Beware of False Knowledge

There is an idol man has never ceased to worship. It started in the Garden of Eden and continues to the modern day. This idol is the false god of knowledge.

What comes to your mind when you think of the term idol?

Typically we think of the carved images that are directly mentioned in the command against idolatry in Exodus 20:4-6. For many ancient peoples, including Israel, those sculptures were idols because they were worshipped instead of God. This form of idolatry continues to exist today in the many religions that use statues and images in their worship.

But an idol doesn’t necessarily have to be a physical object. In many cases, our idols are more abstract—money, fame, possessions, etc. An idol is not just a physical statue—it is actually anything you place in front of God.

One of these abstract idols has played a prominent role in human history and actually affects our lives today: the idol of knowledge.

A tree of knowledge

This fascination with knowledge started at the very beginning—in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.

When Satan tempted Eve in the Garden of Eden, he didn’t emphasize how delicious the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil looked or tasted. Instead, the Bible records his sales pitch about the results of eating the fruit: “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5, emphasis added).

Adam and Eve allowed their desire for knowledge to overshadow God’s law, and that allowed sin to enter into man’s life (1 Corinthians 15:21-22).

Gnosticism

In the first century, around the same time as early Christianity, a belief system rose to popularity—the heretical, knowledge-based movement called gnosticism.

Its name is derived from the Greek word gnosis, which means knowledge.

Although gnosticism encompassed a variety of beliefs, in general, gnostics believed there were different levels of spiritual knowledge that one could acquire and one could ascend to new levels of knowledge and understanding.

This belief in knowledge was joined with a number of strange, heretical beliefs:

• All flesh is evil (while only spirit is good).
• Christ couldn’t have come in the flesh (since flesh is evil and He was good). So His presence was explained as an illusion. (John was addressing this heresy in 1 John 1:1-2.)
• For some gnostics, denial of all physical pleasures was a way to achieve greatness and spirituality. This system of belief was always a threat to the Church, as displayed in the epistle of Jude.
• Other gnostics interpreted the idea that all flesh is evil to mean that what was done in the flesh was unimportant—therefore you could live however you want. This led to some gnostics taking an antinomian approach to religion, meaning that they believed they could still be spiritual in their minds and be lawless (or unrestrained) in their conduct.

The worship of knowledge didn’t end with the gnostic movement.

The threat of science

There is another belief in knowledge that threatens the modern Church, just as gnosticism did in the first century: false science. The word science is actually derived from the Latin word for knowledge: scientia. Not all science is bad. In fact, the majority of science is good and (when properly understood) demonstrates the complexity of God’s intellect through His creation.

But false science can be dangerous and can become a form of idolatry in the following ways:

• Attacks on the Bible: Many scientists ignore the facts and believe that science is at odds with the Bible when nothing could be further from the truth. This attack on the Bible takes a variety of forms, such as the theory of evolution by natural selection. 
• Information inundation: The Bible prophesied that knowledge would increase and people would travel at a frenzied pace (Daniel 12:4). This is an incredibly accurate description of our time and describes what has happened due to advances in technology made possible by science. This increase in knowledge, however, has replaced God in the minds of millions of people—and can squeeze Him out of our lives if we are not careful!
• Opposite of faith: Science is amazing and has made wonderful contributions to mankind, but the central premise of modern science is that observation is the only means of attaining knowledge. Observation can be helpful, but we must also rely on faith (Hebrews 11:6). While the scientific approach is good for dealing with the physical realm, which science excels at exploring, it must be combined with the spiritual knowledge that comes from reading and having faith in God’s Word (Romans 10:17). Good science does support the Bible, but our faith must go beyond the scientific facts.

Wisdom and life

It is important that we possess knowledge about a variety of things that enhance our lives. But spiritual knowledge must be based on God’s Word, and that knowledge must be used and applied in our lives. That is why Christians must pursue wisdom, the godly application of knowledge that leads to life (Ecclesiastes 7:12).

If we don’t use wisdom and follow God, then we could easily fall into the trap of worshipping knowledge. It can become our idol if we allow it to come between us and God.

King Solomon, the author of many of the Proverbs and one who received the gift of special wisdom from God, provides us with this advice: “For the Lord gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding; He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; He is a shield to those who walk uprightly” (Proverbs 2:6-7). Applying this advice helps us avoid the false path of gnosticism and false science that are prevalent in our world today.

For more insight into gaining correct knowledge, read “The Spirit of Truth.”