Beyond the Surface: When Knowing God Isn't Enough

# Beyond the Surface: When Knowing God Isn't Enough

There's a dangerous trap that ensnares religious people across every generation: the belief that knowledge equals righteousness, that understanding doctrine makes us acceptable to God, that our religious pedigree grants us special status. It's a comfortable delusion, one that allows us to rest on our laurels while our hearts remain unchanged.

The apostle Paul confronted this very issue when addressing the Jewish community of his day. They possessed something precious—God's law, His revealed will, centuries of spiritual heritage. They knew the scriptures. They understood theology. They could teach others about God's ways. And yet, something was fundamentally broken.

## The Arrogance of Knowledge

The Jewish leaders saw themselves as guides to the blind, lights in the darkness, instructors of the foolish, teachers of spiritual infants. These are noble callings. Every believer should aspire to help others find their way to God, to illuminate truth in a dark world, to teach those who are learning.

But here's the problem: *they* thought *they* were doing these things. Their confidence rested in their own abilities, their heritage, their knowledge. They had taken what God intended for good and twisted it into a source of pride and superiority.

We do the same thing today. We invest time in church activities, give financially to ministry, learn theological concepts, and slowly begin to feel entitled. We start believing our investment grants us the right to control, to insert our preferences, to shape things according to our comfort. We forget that knowing about God and truly knowing God are two entirely different things.

Consider this parallel: passing a licensing exam doesn't make someone an expert. Having a credential doesn't equal experience or wisdom. Similarly, knowing scripture intellectually doesn't automatically transform the heart. Knowledge is just the starting point, not the destination.

## The Heart Behind the Actions

Jesus confronted this disconnect repeatedly. In Mark 7, He exposed how the religious leaders used something called the "Corban vow" to avoid caring for their aging parents. They claimed their resources were dedicated to God, making them unavailable for family obligations. They took a godly practice—giving to God—and weaponized it to escape responsibility.

It's always about the heart.

We do this constantly. We read God's Word and instead of conforming our lives to it, we subtly adjust our interpretation to fit our existing lifestyle. We justify small compromises, explaining away clear commands, making God's Word "of none effect" as Jesus put it.

Paul's indictment was sharp: "You who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery?"

Before we dismiss this as irrelevant to us, consider Jesus's expansion of these commands. He said looking at someone with lust is committing adultery in your heart. He took the external actions and drove them deep into the realm of thought and intention.

Most of us will never physically commit certain sins, but how many of us are guilty in our minds and hearts? The standard isn't just outward compliance—it's inward transformation.

## The Danger of Outward Religion

The Jewish people depended on circumcision as their mark of covenant with God. It was a physical sign of a spiritual reality, established by God Himself in Genesis 17 as a token of His covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

But they corrupted it. Circumcision became a badge of superiority, a reason to look down on Gentiles, a false assurance that allowed them to ignore obedience. "We're circumcised," they reasoned, "so we're good with God regardless of how we live."

Sound familiar?

Many modern religious movements teach a similar message: "God saved you, now you're good. Don't worry about rules or obedience. Just live your best life. God is love, so He accepts you as you are."

But that's not what Scripture teaches. Paul made it clear: "He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter."

## What Circumcision of the Heart Means

This concept of heart circumcision appears throughout Scripture. In Deuteronomy 30:6, God promises: "The Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live."

Notice three crucial elements:

**First, it brings freedom.** Romans 7:6 tells us we are "delivered from the law" so that we can "serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter." We're set free from slavery to sin, from the tyranny of religious performance, from the impossible burden of earning God's favor.

**Second, it requires surrender.** Deuteronomy 10:16 commands: "Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiff-necked." God removes our rebellious, hard-hearted nature from its position of power. Sin is still present, but it no longer enslaves us. It only has the power we give it.

**Third, it shifts us from letter to Spirit.** Second Corinthians 3:6 declares that God "has made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life."

This is what the religious leaders missed entirely. They became so focused on keeping the letter of the law that they missed God Himself. They were bound by legalism rather than liberated by the Spirit.

## The Path Forward

When Scripture confronts us with truth that contradicts our current lifestyle, thinking, or beliefs, we face a choice.

Mature believers immediately submit, confessing sin and asking the Holy Spirit to lead them to genuine repentance and transformation. They understand that instant obedience, empowered by God, is how they "work out their salvation."

Less mature believers wrestle with it, struggling over control and obedience, but eventually surrender and seek God's transforming power.

But some justify it away and move on, depending on their salvation like the Jews depended on circumcision—as a free pass to disobey. This is the beginning of a hardened heart, a path that leads to spiritual death.

The question isn't whether you know about God. The question is: Has God circumcised your heart? Has He removed the stiff-necked rebellion and replaced it with tender, responsive love? Are you living by the Spirit or merely by the letter?

When you love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love others the same way, the external details fall into place. The Spirit gives life and takes care of everything else.

Where are you today?