"For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God;” Colossians 1:9 - 10
The church at Colossi was not without issues, they had to battle a religion called “Gnosticism.” This religion was to them as Arminianism is to the churches of today, belief in error. There are a lot of association’s called churches and called Christian that are not. These people are like the Jews in bible times, Paul wrote, “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved. For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.” Romans 10:1 To be a Christian you must “believe in and on Jesus Christ as your Saviour” all your faith must be in Jesus Christ and none in self. People who believe that Jesus as only a partial Saviour are not “trusting Jesus Christ as their Saviour”, therefore they cannot be true Christians. Christians do not believe in works as part of their salvation. We must understand that “zeal” is like works, neither can save a lost soul. In the New Testament days some people were thought of as “Christian Gnostic’s” however, there were no such thing as Christian Gnosticism, just as today there are no such thing as Arminian Christians. Real Christians are believers in Jesus Christ whom they trust as their Saviour without works of the flesh because Jesus did all the works for us. It can all be confusing, because unless you are a true Christian you cannot understand “Spiritual things”, therefore, you cannot understand the difference. There are a lot of unlearned Christians that do not understand the difference because they fail to “Study to shew thyself approved unto God…” 2 Tim. 2:15 Christians have total dependence on God, God to save them, teach them knowledge in His wisdom therefore giving us “spiritual understanding;”. It is only after a true believer is filled with “the knowledge of his will” That is knowing what God wants us to do to walk in His knowledge, it is called “walking in the light” 1 John 1:7. Paul also writes, “in all wisdom” Wisdom is knowing what to do with the “the knowledge of his will” If you do not have wisdom then the knowledge you have is worthless. Wisdom is knowing how to react or to use the knowledge. God said of wisdom, “To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding;” Proverbs 1:2 You only know wisdom when you “perceive the words of understanding;” meaning you are able (to separate mentally, and spiritually) what God is saying and acting on what God is saying. If we can do that, then we can have “spiritual understanding;” that is putting the things of God in a “non-carnal” way of thinking and walking spiritually in life. The battle between Arminianism and Christianity will never end until we are with the Lord. But never think they are the same because there is so much difference between us and them. Arminianism is limited to carnal understanding meaning they are “spiritually discerned”. Meaning they have no knowledge of God’s word, no spiritual wisdom, and certainly no spiritual understanding. The question to true believers is how is your “knowledge of his will” are you learning “in all wisdom” and do you have “spiritual understanding;” and if so, are you truly walking in God’s word?
