The Gospel of Jesus Christ

On the meaning of ignorance, we read the following in Wikipedia:

“Ignorance is a lack of knowledge.  The word ignorant is an adjective describing a person in the state of being unaware, and is often (incorrectly) used to describe individuals who deliberately ignore or disregard important information or facts.

Ignoramus is commonly used in the United States as a term for someone who is wilfully ignorant. Ignorance is distinguished from stupidity, although both can lead to “unwise” acts.

The writer, Thomas Pynchon, articulated the following about the scope and structure of one’s ignorance: “Ignorance is not just a blank space on a person’s mental map. It has contours and coherence, and for all I know rules of operation as well. So as a corollary to [the advice of] writing about what we know, maybe we should add getting familiar with our ignorance, and the possibilities therein for writing a good story.”

The legal principle that ignorantia juris non excusat, literally “ignorance of the law is no excuse”, stands for the proposition that the law applies also to those who are unaware of it.

Consequences. Individuals with superficial knowledge of a topic or subject may be worse off or more dangerous than people who know absolutely nothing of that subject or topic. (Comment by the author: Ponder here, Hos 4:6-10; Rom 10:1-11; 12:1-3; especially Heb 10:26-36!)

Ignorance can stifle learning, especially if the ignorant person believes that he or she is not ignorant. A person who falsely believes he or she is knowledgeable will not seek out clarification of his or her beliefs, but rather rely on his or her ignorant position. He or she may also reject valid but contrary information, neither realizing its importance nor understanding it. This concept is elucidated in Justin Kruger’s and David Dunning‘s work, “Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One’s Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self-Assessments,” otherwise known as the Dunning–Kruger effect.” (sic) – (end of article by Wikipedia).

A great quote by Will Durant states that education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.  Touché!

Observe the irony in the above where “modern” [“learned”, not ignorant?] people think they have articulated (discovered?) something that God had made clear through His Word since the beginning (Acts 3:17-21)! As our designer, as The Creator, and as Love and Life, has God from the onset made it clear that our self-righteousness is born from our own ignorance (and especially our wilful ignorance, more so than a mere inadvertent transgression or unwitting error), and that this is our own downfall; that our pride [arrogance, conceit, ignorance in a lazy uninformative state] and irresponsibility causes our own destruction through self-righteousness (Prov 16:18; 1 Jn 2:16).  This is expanded on in the meditations “The Covenant and The Law” and “Mixing Old and New”, also “The will of man, the will of God”, “The Gospel”, “ABC myths, legends, lies”, “healing” and “Prayer”. Perhaps all on this website boils down to the insight we should get about the depiction of the two specific trees in Eden and its consequence, that is in fact what Paul summarized in Phil 3:9. We so stop giving the devil access and inroad to our soul [thought-life – Rom 6:16; Is 5:18-20], and rather get in Christ when He is in us. If we genuinely love Jesus, we will hate what He hates (Rom 12:9, especially falsity [ignorance] – Jer 23:10-14; Prov 8:13; 11:20-21; 12:17,22,28; hence Jn 8:32,36; 14:6), and follow Him [His teaching, Spirit-Words that is Life continually and habitually with joy because we see results on prayer and prophecy]. We clothe ourselves again with the Righteousness of God – Rom 13:14; Phil 3:9.

Some say the noun ignorance is not a synonym for “stupidity,” since its meaning is closer to “being uninformed” than “being unintelligent.” Ignorance to them implies that a person or group merely needs to be educated on a particular subject. The phrase “ignorance is bliss,” implies that sometimes it’s easier when you don’t know the whole truth about something and can be blissfully happy, unaware of unpleasant realities.  This [ignorance], however, is hollow as an excuse and at best a tragic self-destructive irony. The Bible is not silent [ignorant?] on ignorance, refer to even just Lev 4:2,13,22,27; 5:15,18; Num 15:24-29.  Then also consider Scriptures such as the following:

Rom 1:18-25
“For the wrath of God is revealed from Heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because the thing which may be known of God is clearly revealed within them, for God revealed it to them. For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being realized by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse. Because, knowing God, they did not glorify Him as God, neither were thankful. But they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man, and birds, and four-footed animals, and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their own bodies between themselves. For they changed the truth of God into a lie, and they worshiped and served the created thing more than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”
(MKJV)  This actually addresses also God’s abhorrence towards homosexuality (Rom 1:26-32)!

