Throughout the Bible, God has shown that as His children learn and believe His Word, they receive great benefits. For example, when reading the Book of Acts, which records the believers of the first-century Church in action, we see there was great trust toward God that resulted in multitudes of disciples experiencing deliverance and abundance in their lives. What caused these first-century believers to have such trust? Acts 2:41 tells us they gladly received God’s Word. They knew and believed God’s Word. In the Scriptures, God reveals His twofold will for all mankind.
I Timothy 2:3,4:
For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour;
Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.
Salvation through believing on Jesus Christ brings us eternal life and spiritual wholeness. That is the necessary first part of God’s will in verse 4! But what about that second part? The spirit of God we receive with the new birth allows us to comprehend spiritual truths and fulfill the second part, to come unto the knowledge of the truth. By strengthening our knowledge of God’s Word, we can learn truths of His goodness to us, His children, and by building these truths in our heart, our trust in God and our quality of life can flourish.
God’s desire for us to strengthen our knowledge of His Word is clear in the Scriptures.
Colossians 1:9:
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.
This is God’s heart for every born-again believer—to be filled with the knowledge of His will.
The word “knowledge” in verse 9 is the Greek word epignōsis, which means knowledge that is attained through effort or exertion. It is an experiential knowledge that E. W. Bullinger’s lexicon and concordance describes as expressing “a more thorough participation on the part of the knower.” We know God by actively seeking and learning His Word and putting it into practice. Look at the purpose of this, as stated in verse 10 of Colossians 1:
Colossians 1:10:
That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.
We learn God’s Word so that we might walk worthy of Him and please Him and be fruitful in every good work. Our trust in God and His Word yields an amazing, gratifying life. We can trust God’s Word because we know it works. He promises we will be fruitful in every good work!
As stated before, the first-century believers saw tremendous deliverance and blessings in their day and time as they trusted God. So what are some specific things we can do to strengthen our knowledge of God’s Word and build our trust in Him? We can read and study God’s Word. Doing this can help us keep spiritually strong in our trust in God and His Word.
Our reading and studying of the Scriptures are vital to our spiritual growth and trust. The Apostle Paul declared in Ephesians 3:4: “Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand….” And the Word exhorts us, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (II Timothy 2:15). The disciples in the Book of Acts believed and practiced God’s Word. By studying the Word of God, we can flood our minds with the positives of the Word, which will in turn generate positive results and strengthen our trust in God.
In the Power for Abundant Living book, Victor Paul Wierwille challenges the reader with this statement: “If for the next three months, you give your life primarily to reading and studying the Epistles that are addressed to you and then apply the principles by renewing your mind, three months from now you won’t recognize yourself.” I learned this when I took my first Foundational Class when I was in college. At that point, I wanted to change the downward course of my life, ever searching and not knowing the truth. I had a deep desire to know God and what His will was for my life and to grow in my confidence toward Him. I took the challenge. Since that transformation in those three months, I’ve continued to grow in my knowledge of God’s Word and by putting Him first have enjoyed countless victories and blessings over the years. As I’ve continued to take The Way Ministry’s classes, faithfully listen to the Sunday Teaching Services, read The Way Magazine, and read the ministry’s website articles and other publications, “making them my own” in my personal study, I have treasured this learning adventure and grown in my trust toward God.
God’s will for all is salvation, which He accomplished through His Son, Jesus Christ. God so loved that He gave His best to us. His will also is that we come to an experiential knowledge of the truth. Let’s continue building our knowledge of God’s Word so that our trust can abound and the quality of our life can flourish!