And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow…the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
—Genesis 2:9
There are two ways of knowing things. The one is by thought or idea—“I know about a thing.” The other is by living—“I know by experience.” An intelligent blind man may know all that science teaches about light by having books read to him. A child who has never thought about what light is knows more about light than the blind scholar. The scholar knows all about it by thinking. The child knows it in reality by seeing and enjoying it.
This is also true in Christianity. The mind can form thoughts about God from the Bible and know all the doctrines of salvation, while the inner life does not know the power of God to save. This is why we read, “He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love” (1 John 4:8). He may know all about God and love, but unless he loves, he does not know God. Only love can know God.
God’s Word is the Word of Life. “Out of [the heart] are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The life of a person can be strong, even when mental knowledge is limited. On the other hand, knowledge can be the object of diligent study and great delight, while the person’s life is not affected by it.
It is only by experiencing God and His goodness that we can receive true knowledge. The knowledge of the intellect cannot quicken or revive. “Though I…understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;… and have not charity, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:2).
It is in our daily Bible reading that this danger must be met and conquered. We need the intellect to hear and understand God’s Word in its human meaning. But we need to know that the possession of the truth by the intellect can only benefit us when the Holy Spirit makes it life and truth in the heart. We need to yield our hearts and wait on God in quiet submission and faith to work in us by that Spirit. As this becomes a holy habit, our intellects and hearts will work in perfect harmony. Each movement of the mind will be accompanied by the corresponding movement of the heart, waiting on and listening for the teaching of the Spirit.