Determined not to know

S. SEKOU ABODUNRIN

2For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him
crucified.
4And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom,
but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: [1cor 2:2,4]


I’d like you to consider the second verse again – it is a gem!

You know you can get to a place where there is only one thing you desire to KNOW even in your dealings with people. In our day we often know too much about people and base all our actions, expectations and aspirations on people. There is nothing wrong with people really because humans are God’s idea.

The concept called man and woman is of divine origin. If so, it stands true that you don’t know man if you don’t know Jesus. The problem is what we choose to KNOW where the universe is concerned. According to Paul there are not too many things that I am meant to know or required to know. Real knowledge is a measure of the apprehension of the person and merit of Jesus that you know.

When I am not full of the Jesus-knowledge I am full of many topics, ideas, systems and philosophies. In the short-term it doesn’t seem to matter, but the truth is it has always mattered. Don’t go around trying to grasp or master too many things. Know Christ. Know him in fullness and his fullness will stir fullness within you.

I want you to see that this is not natural or commonplace, even for the Apostle he had to DETERMINE.

Until you determine to you will not know this reality of which I speak – knowing Jesus only. So you want to understand your friends more? You want to understand your husband more? You want to get a handle on life and understand how things really are? The average Christian will say, “Yes” to all this, as I am sure you have. These are legitimate desires that put a pressure on us – the pressure to make this kind of knowledge our core pursuit. But there is a danger there. You cannot really know man until you know the person of Jesus and the meaning of his crucifixion. I am not referring to getting born again. I refer to the decision of a born again one.

You are born again like Paul is. The difference here is that Paul determined by an exercise of his soul to choose what he knows and how he knows it. The secret is this – when I know Jesus and his crucifixion I see life differently. This is because unlike traditional Christian thinking you do not stand afar off watching Jesus on the cross as he gets crucified for you. No it is deeper than that. The secret is that you are located by faith on the cross with Jesus!

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
[Gal 2:20]

According to Paul then don’t just stand there looking at Jesus on the cross – there is no faith in that! Real faith springs from knowing that you were on that cross in him. The pains that killed him killed you! The sorrow that weighed him down effectively weighed you down. Faith locates you on that cross 2000 years ago.

If you are crucified it means you are dead! If you are dead then you are no longer under the control of the same power to which you were alive to before your death. This implies that you can rise up and walk clean from human manipulations or fleshly philosophy.

The other day I was walking by London Bridge and I saw a dead man fighting on the street because someone had insulted him. Of course you know that’s not possible – dead people are beyond insults!

“Well, you see, I acted the way I acted because of what she has done to me” that’s human wisdom and the speech of one who is not dead! All that ‘they’ can do to you now can’t affect you any longer. Its not because ‘they’ stop doing, but because of what you are – dead to such laws and principles! If you can insult a fellow and he responds it is proof that he is very much alive to the insult! But not you – you were crucified with Jesus. That crucifixion brought in your death. You have taken all that the world can offer and you died to all that!

In Christ you took on the world at its deadliest and you rose out of its jurisdiction and influence!

You are dead to sorrow!
You are dead to strife!
You are dead to fear!
You are dead to the world!

Now you know that insults cant hurt you, that persecutions have no power over you. Like the senate cannot pass a law regulating dead men you know that you cannot be hurt by or limited by the philosophy and practice of man.

You died to all that in Christ.

The “you” that is open to all the control and manipulation of circumstances and men is dead. It is important that you know Jesus only. You decide to know NOTHING save Jesus. It is a decision that is yours to be made. You begin to relate to people on the basis of what you know of Jesus, and not what you know about them. This means that in life I am never without choices. I could decide to know or I could decide ‘not to KNOW anything save Jesus’.

With that knowledge comes grace multiplied. This changes your experiences. I do not mean the things happening around you, but what you take yourself through. The things you come up against in life do not have the power to produce change; they merely unveil the decisions you already carried somewhat unconsciously. When you have determined not to know along some lines those things loose power over you in experience.

In reality you know you are dead to those things, but alive in him!! You are as alive as he is for he is your life now!

When this takes place in your thinking – your faith leaves the realm of the mundane and the common place. It soars into the realm of God. You see, faith can rest on two foundations. One is shaky and the other firm. The shaky one is the faith that rests in the wisdom or logic of men. This faith says that I know it is true because Bishop X told me so. The emphasis appears to be the importance and standing of the Bishop. if Bishop X shines, what he told me is real. If Bishop X fails to shine, what he told me must be false. This produces a Yo-Yo type Christian life that is an aberration. Bible faith does not rest in the wisdom of men. It is not modelled by nor defined by human logic or performance – this faith is based on the power of God.

My faith then rests on the mighty Jehovah!! This produces a boundlessness in me. How do I know that the word works? I know because the power of God is back of it. The integrity of Yahweh Adonai is the guarantee. My belief system is not based on or bounded by how many respectable persons concur but on the ability and integrity of God himself. This births unshaking faith.

How does it come about? I determined not to know …….

There is no need to decide not to know if not that you’d have tremendous opportunities to know along the lines of human philosophy and weaknesses. There are many things that are going to come your way in your walk with God, but the end result depends on you!

The power to defeat me is not in the enormity of my situation or the gravity of my case. The situation itself has no power. It is my determination that lifts me to experience the ability of God or reduces me to a victim’s existence. Because I know that I am no victim, but a super-power in God I do not for any minute bow my knees to circumstances. It is what I determine to know that rules and governs my world.

Are you determined?

Rememebr that there are two kinds of determination – a determination to KNOW, and a determination NOT TO KNOW. It will be hard on your flesh to determine NOT TO KNOW.
The problem is that you might tell yourself “I am not determined” I only wish I had such a strong ability. This is not about NEEDING strong ability – the power of God is in you now. All you need is to exrcise choice by making up your mind and the ability that is in God will back your decision. You come to view life in the very realm of God’s omnipotence!

The power at work within you is dormant until you determine. In this case it is a determination NOT TO KNOW. The combination of what you know and what you choose not to know releases POWER. When you know the things of God, and you choose not to know the reasonings of the flesh, you cannot be overwhelmed or vanquished.

There is some wisdom in learning from one’s experiences, but you have more than men to learn from, we can habitually learn from Jesus. His yoke is easy. His burden light. There is greater wisdom available to you today – learning from the experiences of Jesus and the merits of his crucifixion.

There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]
[1cor 10:13]

Think like Jesus. You see there are no ‘special’ cases when referring to your temptations. It is the same world, the same fleshly thinking, and the same demons. All that we call temptation was classified as ‘common’ 2000 years ago. This means that the devil does not have what it takes to ‘create’ new temptations. In fact there are no new temptations for all are common, mundane, usual and ordinary!

Are you ‘specially’ tempted today?

No! A thousand times no! You might not know it, but you are not in a special condition with respect to the pressures of life. Human wisdom calls some cases ‘special’ but you know you have to determine NOT TO KNOW that type of reasoning! Once you think that your ‘case’ is special you are already walking in delusion. It is the same set of temptations that are manifesting through different avenues. The temptation to feel sorry for oneself is exactly the same as the temptation to kill. It is all based on deciding to know the wrong stuff.

The good stuff is in you now! This is the way of escape God provides. Notice that with every temptation God is making a way for you. When you stare at a temptation you should be aware that the way out is around also. They go hand in hand. Too often we focus on the temptation and so feel overwhelmed. You are dead to that now!

Now, you have joined good company. You recognise that you have a choice…
A choice to determine to see God’s way of escape or a choice to determine to see the temptation. It is up to you!