Know, Go, Do
Knowledge has power. We have heard this millions of times. We believe in knowledge, so much so that we go to school year after year, learning and growing in that knowledge. Some even devote decades towards degrees because knowledge is powerful, and it is true. Knowledge gives us the information, but if we do not do anything with that information, it loses its power. Thus, knowledge has power, but only when it is put to use. If this is the case, we must ask ourselves what we are doing with the knowledge we have of Christ.
Many claim to know of God, but those who declare to be disciples commit to act in response to their knowledge of God. It is not enough to know about Jesus. Discipleship is a duty, a calling. That calling includes not only the acquisition of knowledge, but the application of it. Peter writes about the importance of this application in 2 Peter as he writes to encourage believers to strive to deepen their faith and devotion. In 2 Peter 1:5-8 he lists a set of qualities that he calls Christians to engage in as they strive to be more like Christ. This text reads:
For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (ESV)
Notice how knowledge is one of the qualities we are called to acquire. Knowledge is an important part of our duty as disciples. Peter intentionally places knowledge as an initial building block at the beginning of his list for the rest of the qualities to follow. Knowledge of Christ is meant to be effective and fruitful, but in order for this to happen we must know what is true. As unbelievers we were ignorant, but as disciples we have been promised that the knowledge of Christ will be revealed to us by the Spirit as we seek the Lord and His Word. Only then are we able to discern the truth. And this truth, the truth of Jesus Christ, gives us the call to go.
Disciples don’t just know; they go. All throughout the Bible we see disciples on the move; whether it is in their own context or somewhere foreign, they move for the mission, being led by the Spirit. Knowledge is only the beginning because after we come to know, we are compelled to go. Jesus entrusts his disciples with the responsibility of the Great Commission, which is a dynamic command. The first verb used in this command is “go.” I think there is great significance behind this initial verb. The knowledge of God transforms us, completely changing the way we live and love. The gospel was not intended to be held captive in our minds; it demands to be diffused. Our duty as disciples is to take this knowledge and go.
When disciples go, they do. The last part of the Great Commission commands us to make disciples, baptizing and teaching them in the way of Christ. We cannot only know. We cannot only go. We must do the work that God has entrusted to us, which is to disciple, teach, and baptize. As disciples, we are God’s tools for change. Through us, God works to reach, teach, and transform others. We must be willing and ready to cooperate with the Spirit and do kingdom work. It is because we know that we go and it is because we go that we must do.
Knowledge is powerful. We know that, but are we really allowing our knowledge of Christ to transform and inform the way we love and live? As I spend more time in my local congregation it is evident that we love to listen, but we struggle to leave the pew and do the things Christ has called us to do. I challenge you to assess whether your knowledge of God is effective and fruitful. I urge you to continue to strive for the Christ-like qualities that Peter addresses and devote yourselves to Christ, living on mission through the lens of the Great commission. It’s time we heed the call to know, to go, and to do.
