Grace and Knowledge

May 15, 2022

Grace is critical to our salvation for without the goodness of God and the

mercy demonstrated by Jesus, our Lord, we are hopeless. But knowledge is

also absolutely necessary for growth after we have been baptized for the

remission of sins. To be born again is not the end of faith but it is rather the

first testimony of faith (Romans 6:1-4). When we have experienced the new

birth, we are commanded to rise and walk in newness of life; but how can that

happen unless I have someone to teach me (Acts 8)? In Acts 18, Apollos

“helped them much which had believed through grace: For he mightily

convinced the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the scriptures that Jesus was

Christ.” So, it can be done by teaching scriptures, and education does import

knowledge. Apollos was eloquent, well educated, diligent, and when he

learned “the way of the Lord more perfectly” (Acts 18:26) he was determined

to help others “grow in the grace and knowledge of our lord and savior Jesus

Christ.” Given our culture and the state of the church, we need more mature

people who are “mighty in the scriptures” that are devoted to teaching.

Teaching that men are not Lords, but Christ is Lord. Men controlled by grace

guided by scriptures and anxious to learn as they communicate it to others. The

teacher that is teachable is a sweet commodity and a blessing to everyone who

has come under the grace of God. No one appreciates grace more than the one

who has been instructed by the example of Christ Jesus himself. He thought

enough to do the will of the Father, bless the world, and forgive all who come

to repentance. Beyond which he commands all to study (2 Timothy 2:15) and

to show themselves approved unto God by properly handling the scriptures.

After all it was by the grace of the Holy Spirit that we have “the sword of the

Spirit” which is the Word of God (Ephesians 6). How gracious is God that he

not only gave his Son for our salvation, but the Bible to direct our steps?

Dr. Kenneth E. Morrison