A little knowledge, however, is a dangerous thing. “Knowledge puffs up.”

I remember having a conversation about scriptural interpretation with some fellow students during my first semester of seminary. The topic of our conversation was a very respected and godly older leader in our denomination whom I had heard speak at a recent conference. He told of how God had spoken to him through a particular passage of scripture, and led him to make a major, life-changing decision.

The only problem was that according to all we’d been learning in hermeneutics class, he’d interpreted the scripture incorrectly. My buddies and I discussed it thoroughly and agreed that the poor silly man was wrong. He’d misinterpreted the scripture and someone should show him the error of his ways.

I shudder now to think of my hubris and judgment. Even if I was right about the scripture, my sin was far more grievous than his mistake.

Seminary is a season of time where you’re gaining knowledge at a faster rate than you’re gaining wisdom. We have to be careful how we use what we’re learning.

A former student recently told me that at the conclusion of his first semester of Hebrew class, his professor gave the class a very stern lecture: “Don’t you dare go back to your home churches and tell your pastor all the things he’s doing wrong. Don’t you dare! You’re not as smart as you think you are.”

You’re not as smart as you think you are.

Some questions to ask yourself before you spout off your newfound knowledge:

• Am I being wise or just smart?
• Would Christ speak to someone in this way?
• Is my conviction genuine or is it a cloak for my pride?
• Is my motivation to love others or feel better about myself?
• Are my words useful for edification, giving grace to those who hear (Eph. 4:29)?
• Has gaining this knowledge made me more the man or woman God wants me to be?
• Can I say this with true humility?

If in doubt, it’s probably wiser to say nothing.

More:

Knowledge is not Life

Learn to Submit to Authority

It’s not. What qualifies you for ministry is the life of God in you by virtue of your regeneration. It is the power of the Holy Spirit who has brought you from death to life.

In fact, knowledge can be deadly. The simple Southerners in my home church in Florida cautioned me: “Don’t let seminary ruin you.” I knew what they meant. Stories abounded of young men who went to seminary fired up to change the world for Jesus, and returned cold and lifeless, all their zeal dissolved in the acid of theological debates and parsing of verbs. They got knowledge, and lost life.

I thought they were being paranoid, until I met the guys in my Hebrew class. I’ll tell you that story later.

Knowledge is not life. Just ask Adam and Eve.

Knowledge is learning, facts, being correct. It’s being more correct than the next guy. It’s showing how correct you can be. (You might know folks like this. You might be one.) “Knowledge puffs up.” It leads to pride, and pride is spiritually deadly.

Life is love, relationship, obedience, prayerfulness, reliance on God. Here’s Paul: “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.” (1 Corinthians 8:1-3)

That’s not to say that knowledge is bad. It’s not bad. Knowledge is a good thing. You should learn. I did. I didn’t even know how to think until I went to seminary.

But be warned: Knowledge is not life. Pursued AS life, knowledge is death.

Knowledge (alone) makes you a Pharisee. Life makes you a Christian. Jesus did not come to make us smart. He came to make us live.

So as you’re studying diligently in seminary, don’t think that Christianity is about being smart. Don’t think that leading God’s people is about being smart. Christian leaders are shepherds, not professors. Knowledge is useful, even necessary. But it is not life.