MY PEOPLE PERISH FOR LACK OF KNOWLEDGE
Presented Steve Marlowe, Evangelist
Sophistry is understood today to mean the kind of reasoning that seems plausible on a superficial level but is actually unsound, or the type of reasoning that is used to deceive. The concept of Sophistry is from the Greeks. Sophists were teachers in ancient Greece teaching on such subjects as: philosophy, rhetoric, politics, and religion. Their teaching was mainly based on the ideals of "virtue" or "excellence," which was taught predominantly to the young sons of statesmen and the nobility (Sophos in Greek means a wise man and related to the noun Sophia, wisdom). It also is commonly referred to as an expert in his profession or craft, such as charioteers, sculptors, or military experts, all could be referred to as sophists in their occupations. The word in ancient times ideally meant wisdom and especially wisdom in human affairs such as politics and ethics, however, human reasoning tends to be faulty due to lack of knowledge, or insufficient knowledge. This is why sophistry has come to be known as superficial, unsound, and even deceptive.
The early sophists charged money in exchange for education and providing wisdom, and so were typically employed by wealthy people. Socrates in his dialogues criticized Sophists for hire, by Xenophon in his Memorabilia and also by Aristotle, although he criticized with less vigor. Aristotle was a paid tutor to Alexander the Great, however, Aristotle did not actually accept payment from Alexander’s father, Philip, but requested that Philip reconstruct Aristotle's home town of Stageira as payment, which Philip had destroyed in a previous campaign. Sophists could be described both as teachers and philosophers, having traveled about in Greece teaching their students various life skills, particularly rhetoric and public speaking. These were useful qualities of the time, during which persuasive ability had a large influence on one's political power and economic wealth. The sophists as a group had no set teachings, and they lectured on subjects that were as diverse as semantics (the meaning of a word, phrase, sentence, or text), rhetoric (language designed to have a persuasive or impressive effect on its audience, but often regarded as lacking in sincerity or meaningful content), ontology (a set of concepts and categories in a subject area or domain that shows their properties and the relations between them), and epistemology (is the investigation of what distinguishes justified belief from opinion). From the late 1st century, Sophistry, as taught by Sophists, was mostly to meet the everyday needs and problems of Greco-Roman society. Lucian, himself a Sophistic writer, allegedly calls Iesous (later known as Iesus, until the 17th century when the name was changed to Jesus) "that crucified sophist" (Lucian, Peregrinus 13, cited by Guthrie p. 34).
The Apostle Paul keenly aware of the Sophists of his day, stated to the Greeks living in Corinth, “And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom (sophistry) declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except YAHSHUA the Messiah and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men (Sophists) but in the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:1-5). The apostle Paul only wanted to teach about the Son of God, YAHSHUA, and what He has done for the redemption of humanity, that is “Him crucified.”
When the people of God do not depend solely on the revelation of the God as rightly found in the Bible, then comes the lament: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I also will reject you from being priests for Me; Because you have forgotten the law of your God...” (Hosea 4:6). Many preachers have expounded that this statement refers to a denial of the gifts of the spirit, such as speaking in tongues or healing. They might tell you that this interpretation of the verse means a denial of the gifts of the spirit, and therefore, they reason, “If we reject the fullness of God, which includes the fullness of His Holy Spirit, how can we possibly be in fellowship with someone when they reject part of who He is?” But if we read on in verse 6, we begin to get the whole truth of what this passage refers to namely forgetting the law of God, that is the commandments (1 John 2:3-6), and now we see this has nothing to do with the gifts of the Spirit.
According to Webster’s Dictionary Fifth Edition, “Knowledge is the act, fact, or state of knowing...” (p. 806, 2014). And Zondervan states, “The sum of what has been perceived or learned, that is, truth or information acquired through experience and education” (Zondervan Bible Dictionary, p. 820, 1987). The apostle Paul asks, “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints (1 Corinthians 14:26-33).
To the pastor, priest, or teachers, “Talk no more so very proudly; Let no arrogance come from your mouth, For the Lord is the God of knowledge; And by Him actions are weighed” (1 Samuel 2:3). “...but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head–Christ–from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love” (Ephesians 4:15-16). Edification or knowledge does not just come from the leaders of the church. Edification comes from all who are active in the body of Christ as the Holy Spirit gives to whom He wills. We must all speak the truth in love, however, it is not love to let a brother wallow in the lies and deceit of Satan, or of false teachers. Every brother should be considered based on the word of God alone and no one should act as a gatekeeper for the church unless the whole body is informed of what has been given. For example, if a brother might have some words to share let all hear, whether it is a sermon, a short talk, or some word of “exhortation”. In the body of Christ, he is free to do this in the communion of the saints. He should not be prohibited on the basis of his education, or credentials, or social standing in the church. The only criterion is to speak the truth in love.
