Spiritual Knowledge

by Watchman Nee, 1973

The Pathway to the Knowledge of God
1. Dealing by God and Dealing with God
  - Knowledge of Bible Alone Not Equivalent to Knowledge of God -- God is not just a character in a storybook. Knowing the story is not the same as knowing Him.
  - How to Know God -- Communication; dealing with God and being dealt with by God.
  - In Practice -- An excellent illustration of how struggles with sin continue while we learn to know God.
  - The Man Who Knows God -- Such a person speaks to others about God, not the Bible only. That which God has made known to you may be expressed to others.
  - Must Have God's Dealings -- Learn the lessons God presents you with in even the most common circumstances.
  - The Knowledge of God and Work -- The only effective work for God is that which springs from the contact we have with God Himself.
2. Knowing God in Prayer and in His Will
  1. Knowing God in Prayer -- If our prayers are not being answered, we have the opportunity to get to know God better. We ought to ask Him to show us what it is that is preventing Him from answering. As He shows us, we learn more about Him.
    - Remove any Hindrance -- If some fault stands between us and God, He will show it to us.
    - Desire -- If we do not truly desire that for which we ask, how can we expect God to deliver it?
    - Ask -- "Ye have not because ye ask not" (James 4:2)
    - Obedience -- God may show us some area of obedience which He requires before we are to receive.
    - Faith -- If we do not have faith that God will answer, we must ask Him to supply it first. Then, when we have received a promise from God, we may ask in faith.
    - Praise -- When we have asked in faith for that which God has promised, we need no longer petition. Instead, we may praise Him for His answer in the confidence that it is soon to be made manifest.
    - Reminding God -- "Put me in remembrance" (Isaiah 43:26)
    - Deeper Lessons -- Sometimes God may ask us to wait until we have seen some deeper spiritual truth.
    - Some Experience -- The better our knowledge of God, the more experience we will have with answered prayer.
  2. Knowing God in His Will -- As we look for God's guidance, we begin to see His will more and more clearly.
    - The Story of Abigail -- An inspiring story of confidence in God's answer to a child's prayer.
    - Dealings and Knowledge Are Inseparable -- Effective work for God flows from a true knowledge of Him, and that knowledge comes when He deals with us and we with Him.
Self-Knowledge and the Light of God
1. The Way to Self-Knowledge
  A Christian cannot progress spiritually beyond what he knows. If he does not know himself as God sees him, he will never press forward. The question, then, is how are we to gain that knowledge?
  - Does Self-Knowledge Come From Introspection? -- Shall we take our eyes off of Christ to examine ourselves?
    1. Is there a charge for introspection in the Bible?
    2. Does introspection give self-knowledge?
    3. Is introspection profitable?
  - The Right Way -- Forsaking introspection is not to forsake self-knowledge. We must ask God to give us this knowledge.
  - God's Light and Self-Knowledge -- In God's light we see ourselves as God sees us. Introspection may lead us to cover up our sins, but God's light exposes them until we confess.
2. The Source of Light
  - Where Comes the Light? -- The Holy Spirit unveils God's light as we approach Christ, study the Word, or gather with other believers.
  - The Power of This Light -- Job, Isaiah, Daniel, Habakkuk, Peter, Paul, John, Martin Luther, John Knox, John Bunyan, George Whitefield, Augustus Toplady, Jonathan Edwards, David Brainerd, and Hudson Taylor as examples of men who saw the corrupt nature of their flesh and confessed it to God.
  - Future Judgment -- All that we do shall be made manifest and judged according to His will. Only by walking in His light today can we be sure that our deeds will be judged profitable.
  - A Prayer -- We ask to know God's will, but something hinders us. For this reason we must ask for God to examine us, and show us that hindrance so that we may confess it and He will remove it.
The Renewing of the Mind
1. The Nous
  - The Human Heart -- The heart overlaps elements of both spirit and mind. Therefore to have a good heart, we must have our mind renewed.
  - Nous in the New Testament -- The Greek word for "mind" was "nous."
  - The Relation between Nous and the Christian -- Our spirit and heart are renewed when we believe in Christ. But our mind is not.
  - What Is Nous? -- This nous represents a major part of our mind which makes the impressions of our intuition known to our intellect.
  - The Sinner's Nous -- No communication occurs in a sinner. Their nous is darkened and their spirit is dead.
  - Nous and Salvation -- Salvation is knowing God. This knowledge we receive in our consciousness as a result of having our spirit regenerated and our nous lightened.
2. The Renewing of the Nous Our nous must not only be new but also be daily renewed.
  - The Conditions of the Unrenewed Nous
    1. The unrenewed nous towards men -- Inaccurate ideas about others; suspicious, distrustful, critical, denigrating.
    2. The unrenewed nous towards God -- Doubts God's power, wisdom, and love; unable to know and trust God as he did Christ; cannot understand the Bible; does not know God's will.
    3. The unrenewed nous towards self -- Cannot control our thoughts; introspective; unable to communicate God's word.
3. The Nous and the Spirit
  - The Heart Is First Corrupted -- Through the hardening of the heart, man is alienated from the life of God and his understanding is darkened.
  - A Christian's Heart and His Nous -- The ailments which plague Christians can be traced back to an improper heart condition.
    1. In the matter of obedience -- Are we open to receiving instructions, or do we already know what "ought" to be done?
    2. In the matter of listening to a message -- Are we open to other perspectives, or is our own assumed to be always right?
    3. In the matter of studying the Bible -- Is God able to show us truth in His Word, or do we "know it all" already?
    4. In the matter of listening to others -- Are we able to listen, or are we so consumed with our own thoughts that everyone else is irrelevant?
    5. In the matter of thoughts -- Do we think our own thoughts? Do we not think at all? Or are we able to accept God's thoughts and meditate on them?
  - The Danger of an Unrenewed Nous -- If our heart is wrong, our mind will be darkened and we will fall into the same predicament as the non-believers.
4. The Way of Renewing
  - Put Away the Old Man -- The old man is crucified; this we know by faith. Now we must, by exercise of will, put him away.
  - Deal with Sin in the Heart -- No one can be taught unless they are willing to be wrong, and willing to wait on the full lesson.
  - Put On the New Man -- We are to be righteous and holy, which is doing things God's way, having God's nature.
  - The Relationship between Nous and Spirit
  - Consecration and the Renewing of the Nous -- As we respond to the Spirit's promptings and dedicate various aspects of our self to Him in obedience, we are gradually transformed and grow closer to Him.
  - After Renewal -- It may take much time for God show us something fully. Over time, through this renewing process, we will be able to see progress.
  - The Content of the Mind -- Our part is to maintain control over our renewed mind, not by extreme effort, but naturally.