Cognitive Knowing as a Type of Spiritual Knowledge (Continued thought)

Knowing a fact cognitively is a physical event; it is some sort of chemical reaction within the brain, and therefore it is part of "the things that have been made." And the apostle Paul makes it clear that, "His invisible attributes, namely, his divine nature and eternal power, have been clearly seen, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made."

The brain is one of the "things that have been made." The cognitive process, the phenomenon of chemical reactions which occur in our brain causing us to affirm and believe a fact (e.g. water is H2O), is one of the "things that have been made." Thus, the cognitive process is something in which the attributes of God can be clearly seen. Just like everything else that is made, the cognitive process is a dramatization of a spiritual reality.

God's being involves knowing, since he is relational. He is Father, Son, Spirit who are in divine communion. They communicate, they love, they know.

"God is Spirit."

When the eternal Word, the Son of God, knows that God the Father loves him, this is a spiritual reality.

When human beings cognitively process the fact that God is a Father who loves us his children, this is a physical reality, a dramatization of the spiritual reality of the Son knowing who the Father is.

But just as water baptism dramatizes spiritual baptism, so cognitive knowledge of God the Father dramatizes spiritual knowledge of God the Father, and God the Holy Spirit works in and through this physical event transcendently to make it a spiritual reality. "I will betroth you to me in faithfulness and you will know Yahweh."

Human beings cannot step into the spiritual realm and cause spiritual baptism (new birth) as it is a function of the Holy Spirit. Yet human beings must press into the physical symbol of spiritual baptism (water baptism) in obedience. We must not get our job mixed up with the Holy Spirit's job. We must press forward into obedience in physical, tangible acts.

Thus we are foolish to press into spiritual knowledge apart from cognitive knowledge. Jesus calls us to obedience: real, tangible, earthly, obedience. We must press into cognitive knowledge with all our mind in obedience to the commandment of Jesus Christ. Dramatizing the spiritual reality of God on this physical, earthly stage is our only hope for righteous.