Ephesians 3:14, 19 - “I bow my knees before the Father that… you may know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge…”

There is a kind of knowing beyond knowledge.

Many people know of and about Jesus. Paul prays the Ephesians may know his love that surpasses knowledge.

There are arguments today as to why God doesn’t exist or why to doubt the Bible, salvation, resurrection, the Second Coming of Jesus, and more anti-faith proposals. Typically, what sounds fancier or more “rational” is elevated. But it’s a trap. Even before these days of modern science, the gospel was seen as low-brow, bush-league, and sorry by the world:

1 Corinthians 1:18 - the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing…

This is a real battle to be sure. Science and reason are not opposed to faith. But they cannot understand it.

Many today lament the gospel looks silly against modernity. The apostle Paul doesn’t shrink from this. He would say, “YES! NOW YOU’RE GETTING IT!”

1 Corinthians 1:23 (NLT) - when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense.

Leave Christ out of your speech and almost no one objects. But bring him in and the dynamic often suddenly shifts - in them and then in us (because of their reaction or our anticipation of it). That’s fascinating!

Paul tells us not to go with the flow of the “wisdom” of our time:

1 Corinthians 3:18–19 - Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.

It’s ok to flinch at doubt or others’ expertise. It happens to me. Way more than I’d like and in far deeper waters than I’d like.

But, in those moments, get very quiet and fly down into your soul - to that deep place in your chest that’s secret and tucked away - and whisper a question: “Do you believe in all this?”

For me, a very steady, small, positively confident voice whispers back, “Yes! Of course!”

2 Timothy 2:13 - he cannot deny himself.

May God help us to more deeply know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge.