May 29, 2008
Ignorant of God
According to Webster’s a person can be described as ignorant when they are “lacking knowledge or comprehension of the thing specified.” Although I probably wouldn’t say it to their face, I have some friends and family members who are indeed ignorant of God. However in the church it never crosses our minds as to whether or not someone knows God. After all, if they don’t know God, why on earth would they be coming to church?And yet, that’s exactly what Paul says to the Corinthian Church. “Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.” (1 Cor 15:34 NIV). I can’t imagine thinking, much less declaring to others, that one of my fellow congregants is ignorant of God.
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Gail;
-----When I consider the possible meanings of a word, I like to consider also the meaning of the word’s roots. Therefore, “ignorant” is a word I would love to use copiously, because at the meaning of its root is to ignore. That is not the same as being stupid, or simply lacking knowledge. But there is also implied in it an almost conscious choice to avoid knowledge. And we see this more and more in many aspects of our society, including all areas of too many churches.
-----I honestly think the reason there is so much ignorance in our population today is because, forty years ago, the “progressive” element of our people began a successful campaign against calling another out over holding to discernable ignorance. (As an aside, again, they are really regressive, they are not at all progressive, so I shall call them such.) These regressive types met two purposes by their campaign: 1) the challenge for ordinary folks to keep properly informed of accurate information was removed and, consequently, not met; 2) the resulting, growing ignorance of the people became fertile soil for the sowing of outright deceit by the regressive types. Glow bull warming, insurability regardless of pre-existing conditions, expressing both bewilderment over gasoline prices and refusal to drill for more oil or build new refineries, and numerous $300,000 homes, now in foreclosure, purchased on $30,000 salaries, will barely scratch the surface of all the available examples of deceit grown up in the fertile fields of ignorance.
-----Even though our society and many churches have come to their state of not having knowledge from deceit foisted upon them by others of low moral character, there is still an element of responsibility failed that would so well express such connotation if it were within the term “ignorant.” But, lo, the Merriam-Webster dictionary does not bring that connotation to the surface. Neither does the New American Heritage. Both define the word as simply lacking knowledge. Which, then, makes the use of “ignorant” as a fine translation of the term “agnosis” Paul used in I Cor 15:34. This word is simply the attachment of the negative particle “a” to the word for knowledge - “gnosis.” So Paul just said the Corinthians had not-knowledge; he laid no moral charge. It was merely the state of lacking knowledge.
-----I also doubt if the Corinthians had been, to this point, without opportunity to know better than what they did know. Paul had been there and taught there. The Holy Spirit was as much a gift to them as It was to all others who came to the Lord. Humility, integrity, and holding to the interests and pleasures of others were attitudes as available to them as to any. Yet, they had still not found the level of knowledge of God they should have earlier found. And Paul still simply stated they had not-knowledge. I think the implication to us is just as simple: study, we are behind.
Love,
Steve Corey
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