 

2 Tim 4:1-5
“Therefore I solemnly witness before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who is going to judge the living and the dead according to His appearance and His kingdom, preach the Word, be instant in season and out of season, reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For a time will be when they will not endure sound doctrine, but they will heap up teachers to themselves according to their own lusts, tickling the ear. And they will turn away their ears from the truth and will be turned to myths. But you watch in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fully carry out your ministry.”  (MKJV)

Is 5:18-24

“Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin with cart ropes… who say, Let Him hurry and hasten His work, so that we may see it; and let the purpose of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come, so that we may know! Woe to those who call evil good and good evil; who put darkness for light and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! Woe to those wise in their own eyes, and bright in their own sight! Woe to those mighty to drink wine, and brave men to mix strong drink; who justify the wicked for a bribe, and take away the righteousness of the righteous from him! So, as the fire devours the stubble, and the flame burns up the chaff; their root shall be like rottenness, and their blossoms shall go up like dust…”  (MKJV)

Ps 119:104-105
Through Your Commandments (precepts) I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way.

Your Word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path. (MKJV, brackets mine)

Is 29:16
O your perversity! Shall the former be counted as the potter’s clay; for shall the work say of him who made it, He did not make me? Or shall the thing formed say to him who formed it, He had no understanding?

Jer 5:20
Declare this in the house of Jacob, and cry it in Judah, saying, now hear this, O foolish people and without heart; who have eyes and see not; who have ears and hear not; do you not fear (respect) Me? says Jehovah. (NKJV, brackets mine).  Feel free to read in your Bible to verse 31.

Jer 51:15-18
He has made the earth by His power; He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens by His understanding. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens; and He causes the mists to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightnings with rain and brings forth the wind out of His treasures. Every man is brutish in knowledge; every refiner is put to shame by idols. For his molded image is a lie, and no breath is in them. They are vanity, the work of errors; in the time of their judgment they shall perish. (MKJV)

Mt 15:7-14
Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, “This people draws near to Me with their mouth, and honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. But in vain they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” And He called the crowd and said to them, Hear and understand. Not that which goes into the mouth defiles a man; but that which comes out of the mouth, this defiles a man. Then His disciples came and said to Him, Do You know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this saying? But He answered and said, Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted shall be rooted up. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.

1 Cor 1:18-21
For the preaching of the cross is foolishness to those being lost, but to us being saved, it is the power of God.

For it is written, “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and I will set aside the understanding of the perceiving ones.” Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the lawyer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world by wisdom did not know God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. (MKJV) Now read in your Bible to verse 31 and consider the meditation “Evolution” as well?

There are at least 160 verses in the Bible mentioning the crucial need for understanding God’s precepts and that regard this as wisdom.  (Look up the words “understanding” and “wisdom” in The Bible)

Now, consider some words used in ignorance.  It astonishes how people alter the meaning of words and how masses blindly follow suit.

