In a recent letter a man from Jamestown, NY, quoted a statement from an editorial, Three Degrees of Religious Knowledge, . . . and asked for clarification.
The quotation was taken from that part of the editorial dealing with the third degree of knowledge: . . . it is knowledge by direct spiritual experience . . . Since it was not acquired by reason operating on intellectual data, the possibility of error is eliminated.
The letter comments on this as follows: This statement seems to me to parallel the Roman Catholic doctrine of papal infallibility. I was always taught that the holy Scriptures are the only rule of faith and life. My observation has been that most of the false cults base their so-called doctrines and revelations on personal spiritual experience. I would appreciate your further clarification on this editorial statement . . . defining the boundaries with which `direct spiritual experience can be depended upon without danger of departure from the revealed Word of God as contained in the holy Scriptures and as projected in the earthly life of Christ.
This matter deserves further explanation and I'll be glad to make it.
In my editorial I said that there are three degrees of knowledge open to Christians.
The first is the common knowledge shared with all normal persons, namely, the data furnished by the senses and by reason operating upon such data. This embraces all knowledge of natural things from the first scrap of knowledge enjoyed by an hour-old baby to the highest reaches of scientific information acquired by the pooled efforts of the race.
The second is the knowledge received by faith. It consists of data given by divine revelation and received by the believing mind without proof. It is taken on trust and cannot in the very nature of it be demonstrated as being true. Were proof possible then it would belong in the first category and faith would be unnecessary.
The third kind of knowledge is that given by direct spiritual experience. This differs radically from both of the others.
It has nothing to do with the senses and so is not physical or natural data. It has nothing to do with ethics or doctrine and so is not moral or theological knowledge. I do not believe that God teaches doctrine by direct unmediated experience. The exact opposite is true.
The Scriptures are the source of all rational knowledge about moral and religious things, except those things that are revealed by nature as mentioned in Psalm 19:1-4 and Romans 1:19-20, and they are few and inadequate.
verse
The man who thinks he knows something does not know as he ought to know.
— First Corinthians 8:2
thought
There is head knowledge, head and heart and just heart knowledge. In knowing God (not just about Him) the heart must be involved.
prayer
O God, I want to know You! Take me beyond intellectual knowledge to that of the heart. In Jesus' name.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/
Our constant effort should be to reach as many persons as possible with the Christian message, and for that reason numbers are critically important.
But our first responsibility is not to make converts but to uphold the honor of God in a world given over to the glory of fallen man.
No matter how many persons we touch with the gospel we have failed unless, along with the message of invitation, we have boldly declared the exceeding sinfulness of man and the transcendent holiness of the Most High God.
They who degrade or compromise the truth in order to reach larger numbers, dishonor God and deeply injure the souls of men.
The temptation to modify the teachings of Christ with the hope that larger numbers may "accept" Him is cruelly strong in this day of speed, size, noise and crowds.
But if we know what is good for us, we'll resist it with every power at our command.
To yield can only result in a weak and ineffective Christianity in this generation, and death and desolation in the next.
verse
So then, just as you received Christ Jesus https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/as Lord, continue to live in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.
— Colossians 2:6-7
thought
Receiving Christ as Lord and continuing to live in Him is the way to life transformation. To preach Him and receive Him as less than Lord is to seriously modify the Good News.
prayer
May I personally experience and share with others the Good News, Father, without modifying it in any way for whatever reason.
https://cmalliance.org/devotionals/tozer/