Consequences of Finite Knowledge
As children, mathematics is one area where we begin to grapple with the concept of infinity. Negative numbers add a completely new dimension to our world and we realize that numbers go on without end in all directions. It is amazing what little minds can do with that.
I had already been introduced to the infinite before I ever encountered it in academic textbooks. I was taught from birth about the eternal God—He Who has no beginning and no end. Isaiah said that God inhabits, or dwells in, eternity (Isaiah 57:15). I cannot say that I am any closer to comprehending this today than I was in my youth, but this is what is revealed to us by God in His Word.
Being infinite, God has all knowledge. So, there is no new knowledge possible for God. He knows everything about everything. It is not as though there is some scenario that He has not pondered. It is not as though He could find out something that would change His mind. Well did the Apostle ask, “Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been his counseller?” (Romans 11:34). I recall hearing preachers ask, “Did it ever occur to you that nothing ever occurs to God?” While perhaps trite, that statement is nonetheless true.
Man, on the other hand, is a finite being. His knowledge is measured and limited. For this reason, he has the capacity to learn and grow. Obviously, the finite can never fully grasp the infinite. Let us ponder for a moment some of the consequences of finite knowledge.
Finiteness means that no man knows everything. We could further clarify that no man knows everything about anything. Not even in one subject can any man claim full knowledge (not truthfully anyway). One consequence of this is that there are different levels of knowledge—one man may know more than another in a particular area. One may know next to nothing in a discipline and another possess a large body of knowledge in that field.
Another consequence is that our minds are not closed, so to speak. We do not know everything about anything and new information is possible. New information can expand our understanding and even change our opinion. I am using ‘new’ as a relative term. There is ultimately no new knowledge to the infinite God, but there may be new knowledge to us.
Another consequence is that we must trust God. Some have supposed that we should test the various religions, experiment with the diverse ways, and choose the best for us. This is an impossible task given the multiplicity of religions and ways. We could only ever gain a limited knowledge of a limited number of religions and we could never actually be certain that we have found the best one. However, God reveals to us not only the best way, but the only way (John 14:6). We must believe and follow the bare Word of God. This is demonstrated in the life of Abraham. When God called Abram out of Ur, He told him to go to a land that would be shown to him. Abram obeyed and went, not knowing where he was going. He trusted and acted upon the bare Word of God without personally possessing all knowledge and that is faith (Hebrews 11:8).
Finally, finiteness for the Christian means humility. Let us not equate humility with vacillating. There is a great difference between saying no one knows everything and saying that no one can know anything. The all-knowing God speaks the Word of Truth and we can have complete confidence in what He has spoken. Humility keeps a proper perspective of our humanity and humility sits at the feet of a teacher to be instructed. Humility knows it is wisdom to know that we do not know as much as knowing what we do know.
Ascending to Wisdom
Noah Webster’s 1828 dictionary gives a simple definition of wisdom.
the right use or exercise of knowledge
This agrees with the scriptural use of wisdom as discernment and application. Knowledge is necessary to wisdom. There cannot be much wisdom without knowledge, but there can be much knowledge without wisdom.
The Bible often pits wisdom in contrast to folly. The self-professed wise men in Romans 1 are in reality great fools. You will note that they have a tremendous amount of knowledge, but they do not make the right use of it. Consequently, they deny God the Creator, worship the creation, and practice all forms of abominable ungodliness. Despite their high IQ’s and mental stockpiles of information, they are fools.
So then, what is a wise Christian? James addressed those who lack wisdom. Does that mean that they do not know about God or His Word? That is not the case; rather, they are not able to make right use of what they know, or they are not able to make practical application of the knowledge they have.
The lack of wisdom is addressed in Hebrews 5:11-6:2. It is interesting that the knowledge of doctrine—“the first principles of the oracles of God” and “the principles of the doctrine of Christ”—is there termed “milk.” Also, those that have progressed no further are called babes. For many the knowledge of doctrine is the pinnacle of Christianity. To have knowledge of some deep doctrine means that one has arrived and to wax eloquent about abstract doctrine from some obscure passage is nearly idolized among some.
However, the passage in Hebrews makes it plain that knowledge is not the summit, but a necessary climb on the ascension to the peak of wisdom. That wisdom is called “strong meat” and is the practical application of Scripture knowledge: “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14). This wisdom is considered adorning the “doctrine of God our Saviour in all things” (Titus 2:10-14).
The babes with all their coveted knowledge are either unwilling or unable to discern “both good and evil.” In other words, they do not make practical application of what they know. Their lives are not impacted and shaped by the application of doctrine. They may speak a long while on the doctrine of Christ’s Lordship, but they know nothing of personal submission to Christ’s reign (Luke 6:46) and forsaking all for the sake of His kingdom. Consequently, they live lives of antinomianism (though they may deny the doctrine), worldliness, and ungodliness, bringing a reproach on the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:27).
The ascension to wisdom is on this wise. The beginning of knowledge is to know the stories and facts of the Bible. We progress from there to gain knowledge of doctrine. We begin to understand the big picture of the Bible and the flow or progression of the stories. We begin to understand the spiritual significance of the Scripture. Climbing yet higher, we begin to make use of this knowledge and discern good and evil. So, we ascend to wisdom and we cannot skip the steps on the way up. If wisdom is like a tall ladder, we cannot get from the bottom rungs to the top rungs if we are missing the rungs in the middle.
