What Kind of Knowledge?
2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace by yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Wow! Those two verses are packed with rich truth and promises, aren’t they? Sometimes we plow into scripture and we’re focused on the quantity we consume, telling ourselves the more we read, the better. And, while in the big picture, that’s true- God wants us to spend time in His Word and not just ‘taste test’ but consume it cover to cover, He wants us to truly savor the richness of His Word as well. When we slow down and really dig into what scripture is saying, we often find a depth and richness there that we wouldn’t by just reading through to check off our progress.
Today’s verses have so much we can pray through for our sons and daughters. Let’s take a look!
Did you know that in 2 Peter chapter 1, the word ‘knowledge’ is used 5 times!! And here’s the thing we need to pay attention to -it’s not always the same word. Oh, in English it’s the same, but in the original Greek, there are two words for knowledge that are used. That’s important! Verses 2, 3 and 8 use the word ‘epignosis’. Verses 5 and 6 use the word ‘gnosis’. So, what’s the difference?
Epignosis is the knowledge that is distinguished by recognition (1). It’s indicative of a relationship. It comes from a root word, epignosko which means “thoroughly acquainted with” (2) and another word ginosko, which means “to become known” to be recognized by someone (3). This is not just ‘informational’ knowledge, it’s relational knowledge - a true knowing of someone who also knows you. It’s not knowing about someone and it’s not based on information and facts. It’s relational and experiential. It’s deep and personal.
Gnosis is a knowledge about and of something, an understanding and general intelligence of that person or thing (4). It’s the knowledge of the ‘culture’ of something- knowing the rules and the ‘lingo’, but gnosis does not indicate a relationship.
Do you see the difference?
There are many people with ‘gnosis’ of Christianity. They know the words to say and have an understanding of the expected conduct. Their words and actions may reflect the culture of Christianity, but they lack the ‘epignosis’, the relationship with Jesus.
2 Peter 1:2-4 explains the benefits we receive and enjoy because of our epignosis- our relationship with Jesus.
Grace and peace in abundance
Everything we need for life and godliness
Called by His own glory and goodness
Great and precious promises
The right and privilege to partake in the divine nature
Protection and preservation to escape corruption caused by evil desires.
Friends, that list is a powerful one and those benefits come because of the relationship with Jesus, not because we understand the culture and have the head knowledge of Scripture.
Someone can say they know the Queen of England. They might know her name, where she lives, what her favorite things are, the names of her family members, her accomplishments throughout her lifetime. But, if the Queen stepped into the room and that individual was there, would she recognize them? No, of course not. Why? Because they have no relationship with the Queen, they’ve never met. Knowing about someone isn’t the same as knowing them.
Oh, how we want our sons and daughters to have grace and peace in abundance and everything they need for life and godliness! We want that assurance that they’ve been called by God to enjoy His promises and be protected against the enemy and the ravages of sin. We want to know that they KNOW Jesus personally. The heart knowledge has to be there before the head knowledge is truly effective and life-changing.
Today, let’s pray that our sons and daughters have ‘epignosis’ of Jesus. A true recognition and experiential knowledge because they walk in relationship with Him. Pray that they are ‘epignosko’, thoroughly acquainted with Him and know Him well, recognizing Him in all things, seeing Him at work in their life and that they enjoy ‘ginosko’, being recognized by God as one of His own children because of their relationship with Him
“Father God, I’m so grateful I can call You my Father. You see me and know me as your child. What a beautiful relationship! Lord, I pray today that (name) would step into a faithful, life-changing relationship with You. Lord, impress on their heart a deep need to know you more- not just ‘facts’ and ‘rules’ but a true growing relationship that is transformative. Holy Spirit, I pray that You would stir a hunger and thirst in (name)’s heart today. Convict them of sin. Create a desire to know You more. Let the ‘trappings’ of religion fall away. This is not about rules and good deeds. It’s about knowing Jesus personally as Lord and Savior and pursuing a real relationship with the One True Sovereign God. Please let (name) embrace and enjoy that relationship with You today. Lord, give them your abundant grace and peace. Set them in fellowship with other believers and help them learn Your Truth that will protect them and produce godliness in them. Remind them of your great and precious promises that are unbounded by time and borders, faithful throughout history and unmoved by the plans of men. Lord, I pray for your holy protection and preservation over their life that they would, through authentic relationship with You, be counted worthy to escape temptation and corruption by evil desires and the influence of the enemy. I pray that You would move and work in their heart and mind today. Call them to faithfully follow You. Help them to understand that knowing ‘about’ you isn’t the same as truly being in a relationship with You. Let them crave Jesus, in His name, amen.”
Take time to memorize 2 Peter 1:2-4 “Grace and peace by yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.”
Pray without ceasing.
G1922 - epignōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1922/kjv/tr/0-1/
G1921 - epiginōskō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1921/kjv/tr/0-1/
G1097 - ginōskō - Strong's Greek Lexicon (kjv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1097/kjv/tr/0-1/
G1108 - gnōsis - Strong's Greek Lexicon (niv). Retrieved from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g1108/niv/tr/0-1/