You Too Can be Like God
Today’s Verse and Thought
“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.”(2 Peter 1:5-7).
…“Today many churches are grappling with the relevance of “traditional Sunday School.”
(Source)
Scripture tells us to gain Godly knowledge, the world tells us to become god
To assume that Sunday School may no longer be “relevant” in our society (as we looked at yesterday) may be shortsighted. In fact, the need is greater in some ways. Today the acquisition of human “knowledge” - education - has been elevated to a level of idolatry, costing thousands of dollars to gain.
We spend years earning an education so that in the end we can be “successful.” Because of the world, it has become necessary to seek an education to prepare us for work. But through the elevation of education over the years, we have a society teetering on shifting sand as we worship the achievements of human endeavors.
In the time of the Pilgrims, scripture was the foundation for all learning. As Christians, we are supposed to understand the world from a Biblical point of view. Many would agree that learning scripture is a good idea, but many only do if they have the time and energy. In today’s world, this is rare.
When we gave away education to the government back in the 1800s, we gave away a powerful tool of influence. We traded a Biblical foundation of learning for humanistic ideologies, and Biblical teaching soon became an add-on. We lost our Biblical worldview.
“Today, [2021] 176 million Americans claim to be Christians—69% of the population. Yet, only 6% of U.S. adults—which is 9% of those identifying as Christians—possess a biblical worldview, believing the Bible to be accurate and reliable, among other convictions.” (source).
In the past we sought Biblical wisdom from elders trained in the ways of God. Today we look to educated experts, professionals, and those placed in seats of authority as the end to any conversation.
We reverence the human acquisition of knowledge to the same degree that tempted Adam and Eve…”you too can be like God.”
Seeking knowledge is a good thing, right?
We place great emphasis on learning the ways of the world, and we have laws that demand we “educate” our children under the threat of punishment if we don’t. Our government has a vested interest in maintaining a society that works.
We all benefit from a happy, moral, ordered, and cooperative world. This was the goal of Horace Mann (from yesterday), when he sought to create a compulsory, free public education. But we neglected the knowledge of God in the process.
The Bible instructs us to gain knowledge, but it’s primarily the knowledge of God. Truth in scripture is supposed to be our foundation to everything else we learn.
Horace Mann convinced the government that investing in free public education would be the key to happiness for all. But he didn’t believe God factored in. In fact, it was the opposite.
“Mann believed children in public schools should be taught the ethical principles common across Christianity but not those doctrines about which different sects disagreed. In his own lifetime he was criticized both by those who felt his approach to be anti-Christian and also by those who felt his “common denominator” approach to Christianity were simply reflections of his own liberal interests in Unitarianism and phrenology.”(source).
Mann’s brand of a “universal religion” grew out of influences that many aren’t aware of. His ideologies would go on to shape all future generations in our country, and become the greatest weapon of evil in our world today.
…to be continued
Today’s Question
Bible Study
Solomon was the most educated man in all of Israel. No one seemed to intellectually understand life from a human perspective more than he. But Godly understanding and wisdom - the Spiritual perspective - showed him that all of his educational efforts were “meaningless.” But Solomon’s statement, that all of life is vanity, is somewhat misunderstood.
“The words of the Preacher, the son of David, king in Jerusalem. Vanity of vanities, says the Preacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity. What does man gain by all the toil at which he toils under the sun?” (Ecclesiastes 1:1-3).
Vanity is a word that’s repeated throughout Solomon’s writing of Ecclesiastes and, depending on your translation may also read, “meaningless.” Today, vanity has a very different meaning in the English language than it did in ancient Hebrew.
To us, vanity means excessive pride, or conceit. It can also mean worthless or pointless, which is likely why the word “meaningless” was chosen in some translations.
Reading Ecclesiastes with a modern interpretation, the book becomes rather depressing. “All is vanity” translates, “all is pointless or worthless.” So the wisest man in all the world, in pursuit of the meaning of all life’; endowed with all Godly wisdom; came to the conclusion that life was pointless?
That seems unlikely.
At least not in a complete way.
In the original Hebrew, the word used in Ecclesiastes takes on a very different meaning. Vanity translates to “vapor or breath.”
If we use this proper definition,“all is vanity” translates to, “all is a vapor.” Like the visible breath on a cold winter day, it is fleeting; it’s there and soon disappears. Life is like a vapor. It vanishes quickly. It is temporary and incomplete.
“And… just like you can’t grasp your breath, there is a universal tendency to try to grasp and understand life, and yet every time we try to do that, it seems to elude us.”(source).
Solomon was passionate to find meaning and happiness in life, but here in his book it seems he discovered something else about gaining knowledge.
To be continued…
Verses to Explore
“An intelligent heart acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge,”(Proverbs 18:15).
“He [God] changes times and seasons; he removes kings and sets up kings; he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;”(Daniel 2:21).
“But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase,”(Daniel 12:4).
Today’s Prayer
Father I pray for our lives to always be a reflection of your wisdom. I know that we all are on a journey with you and each of us may be in different places of maturity. But as we learn and come to understand your ways, I pray Father that you show us life through your eyes. Help us to set aside any worthless knowledge that we have in trade for wisdom from you. We know that knowledge is a good thing, but apart from your truth and love Father it is just a clanging cymbal. Many today are loudly proclaiming human ideas that run opposite to your Word. Help us see the value in learning how to put on your full armor for the days are evil and the time is short. We love you Lord and are so very grateful for everything you have done for us. And we long for the hope and glory of your coming. Amen. All praise and honor are yours alone. ❤️