The danger of too much knowledge

As Christians it is expected that we gain knowledge and understanding of the Word of God, the Bible. We need to know what pleases God, how we're to live and how we should worship Him. 

Is there such a thing as too much knowledge? Can knowledge keep us, as believers, from living out the truth of God's Word? Yes, I say Yes, too much knowledge can leave us empty in other places. Too much knowledge can be a hindrance to living out what we know in a godly way.

I've been blessed and fortunate enough to start out my Christian life among believers who were quite knowledgeable when it came to the Bible. I learned many things, even the deeper things of scripture. For that I'll forever be grateful because it kept me from a watered-down Christianity, and it kept me from following wrong doctrine. But I've also seen how some who bore this knowledge seemed to be more in-love with it, (the knowledge) than the Lord's people. I saw the insensitivity towards others and the pride that put others beneath them. I've observed how others were looked upon and how they were treated. 

From time to time, many years later, I still see this type of behavior whenever I rub shoulders with the Lord's people. I'm not referring to one particular church or gathering. I see it on the whole in places I've fellowshipped. This is unfortunate. Failure to live out what we say we know is a handicap, in my opinion. It's just information that we've stored up and pull out when we want to challenge someone or prove a point.

Knowledge without understanding with the love of God can be injurious. This type of thing turns people off. One can tell when they are loved by a fellow believer. It comes across lovingly with compassion with empathy. Even if that believer has sinned and have fell from grace, when spoken to by another Christian who exhibits humility and love, he or she will be open to hear the correction, or the rebuke which can lead to restoration. Knowledge alone cannot accomplish reaching a person's heart. 

The Bible tells us that "Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up" (1 Corinthians 8:1). Knowledge in itself inflates one's ego. It yields arrogance and pride. 

If we say that we have knowledge of the Word of God, we should also have the love of God to accompany what we know. Here's a couple of basic examples. When we've heard that a fellow believer is grieving due to a loss, we ought to reach out to them with the love of God, whether it is shown by sending a card, a phone call, or visiting them in their home. If it is a material loss, it may require giving to help them. In this they can see for a truth that the things you've previously preached, or shared operates in truth by your deeds. In situations where a believer is going through trials and you get wind of it, again, depending on your previous relationship with them, you can reach out to them to encourage them, to support them, or to hold out that umbrella over them as the rain falls hard upon them. Don't just tell them you're praying for them. Yes, they need your prayers, but if you are in a position to do more than that, do it. It is hypocritical to say we are knowledgeable of God's Word and ignore fellow believers in their hour of need. This in itself is sin.

God is not interested in the amount of knowledge we possess. He is interested in how we are living out what we know. There's an adage that says, "I don't care how much you know; I only want to know how much you care."