Dave Havir, focusing on I Corinthians 8:1, Paul's caution to the Corinthian congregation that knowledge puffs up, debunks the opposite conclusion that acquiring knowledge is not desirable. II Timothy 2:15 displays knowledge as a good thing and extremely valuable. We are all to  study and grow continually, learning and developing skills. Not all knowledge is equally useful or edifying; we must choose those areas which do not waste our time. Some individuals have difficulty acquiring knowledge because of a learning disorder, poor reading skills, attention disorders, poor listening skills, or poor study skills. Our worldview (or paradigm) will alter the way we process information, handcuffing us with prejudice or bias. Pride also gets in the way of processing information. Consequently, knowledge is not the problem, but pride attending its acquisition is the problem.  Both arrogant confidence and quiet fear are manifestations of pride. Church governments which control, standing between us and God, are to be avoided and shunned. People who are afraid to mistakes and consequently do nothing are just as prideful as the arrogant. We have not been given a license to "fix" other people's problems, especially when we have beams in our own eyes. Conversely, when we do help someone from the right motive, we should not be surprised if religious "leaders" censure us for presumptuousness. Sometimes sincere attempts to help may be unappreciated.

Acquiring knowledge * Arrogant confidence * Attention disorders * Avoiding mistakes * Barabbas * Barack Obama * Beams and splinters * Blessings * Civil and church government  * Clergy class system * Clown * Doctrines * Doers * Dyslexia * Edifying * Entitlement * Facilitator * Family tradition * Fear of failure * Fear of success * I Corinthians 8:1 * "Fixing" people * Fundraisers * Galatians 6 * Growing * Humility * Keys to the Kingdom * Learning on two levels * Lens * Luke 13:11-17; 23:18-23 * Marilyn Boston * Matthew 11:1-5; 23:6; 25:4-5 * Meekness * New Testament lessons * Parable of the talents * Paradigm * Pharisees * Planting and watering * Pope * Preconceived  notions *  Pride * Prideful perspective * Proverbs 11:2; 13:10; 16:18-19; 28:25; 29:23 * Proving God * Reading disorder * Religious political correctness * Resurrection of Christ * Quiet fear * Rightly divide God's Word * Telemarketers * II Timothy 2:15 * Shun profane babblings * Slow dances * Splinters and beams * Striving about words * Stroking our pride * System of anti-Christ * Teacher * Titles * Tradition * Wasting time * Word tweaking * Workman not ashamed * Worldview