Written by,
Robert Johnson
The word of God revealed is amazing – understanding God’s will does not give one an upper hand in teaching of the gospel. What it does is allow the knowledge of Christ to be defined spiritually by divine understanding. “Knowledge and Understanding”
Allow us to define the two words in our subject:
Knowledge by definition…> 1. “facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education; the theoretical or practical understanding of a subject.“
Understanding by definition…> “To have the same ideas as the person who speaks, or the ideas which a person intends to communicate.”
Jeremiah 31:33 KJV
“But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people.“
I praise God for the disciples, they are the best example of knowledge verses understanding – they support our theological understanding present in the text below.
YES THEY HAD KNOWLEDGE OF THE TEACHER BUT NOT UNDERSTANDING OF HIS LORDSHIP
The word disciple is defined as…> come from the Greek word discipline – “In Christianity, disciple primarily refers to a dedicated follower of Jesus. … In the ancient world, a disciple is a follower or adherent of a teacher. It is not the same as being a student in the modern sense. A disciple in the ancient biblical world actively imitated both the life and teaching of the master.”
John’s Gospel has Jesus travelling to Jerusalem for the Passover on three occasions during his mission. This would mean that in this gospel Jesus spent three years with his disciples. Those who follow the chronology of John often opt for the crucifixion occurring in 33 CE.
Thus Christ taught them until His death – 3 1/2 years – they received knowledge yet were without spiritual understanding then He opened their understanding that they might understand the scripture spiritually – the gospel revealed from Genesis to Revelation.
Consider please – Luke 18:27-34 KJV
“27 And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.
28 Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.
29 And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God’s sake,
30 Who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.
31 Then he took unto him the twelve, and said unto them, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem, and all things that are written by the prophets concerning the Son of man shall be accomplished.
32 For he shall be delivered unto the Gentiles, and shall be mocked, and spitefully entreated, and spitted on:
33 And they shall scourge him, and put him to death: and the third day he shall rise again.
34 But they understood none of these things; this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know the things which were spoken.”
Luke 24:40-53 KJV – He reveals to them now when He is complete God/spirit John 14:26
40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
41 And while they yet believed not for joy, and wondered, he said unto them, Have ye here any meat?
42 And they gave him a piece of a broiled fish, and of an honeycomb.
43 And he took it, and did eat before them.
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me – My God speak!!!
45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,
46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:
47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.
48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
49 And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high – the gospel revealed –
50 And he led them out as far as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands, and blessed them.
51 And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy:
53 And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.
The greatest Apostle Paul, he was well verst according to the Law – knowledge but things spiritual he was ignorant/blind until he had and in counter with the master Himself – Paul received knowledge from the greatest Jewish scholar,  Gamaliel – but he lack the spiritual truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ – it’s easy to persecute what we don’t understand!
In the Christian tradition, Gamaliel is recognized as a Pharisee doctor of Jewish Law. Acts of the Apostles, 5 (written c. 80–90 CE) speaks of Gamaliel as a man held in great esteem by all Jews. Gamaliel encouraged his fellow Pharisees to show leniency to the apostles of Jesus in Acts 5:34 to death, and as the Jewish law teacher of Paul the Apostle in Acts 22:3. A great teacher of the Torah but without understanding of the New Covenant fulfilled in Christ Jesus –
Here’s Paul’s testimony after conversion –
Philippians 3:12-14 KJV
12 Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me.
13 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,
14 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.
HOW DID THIS CONVERSION HAPPEN?
The gospel according to St John 3 KJV
1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.
3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?
5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.
WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT THERE IS NO LINE OF COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPIRIT OF GOD – KNOWLEDGE WITHOUT THE SPIRIT LEADS TO DEATH –
In Closing, 2 Corinthians 3:2-6 KJV
2 Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men:
3 Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart – The Apostle Paul echoes Jeremiah
4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward:
5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; knowledge
6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.
Example – Some commentary on deal with the knowledge of the Bible – But when it comes to prophetic revelation they stay away from that subject – this is the same thing with some Bible translations –
- Matthew Henry as a commentator – stays away from the oneness subject – from a knowledge perspective a great scholar
- The NIV translation Bible does the same thing it gives great insight but it stays away from the oneness teaching of Christ 
- Jesus being both Human and divine – the spirit is the revealer!
Final example – Acts chapter 8 KJV
- ONE WITH KNOWLEDGE
- ONE WITH KNOWLEDGE LET BY THE SPIRIT OF UNDERSTANDING
26 And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
27 And he arose and went: and, behold, a man of Ethiopia, an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the Ethiopians, who had the charge of all her treasure, and had come to Jerusalem for to worship,
28 Was returning, and sitting in his chariot read Esaias the prophet.
29 Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot.
30 And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest?
31 And he said, How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him.
32 The place of the scripture which he read was this, He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer, so opened he not his mouth:
33 In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth.
34 And the eunuch answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?
35 Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus.
36 And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said, See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?
37 And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
38 And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.
39 And when they were come up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him no more: and he went on his way rejoicing.
