I recently read a comment by an Evangelical scholar who specializes in the OT. He is an expert in Hebrew. He was dealing with Isa 53:11, where Isaiah says that through the knowledge of Christ, the Servant of God, many will be justified. Here is what this scholar said:
There are two Hebrew words for knowledge, one referring to head knowledge and the other one to experiential knowledge. The word in this verse is daat and refers to experiential knowledge. By the experiential knowledge of the Servant, people would be justified. When we accept Yeshua as our Messiah, when we accept His substitutionary death for our sin, we accept what He did in His suffering and death on our behalf. At that moment, we come to know Him experientially. By this experiential knowledge of Him, we are justified.
I am very confused by this paragraph. It says that “head” knowledge of Christ is not sufficient; one must have experiential knowledge of Him. Many Bible teachers erroneously speak of a “heart faith” that is different from a “head faith.” They teach that only a “heart faith” can save the unbeliever from the lake of fire. I assume that is what this writer means by “experiential knowledge.” I don’t know the difference between a “head faith” and “experiential knowledge.”
He appeals to the Hebrew word for knowledge to explain the difference. Like the vast majority of people in the world, I am not an expert in the Hebrew language. But I do have the ability to look up the word in a Hebrew lexicon, which is a Hebrew dictionary.
I did. The lexicon did not make the distinctions the writer was trying to make. It said that the word means “to become aware” of something. It can refer to knowledge or ability. It is used to describe technical knowledge. Mathematical knowledge could be an example. The word can refer to gaining knowledge by looking at something. This knowledge is the result of “data one has collected or observed.” All of this sounds like plain old knowledge to me. It sure seems like it is what happens in our heads!
I think the writer is saying that faith in Christ is not genuine if you only know it in your head. Believing in your head is not enough. You have to experience it. I think he means you need some emotional reaction, decision, or conviction of sins to accompany what your head knows. He seems to be saying that you cannot know Christ unless it includes feelings of some kind. You need to have a spiritual experience.
I admit that I may have completely misunderstood what he is saying. As I said, I am confused by what he writes about Isa 53:11. I suspect a lot of other people would also be confused by the paragraph. They would ask, “Have I had an ‘experiential’ knowledge of Christ, or was it all in my head?”
It is difficult to challenge an expert. But in this case, we should. As the lexicon says, we can know things about Christ by looking at the data. We don’t have to have an emotional experience. The Gospel of John records eight miracles that were performed by Christ. Those eight miracles demonstrated that He was the Christ who can give eternal life to every person who believes in Him for it. He promises to do so, and the life He gives can never be lost (John 5:24; 20:30–31).
If a person believes that knowledge—if he is convinced it is true—he has eternal life. In the words of Isa 53:11, he is also declared righteous by God.
We arrive at this knowledge by the exercise of our minds. Our minds consider the evidence. The Spirit reveals the truth of this knowledge to our minds. We believe with our minds.
Many will say such knowledge is insufficient because it is found only in our heads. The unbeliever needs to experience it in his heart.
But nobody knows what that means. It is undefinable.
Let’s keep it simple. If a person believes that Jesus is the Christ who gives eternal life to all who believe in Him for it, he has believed the knowledge he needs to believe in order to receive that gift. I think the Hebrew lexicon agrees. More importantly, I know the Gospel of John does, even if I just believe it in my head.
