The treasure of the new covenant is knowledge.
2 Peter 1:3
3 Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,
The knowledge of our Lord Jesus which introduces us to the greatest prayer of a New Testament believer is to know Him and the power that raised Him to life. We study to know and have the knowledge of Christ and all that has been given to us in Christ, irrespective of the objective of an average believer which is to study the bible in order to get material things or be successful according to societal construct.
Have you wondered why the devil’s major centre of attack is on the mind? The mind played a major role in salvation, and he knows that repentance and growth in Christ happens in the mind (thinking pattern), so the mind has to be aligned with what our spirit has received else the mind will be a playground for the enemy to keep bombarding us with guilt and frustrations that will cause us to view our lives from a wrong perspective.
The intention of God’s word is to lead you to change your thinking and see from the perspective/mindset of God and also have an accurate thinking about Him, this is exactly what happens when we say we walk in the spirit – this walk is in our mind expressing what we have in our spirit through our conduct.
Galatians 3:3
3 Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?
We started this walk in the spirit, we must continue in the spirit and also continually engage our minds to this change our spirit has experienced. We already know that our spirit is complete by salvation that is why our mind must come to that acknowledgement till it grows into the full knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1 John 2:20
20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One [you have been set apart, specially gifted and prepared by the Holy Spirit], and all of you know [the truth because He teaches us, illuminates our minds, and guards us from error].
Our spirit already knows everything because it is God’s spirit, but the mind is the opposite that is why teachings and study are meant to bring alignment to the spirit and mind so that the mind will be conformed to the spirit.
Ephesians 1:17
17 [I always pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may grant you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation [that gives you a deep and personal and intimate insight] into the true knowledge of Him [for we know the Father through the Son].
Ephesians 4:13
13 until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising our spiritual gifts in unity].
It is pitiable that a man can be a believer for about 20 years and still be like an infant when it comes to the knowledge of Christ, coming to Christ (repentance) is not merely a behavioral change but a change in thinking and direction, I’m not saying that God is against your reasoning because it takes that same reasoning to understand and accept the gospel as an unbeliever.
The mind has been a doorway to the heart, your mind opened your heart to the gospel of Christ that’s why Apostle Paul was talking about pulling down strongholds and arguments in the mind of men that are opposing Christ before taking the gospel to them.
Romans 10:10
10 For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and confirming [his] salvation.
Spiritual growth is knowing in detail that message that brought you Christ, it is knowing God’s mind which is already revealed to us in words, misinterpreting a verse or context is misinterpreting what God is communicating to us which will definitely lead to misunderstanding.
1 Peter 2:2
2 like newborn babies [you should] long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may be nurtured and grow in respect to salvation [its ultimate fulfillment],
Growth is in the understanding, pure milk is a way the message is being communicated for better understanding, that doesn’t necessarily imply that meat is another message, he was writing figuratively.
Note: Repentance is the eye of your heart turning from darkness to light.
You are unstoppable!
Love X Uju.
