Articles
How Much Do We Need to Know to Get to Heaven?
Scripture clearly places significant emphasis on knowledge of God’s word. Jesus castigated the scholars of His day for not having a true and accurate knowledge of the law of Moses (Jn 5:38-39; Mt 19:4; 13:11-17; etc.). He further equated spiritual freedom with a knowledge of truth: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (Jn 8:31-32).
Access to “all things that pertain to life and godliness” is “through the knowledge of Him who called us …” (2 Pet 1:3). And there are many exhortations in the NT to continue growing in our knowledge of Scripture (cf. 2 Pet 3:18; Col 1:9-10; Eph 4:13; etc.). It is clear that God has deliberately tied our understanding of Him and the life He wants us to lead to the acquisition of knowledge that comes via the same intellectual process by which we learn mathematics, history, science, etc.: consideration, comprehension, retention, application. God wants us to apply mental energy to discover what He has communicated through the literary mechanisms of grammar, word definitions, factual data, biographical examples, poetry and other genres featured in inspired writings.
But all of this knowledge to be accrued by diligent study raises the question of this article: How much do we need to know to get to heaven? Those who do apprehend God’s word in some depth often humbly observe: “It seems the more I learn, the more I realize how much I yet do not know.” So, what level of understanding is adequate to earn God’s seal of approval?
I believe this line of reasoning is flawed. If our standing with God is determined by some arbitrary degree of learning, where does this leave the new convert? What is the basis of his/her hope when standing before the daunting mountain of Biblical information that can only be climbed by time and effort? Or further, by what standard are those judged who are intellectually challenged and limited in comprehension?
In the early years when the gospel was first preached there was virtually no knowledge of God’s redemptive purpose in Christ. Most every convert, with the exception of the diligent, well-studied Jew (viz. Paul), came to the Lord in ignorance. Paul calls the gospel a “mystery” which was gradually being revealed by apostles and prophets (cf. Eph 3:3-7; Col 1:25-27; etc.). Jews had OT law and prophecy, but it was mostly “veiled” by their ignorance, prejudices and misguided traditions (cf. 2 Cor 3:14 – “the veil is taken away in Christ”). The Gentiles were further out in left field as they walked “in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened… because of the ignorance that is in them …” (Eph 4:17-18).
Many of those who first came to the Lord did so quickly and with minimal teaching. The Philippian jailer is a prime example: he went from persecutor to near suicide to conversion to Christ in a very short time: “‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ So they said, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their stripes. And immediately he and all his family were baptized … and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household” (Ac 16:30-34). How much did the jailer need to know to enter a saving relationship with Christ? We can deduce from other accounts in Acts what was included in “the word of the Lord” which Paul taught, but suffice it to say it was a crash course that didn’t take days or weeks: Who is Jesus that I should believe in Him? Why do I need salvation … salvation from what? What is the connection between Jesus and forgiveness? What do I need to do in order to receive what God offers in Him? What does this mean from this day forward? These are some of the basic questions that a lost person such as the jailer needs to answer, at least on a cursory level, to begin their walk with the Lord.
But there’s the rub: learning that salvation is in Christ and obeying the conditions for receiving forgiveness is the beginning of a lifetime of fellowship and service. And what does citizenship in the realm of our King bring? It brings the full onslaught of Satan, the enemy of God and His people. And one of Satan’s greatest advantages in this spiritual warfare – this attempt to reclaim our souls from God’s kingdom – is our ignorance. Not just ignorance of “Bible facts,” but ignorance of our own vulnerability; ignorance of the subtleties of temptation; ignorance of God’s character (love, righteousness, justice, authority, grace, mercy, patience, etc.); ignorance of the value of true worship; ignorance of doctrinal soundness (and by extension the ability to identify and understand error); ignorance of how valuable other souls are; ignorance of how the body of God’s people should be unified in love and service; etc.
So, the establishment of our relationship with God is not merely the beginning of a lifetime journey to heaven; it is also the beginning of a growth process from infancy to spiritual maturity. On the one hand we are not judged as unfit for fellowship with God by the amount of knowledge we have. But on the other hand our ignorance of God’s word presents a vulnerability that Satan can and will exploit. How, then, are we to combat this ever-present lack of maturity in our spiritual understanding?
A brief overview of the solution is found in Eph 4:11-16:
Ø Apostles and prophets have revealed the knowledge of God in fullness.
Ø Evangelists and elders – the more knowledgeable and mature – teach the word to others which equips all for the work of ministry and results in continual self-edification of the body.
Ø The end goal is to help each individual “come to the unity of the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” Quite obviously this is an unreachable ideal, but as long as we live we are to pursue this maturity in Christ.
Ø Such joint effort helps us avoid the false ideas advanced by the trickery of false teachers. In this way we all help one another resolve the problem each of us faces – the spiritual dangers spawned by our own ignorance.
Sure sounds like our connection to the local body of Christ is a vital one. We need both instruction and accountability as we examine our own hearts for manifestations of ignorance that might compromise our faith in God.
