Knowledge / Love

Knowledge, wisdom, love, and belief, all of these attributes are essential to a well-balanced relationship with our Creator.

In this article we will look at the primary attributes given to believers and try to reveal if one of them is superior above the rest.

The attributes of the spirit

2Peter 1 partial

⁴Through these there have  been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, so that through these you might be partakers of the Mighty-like nature, having escaped from the corruption in the world, caused by lust. ⁵And for this reason do your utmost to add to your belief uprightness, to uprightness knowledge, ⁶to knowledge self-control, to self-control endurance, to endurance reverence, ⁷to reverence brotherly affection, and to brotherly affection love. ⁸For  if  these  are  in  you  and  increase, they  cause  you  to  be  neither  inactive  nor without fruit in the knowledge of our Master Yahshua Messiah. ⁹For he in whom these are not present is blind, being shortsighted, and  has  forgotten that he has been cleansed from his old sins. ¹⁰For  this  reason,  brothers,  all  the  more do your utmost to make firm your calling and choosing, for if you are doing these matters you shall never stumble at all, ¹¹for  in  this  way  an  entrance  into  the everlasting reign of our Master and Saviour Yahshua Messiah shall be richly supplied to you.

These writings show the primary attributes that we as believers should have. They are integrated, and layer upon layer help the believer to be strong in faith and able to put off the lusts of the world. Starting with a base of belief which is also faith we build upon this, adding gifts of the spirit and perfecting ourselves with the spirit of love. Was love placed last on the list purposely or was it placed in this order randomly? Let us read on.

The gifts of the spirit

1Corinthians 12 partial

⁴And  there  are  different  kinds  of  gifts, but the same Spirit. ⁵There  are  different  kinds  of  services, but the same Master. ⁶And there are different kinds of workings,  but  it  is  the  same  Elohim  who  is working all in all. ⁷And to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for profiting, ⁸for  to  one  is  given  a  word  of  wisdom through the Spirit, and to another a word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹and to another belief by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the same Spirit, ¹⁰and  to  another  operations  of  powers, and  to  another  prophecy,  and  to  another discerning of spirits, and to another kinds of tongues, and to another interpretation of tongues..

²⁸And Elohim has appointed these in the assembly:    firstly    emissaries,    secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, ministrations, kinds of tongues. ²⁹Are  all  emissaries?  Are  all  prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰Do  all  have  gifts  of  healings?  Do  all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹But earnestly seek the better gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way

1 Corinthians 13 partial

If I speak with the tongues of men and of messengers, but do not have love, I have become as sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. ²And  if  I  have  prophecy,  and  know  all secrets and all knowledge, and if I have all belief, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am none at all. ³And if I give out all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I give my body to be burned,  but  do  not  have  love,  I  am  not profited at all. ⁴Love is patient, is kind, love does not envy, love does not boast, is not puffed up, ⁵does  not  behave  indecently,  does  not seek its own, is not provoked, reckons not the evil, ⁶does  not  rejoice  over  the  unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth, ⁷it  covers  all,  believes  all,  expects  all, endures all. ⁸Love never fails. And whether there be prophecies,   they   shall   be   inactive;   or tongues, they shall cease; or knowledge, it shall be inactive. ⁹For we know in part and we prophesy in part.

¹⁰But   when   that   which   is   perfect   has come,  then  that  which  is  in  part  shall  be inactive. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I thought  as  a  child,  I  reasoned  as  a  child. But when I became a man, I did away with childish matters. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know, as I also  have  been known. ¹³And now belief, expectation, and love remain    these  three.  But  the  greatest  of these is love.

The gifts of the spirit are given to us today to help us to do YHWHs will. We may use these gifts as teachers, prophets, etc. for these are vehicles that the Eternal uses to get His great message out to the world. We are taught that it doesnt matter how many gifts we have, if we dont have love they dont profit us at all. Wisdom, knowledge, prophecy, etc. are temporary gifts that have relevance in todays world, but will be as nothing in the coming Kingdom. Love and its attributes will remain with us throughout our lives and will be with us in the coming Kingdom. Love is refered to as being perfect and never failing.

The fruits of the spirit

Galatians 5 partial

²²But  the  fruit  of  the  Spirit  is  love,  joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, trustworthiness, ²³gentleness,  self-control.  Against  such there is no Torah. ²⁴And  those  who  are  of  Messiah  have impaled the flesh with its passions and the desires. ²⁵If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. ²⁶Let  us  not  become  conceited,  provoking one another, envying one another.

Here we see love and the other fruits. Knowledge is not among the fruits because it is a temporary gift and not actually a fruit of the spirit.

The gift of knowledge

1Corinthians 2 partial

¹²And we have received, not the spirit of the   world,   but   the   Spirit   that   is   from Elohim, in order to know what Elohim has favourably given us, ¹³which   we   also   speak,   not   in   words which  mans  wisdom  teaches  but  which the   Set-apart   Spirit   teaches,   comparing spiritual matters with spiritual matters

1Corinthians 8 partial

And concerning food offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. ²If  anyone  thinks  that  he  knows  somewhat,  he  does  not  yet  know  as  he  should know. ³But if anyone loves Elohim, this one is known by Him.

1 Corinthians 3 partial

¹⁸Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him   become   foolish,   so   that   he   might become wise. ¹⁹For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with Elohim. For it has been written, He catches the wise in their craftiness, ²⁰and again, YHWH knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are worthless. ²¹So then, let no one boast in men, for all belongs to you.

Knowledge is a double-edged sword; it brings forth good and bad. Unlike love, which is perfect, knowledge and wisdom are flawed in that they can lead men astray, allowing pride and vanity to interfere with the true knowledge, which is given as a gift through the spirit. Many men have succombed to the fleshly trappings of knowledge throughout the ages, and it continues even today.

Love your brother, not the heathen

Matthew 5 partial

⁴³You heard that it was said, You shall love    your    neighbour    and    hate    your enemy. ⁴⁴But  I  say  to  you,  love  your  enemies, bless those cursing you, do good to those hating  you,  and  pray  for  those  insulting you and persecuting you, ⁴⁵so that you become sons of your Father in the heavens. Because He makes His sun rise  on  the  wicked  and  on  the  good,  and sends  rain  on  the  righteous  and  on  the unrighteous. ⁴⁶For if you love those loving you, what reward  have  you?  Are  the  tax  collectors not doing the same too? ⁴⁷And  if  you  greet  your  brothers  only, what do you do more than others? Are the tax collectors not doing so too? ⁴⁸Therefore, be perfect, as your Father in the heavens is perfect.

Straight from Yahshuas teachings, this shows us that hypocritical love is not perfect love. Perfect love is for us to love all men despite their faults. If we judge others, and refrain from loving those who we deem as undeserving, what we are showing is partiality and bigotry. If these types of thoughts are in our minds, we need to repent and ask forgiveness from our wonderful Abba.

Wolves in sheeps clothing

It is somewhat humorous to listen to those who warn their flocks of those who come under the guise of love to take the flock away with false doctrine. If one thinks about this they may find that it is easier to take the flock away from the truth with false knowledge than with false love.

Summary

Knowledge is a gift of the spirit. All gifts of the spirit are for the uplifting of the flock. Love is above all spiritual gifts, it the greatest and is able to bear the most fruit. When knowledge passes away, love will remain. Those who downplay the significance of love in the believers life, as well as those who mock and belittle those who sincerely have loving dispositions should examine their motives and reasoning for doing so.