Paul is not only a servant of God for the sake of God’s elect, but there is a purpose, a goal that he has in mind for serving the church. His message and service is for the sake of their knowledge of the truth. The word knowledge is epignosis. Gnosis is knowledge. Epignosis is full knowledge gained through personal experience. Paul does not want the church to hear about his encounter with God. He want them to have their own encounter with God. His desire is that each person would fully experience the truth of the gospel.
When I was in Jr. High I had a Honda 55 Trail Bike. One day I broke the
chain and wrapped it around the front sprocket, which broke some gears and
totally messed up the engine. After taking Small Engines class I tore the
engine apart and rebuilt it, but it never ran quite right after that. I can’t
tell you how many times I tore that engine apart and put it back together. But
I can tell you this. The first time I tore it apart took me a whole lot longer
than the last time. By the time I was done I knew that engine. Clearly I wasn’t
a very good mechanic, because it never ran quite right after that, but I knew
every sprocket, every gear, every screw. Before I started I knew about the
engine, but by the last time I tore it apart and reassembled it, I didn’t just know
about the engine, I knew the engine. Paul wants the church to know God that
way. He wants us to experience God fully and completely. Why? Because faith and
knowledge promote godliness. Godliness affects every area of life. Sound, good,
or healthy teaching is foundational to the health of the church.
Paul wrote that faith toward God and knowledge of God “accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word” (Tit 1:1b-3a). Faith toward and experiential knowledge of God produce godliness in the context of eternity. Do you know God?
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