Monday's Word for the Week.

What is EPISTEMOLOGY?

To many bible believers this word may never come up in any conversations you have. Though, since coming to reformed faith I have heard it frequently. In general it is not a word you would see in your everyday sermon from your pastor. I've heard it spoken at conferences, such as Ligonier and on programs such as the White Horse Inn. Lets see if I can do this word any justice.

The standard dictionary definition of this word states: A branch of Philosophy that investigates the orgin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. In the Greek we find the word episteme, which means knowledge. We see a form of this word (epistemon) used in James 3:13. Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? Let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. We don't see this actual Greek word used in scripture, and we don't see the term Epistemology used at all. A couple of the most frequent used Greek words for knowledge in the New Testament are "Gnosis", or "Epignosis".

The word EPISTEMOLOGY is used typically in high intellectual settings such as Colleges and Universities. But if we look at the bible it is full of the orgin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge. We know that all knowledge comes from God when we have Paul in 1 Corinthians 1:5 say "That in everything ye are enriched by him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge". It starts as early as Genesis with the tree of knowledge in Genesis 2:9. We are told that this tree is the tree of Knowledge of good and evil (Gen 2:9). But we also know that in Genesis, God creates everything. We are told that he speaks everything into existence. We know that God is the giver of our Knowledge, but at the same time he is the limiter of our knowledge. God could have told us everything about him, but he didn't. He could have told us exactly how the world was made, the compounds he used, the purpose for doing it and etc... However, he didn't. God is the great supplier of knowledge, and he is also the great limiter of that knowledge.

The scriptures are full of knowledge. Reading and understanding the knowledge that is in scripture leads us to be wise. Wisdom is what we all should seek, but without the knowledge of who Jesus Christ is in our life's, we will never have that wisdom. I thought that it would be important to understand the origin, nature, methods, and limits of human knowledge before we take on any other words. I hope I did it some justice.

Look for my new word next Monday.