The protege of the apostle Paul was a young man named Timothy, the evangelist, who was as a son to the Apostle Paul. The Bible says “He was well spoken of by the brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium” (Acts 16:2). He was “well spoken of” was not based on his appearance, or the degree of wealth he may or not have had, or his level of education from any institution. It must have had something to do with his handling the Word of God in the midst of these brethren. He did not emerge from any school of higher education, as the apostle Paul had been to a Rabbinical school, but he was effective in the edification of the saints through Spirit and Truth as given by the Holy Spirit of God. “The Lord looks down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there are any who understand, who seek God” (Psalm 14:2). All real truth seekers seek the LORD, as He has revealed Himself, and they seek His name, which was also revealed by God. No one can name the LORD, for it must be that He alone reveals His name. “Teach me good judgment and knowledge, For I believe Your commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray, But now I keep Your word” (Psalm 119:66-67). For this is the way, as our Savior, YAHSHUA, has done: “He shall see the labor of His Soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, for He shall bear their iniquities” (Isaiah 53:11). Because of YAHSHUA all things will be fulfilled, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32).
Without His knowledge received in faith, it is impossible to please Him, our Savior. “For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy; giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Colossians 1:9-14). Knowledge and faith go hand in hand to those who seek to please the LORD. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a reward of those who diligently seek Him. By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:6-7).
Paul writes to the Corinthians and makes sure they understand that everything he and other godly leaders are doing is for the edifying of those they serve.
2 Corinthians 12:19, “Again, do you think that we excuse ourselves to you? We speak before God in Christ. But we do all things, beloved, for your edification.”
The word “edifying” or “edify” means to build up. It is a positive thing, born of love, out of a desire to see others grow closer to the Messiah YAHSHUA and become stronger, which leads to the fruits of the spirit. If you are building someone up, you are helping them towards love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, by the edification, knowledge of the LORD.
Romans 14:19, Therefore let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another.
Every godly leader should have the word “edify” in mind always. That is their job… to edify the church, to grow the church. Every service, every meeting, every gathering… it’s for a purpose. Yes, to glorify God, to come before Him in obedience, but also to edify one another, to grow those coming together, so they may leave better and closer to the Messiah than when they arrived. If the gathering does not grow those in attendance in some way, what was the point? Why do it?
The body of Christ is designed to edify itself, to help itself grow. Every Christian has a unique piece to give, a unique gift or task that they can contribute to grow the whole, to edify the whole body. So let us reiterate the words of the apostle Paul:
Ephesians 4:12-16, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to, a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.
This passage tells us that all these gifts are given to us for the perfecting of the saints, to edify the whole body of Christ. That every “joint” or every working part (every Christian) can contribute to the increase of the whole body of believers by edifying each other in love.
Most importantly, we must know the name of our Savior in order to have faith in our Savior. In Zondervan’s Bible Dictionary (on p. 995, 1987), we read, “In Bible times a name had greater significance than they usually have today. A name was given only by a person in authority (Genesis 2:19; 2 Kings 23:34) and could signify that the person named was appointed to a particular position, function, or relationship (Genesis 35:18; 2 Samuel 12:25)… In the Scriptures there is the closest possible relationship between a person and his name, the two being practically equivalent, so that to remove the name was to extinguish the person (Numbers 27:4; Deuteronomy 7:23-24).” In Christianity, false priests, pastors, and teachers have obscured the revealed name of YAHSHUA with other false names such as Iesous, Iesus, and Jesus.
“How long will this be in the heart of the prophets who prophesy lies? Indeed they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart, who try to make My people forget My name...” (Jeremiah 23:26-27). Not knowing or forgetting the true revealed name of God is detrimental to all who would think to know God. God by an angel revealed the name of the Savior on two separate occasions once to Joseph and once to Mary, and they both received the same name, YAHSHUA. The angel Gabriel said, “You shall call His name YAHSHUA, for He will save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). The name of Jesus was not the name revealed by the angel, as this name is professed by false priests, pastors, and teachers. We must hold to the revealed name of the Savior. Therefore according to the apostle Peter, “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12). This is the name of salvation, and did not our Lord YAHSHUA warn us, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:13-15).
How do, or can we know the name which is above every name? Moses was given the name which was above every name, as we accordingly by way of praise, say the Hebrew expression, “Halleluyah!” Which means, “Praise YAH!” So the Savior must have this name, which added to salvation means YAHSHUA. And since the name of Jesus has only been in existence since the 17th century, we know that neither Peter or Paul, as apostles, would never have known of the name of Jesus, and this means they never testified to that name! Now we know according to the apostle Paul, “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of YAHSHUA every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that YAHSHUA the Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9-11).
All those who seek salvation need to know this “the one name given under heaven by which we must be saved.” We were warned by our Savior that we must, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7:13-14). Many false religious leaders who deny the revealed name of the Savior, if they do not repent and accept the name of YAHSHUA, will face the Savior in Judgment, as stated in Matthew 7:21-23, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’”
To those who think that all division is an indication of a divisive spirit not of God, remember this, according to YAHSHUA, “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how distressed I am till it is accomplished! Do you suppose that I came to give peace on earth? I tell you, not at all, but rather division. For from now on five in one house will be divided: three against two, and two against three. Father will be divided against son and son against father, mother against daughter and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law” (Luke 12:49-53). The apostle Paul clearly stated that, “For there must also be factions among you, that those who are approved may be recognized among you” (1 Corinthians 11:19). If you hold to a lie, expect to have divisions among you until the truth be manifested and recognized. The brethren are only united in Spirit and Truth. It is my prayer O’ LORD that we give glory to your name as revealed from Heaven! Halleluyah, Praise YAH, Praise YAHSHUA!
