Knowledge, Or Love? The Great Question Of Prioritization

When I first became a believer, the Christian’s purpose seemed simple and clear: love one another and share the Gospel with those who do not know Christ Jesus.

But as I’ve gotten older and learned more about different Christian denominations and sects--Protestantism, Catholicism, Orthodox, and every subset that belongs to these larger groups--I’ve realized how complicated things can really get. It’s almost as if the Bible and its meaning have been debated for a couple thousands years!

I love information. I love debate. I love knowledge. I’m comfortable in these three areas. I want to go back and forth about unusual takes on certain doctrine. I want to delve into the history of each denomination. I want to hear about the original minds of all kinds of theological takes. I could spend all day focusing on which church father or historian or pastor may or may not be right in their interpretation of Scripture. When I do this, and I surround myself with people who are naturally drawn to doing so as well, I find myself learning more, but loving less.

When I’m focused on dense theology, the specifics of different doctrine and the nuances of Scripture, I become more judgmental of the churches that are “shallow” or “emotional”. When I mention the term shallow, I really mean the churches that preach the work of the Holy Spirit, spend time discussing the “one anothers”, and use up most of their resources toward serving the community. They spend less time on theological study and more time on serving and loving both the church and the rest of the world around them. On the other hand, there are many churches who tend to focus a lot on teaching Scripture and less on evangelism or serving. I’ve been to many churches over the last 20 years, and the pattern has seemed clear to me. But why does this seem to be the case?

I think it’s only practical. We are limited in our resources and time. We can’t do everything all at once. As an individual, I only have so much in my daily cup. I pour out of it when I protect my kids, serve my husband, maintain my home, or cook meals. Spiritually, I can spend my time and energy reading Scripture, praying, serving families in need, or counseling others in need of encouragement. Just like we as individuals can’t, churches can’t do it all perfectly. But we want to aim to be well rounded Christians who incorporate Christ into the entirety of our lives. Hopefully, there are the churches who try to balance both aspects of the Christian walk: learning God’s Word and loving one another.

I think the majority of us fall into one category more naturally than the other. I love the knowledge part of our faith. I’ve spent the last five years focused on that part of my walk--too focused. The amount of criticism and judgment I have for those who know less but tend to do more--It’s shameful, really. I’ve begun to lose sight of the rest of my purpose as a follower of Christ Jesus. I’ve become boastful and proud in my desire and pursuit of historical knowledge, interpretation, and debate. Others are wonderful and natural givers. They can spot the needs of people quickly, and meet them right where they are at! Maybe the knowledge part of Christianity can cause anxiety or confusion for people who are better at serving. Now, maybe for someone like that, they’d have to find the time and motivation to learn more in the Bible about who Christ is, why we need Him, and how to maintain a relationship with Him. But I’m not really sharing on this topic to point fingers. I have a lot of my own learning and growing to focus on with God.

I’ve become increasingly black and white in my thinking. I want to believe–I desire so deeply–to know what is “right” and what is “wrong”. I want to be able to judge others who call themselves Christians and determine for myself who is “real” and who isn’t--who is correct in this doctrine, and who is wrong in the other. It sounds pretty hateful, right? That’s because it is.

This pride takes up a lot of my time and energy, pulling me away from the One Anothers and filling me up with sin. But recently I’ve remembered that if I get to Heaven, I’ll be facing the objective fact that I’ll be wrong about so many things--too many to count, I’m sure. All the meanwhile, will Christ look at me and see that I caught stones being tossed at those being judged by Pharisees? I’ve been throwing a lot of stones these last few years. I’ve been so eager to be right. Will He see I did behave as His hands and feet here on Earth? Will Christ tell me “well done my good and faithful servant”? I fear I act as the Pharisees. I don’t serve others. I haven’t been a servant of Christ, but rather a servant to my own flesh and pride.

Paul tells the Church of Corinth in 1 Corinthians 8: 1-3, “Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that all of us possess knowledge. This knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. But if anyone loves God, he is known by God.”

I’ve been puffing myself up for years, while failing to be built by the love of God. As we know in 1 Corinthians 13: 2, “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” Even with all the power and knowledge and faith, if I lack in love I am nothing. I’ve sensed this deeply in myself these last few years, the nothingness rather than the love for God and His Gospel. What’s the point in knowing His Word if I don’t share His good news?

In college I spent over a month in Sweden meeting complete strangers and developing real friendships with them, discussing philosophy and the meaning of life. I ended up sharing the Gospel with a handful of them, and I have faith that seeds were planted there. I had so much love for the lost people in Stockholm. I prayed for them constantly and promised myself I’d go back eventually. Yet since 2019, the thought of going out and getting to know unbelievers, loving and serving them, and sharing God’s Word with them has been on my heart a scarce amount of times--and obedience to that conviction has never followed.

As John tells us in 1 John 2: 1-2 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”

God loves the people of this world--the whole world! I can’t keep couping myself up in pride and comfortability, avoiding those who are in desperate need for Him--as I, too, am in desperate need for Christ’s love! While in the past I’ve judged harshly and criticized hatefully, praise God that I remember now what our purpose is as Christians! I admit: the balance is hard to strike: spending our time and energy on learning about God in Scripture and practically serving those around us. But I think it’s worth spending our lives trying to fulfill the calling Christ has put in our lives as slaves to Him. For me personally, I’m praying I can be less judgmental, less boastful, less proud, and more loving of the world Christ died for.