Let’s consider a few examples

• Gay. This word was originally synonymous with one of the fruits of the Spirit in Gal 5:22, namely “joy”; or “exuberant” or “cheerful” (χαρά, chara, G5479, from G5463; cheerfulness, that is, calm delight, – gladness, joy (-ful, -fully, -fulness, -ous)… the meditation “Homosexuality” expand on this.
• Replenish. In the Hebrew, the word translated “replenish” is male, and simply means to “fill” [“fulfil”, “be filled”].  The English word “replenish” meant “fill” from the 13th to the 17th centuries.  Then it changed to mean “refill”.  (The meditation “Gap theory” expands on this on p.2, no. 5.)
• Apocalypse. Refer to p. 9 in the meditation “Rapture raptured”. Any decent pre-seventies dictionary, or any Greek dictionary of the N.T. that explains [601. apŏkaluptō; 602. apŏkalupsis] to means to uncover, to remove the veil, to disclose, lighten, revelation, appear and manifest and bring the mystery out in the open and shine light on it.  Now consider the words penned by the same author [Apostle John] that penned the apŏkalupsis of Jesus Christ, i.e. the Revelation [not destruction!] of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:1), afterwards in 95 A.D. in Jn 1:1-17 (Ampl.)… Believers in a “Rapture” must beware of the pitfall to – in ignorance – think the [an] “apocalypse” [of Jesus Christ] would in effect mean the end of Jesus Christ!!!… Because, the devil needs not and will not have a coming in the flesh [as the “Antichrist”, ignorant of even just 2 Jn 1:6-11!], such as God did [in Jn 3:16]!  Think about it (read “Rapture raptured” for an exegeses)?
• Incredible. As in a court of Law, an incredible witness would be discarded as damaging and useless, even fatal, for a defendant. Yet, most “Christians” readily describe their god as incredible…
• Unbelievable. Well, this might be ironically exactly what “Christians” declare as a type of “Freudian slip”!  Again, their god or his attributed deeds are described repeatedly as “unbelievable”.  They may very well – in ignorance – not fully grasp Gal 1:6-9; 1 Jn 2:4 or Rom 8:14 yet?  It can often be proved that their dogma makes no sense when compared with what God’s Word really says.
• God controls everything. The false doctrines on God’s sovereignty is expanded on in the meditations such as “The will of man, the will of God”, “The Gospel”, “Christian suffering”.  Note that God is omniscient, and therefore will always be found on any scene [crime scene], not as the culprit [the murderer or an accomplice as the one that “allowed” tragedy to strike in passiveness (!!)]; no, God is found right there amidst tragedy as the Counsellor, Guide, Teacher (Jn 1:4; 10:10; 14:26-27).  Read “God is Love” or even be brave and tackle the meditation “The Testimony”.

Note at Jn 9:3b. Be very careful here not to misinterpret the statement Jesus made. Jesus did not say that God caused this man’s blindness just so that He could show that He can heal such infirmity! This would mean God is cruel, sadistic, insecure and an underhanded manipulator! No!  No, Jesus rather pointed out that this blindness was (i) not due to the man’s own sin (for he was born blind), nor (ii) due to the sin of his parents; but (iii) while the defect that happened [allowed by God as part and parcel of us being free moral agents with a complete and absolute free will on earth and as a tragic and sad unfortunate consequence adversity can then happen and things go wrong even in our DNA], presents an opportunity, God will [can] readily show His Love, grace, mercy, will for our wellbeing and all that is only for our good, by healing completely without us having to earn it first. We just have to believe it!  Ponder Jesus’ instruction in Mt 10:8 with the meditations “The will of God” and “Healing” for a fuller exegesis of this great truth.

A clarification and exposure of these phenomena is what www.gospel-truth.co.za attempts to address objectively. We have a resistance to change and an incredible and unbelievable resistance to admit our ignorance or irresponsibility… and hence lack of spiritual authority in ignorance! (Mt 10:8)

Let us rather strive to be mature, accurately speaking Christians that demonstrate familiarity with the power from the experience of Scriptures such as Mt 12:31-37 or Lk 19:22… or Heb 13:15; Rom 10:9-10?  Or, indeed, Rom 1:16-17 with Mt 10:8 (Mk 16:16-18) and even Jn 11:26 (1Thess 5:23)!

The matter of Truth and the inexcusable ignorance thereto, is expanded on in the meditation “The Gospel”.

Shall we reconsider these things together, in this website, or choose ignorance in overconfidence [conceit]?