, to have a revelation of the love of Christ, which surpasses scientific knowledge or intellectual activity. This means knowing the love Christ beyond your senses and human definitions, but according to revelation.
In science, there are no absolutes. All the laws of science are based on theories and assumptions. However, in revelation knowledge there’re no assumptions. Science can’t unveil to you the passion of Jesus Christ, which he demonstrated on the Cross of Calvary. No matter the books of this world that you study, you will never get to know the significance and importance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You may know about it, you may even be able to describe what happened to Him on the Cross, but you won’t have the understanding; that can only be granted you by revelation of the Word of God.
Prayer
Dear father, thank you for opening my eyes to see that true knowledge can only be found in your Word. By being born again, I’ve been initiated into this specialized knowledge that divinely energizes and enables me to walk in your fullness, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Further Study:
2 Corinthians 3:18; 1 Corinthians 2:14