Does God want us to learn hard and gain more knowledge?

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anhphan

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Are there any Bible verse supporting for that? Thank you very much.
 
We can seek knowledge ,we have to do our studies ,education accordingly,but seeking worldly knowledge like unwanted oriental philosophies etc is harmful to the soul,therefore should be avoided.,but we have to be careful ,because of worldly knowledge many have become proud and puffed up and deviated from faith.I dont mean we should not seek knowledge",broad-mindedness regarding Catholic Faith ,and by going after other teaching practices will have serious consequences,God Bless

What God Requires
Micah 6:6 “With what shall I come before the Lord,
and bow myself before God on high?
Shall I come before him with burnt offerings,
with calves a year old?
7 Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams,
with ten thousands of rivers of oil?
Shall I give my first-born for my transgression,
the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?”
8 He has showed you, O man, what is good;
and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
 
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2 Peter 3:18
But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be the glory both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

1 Corinthians 8 :1-3 Now concerning food offered to idols: we know that “all of us possess knowledge.” “Knowledge” puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If any one imagines that he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if one loves God, one is known by him.

Ephesians 4:13-16 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the cunning of men, by their craftiness in deceitful wiles. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by every joint with which it is supplied, when each part is working properly, makes bodily growth and up builds itself in love.
 
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Malachi 2:7
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and men should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the LORD of hosts.
Proverbs 14:6
A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for a man of understanding.
Proverbs 15:14
The mind of him who has understanding seeks knowledge, but the mouths of fools feed on folly.
Proverbs 18:15
An intelligent mind acquires knowledge, and the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.
 
But should secular knowledge also be prioritiesed?all these verses speak of Divine knowledge…
 
Two Bible verses come to mind.

This is #2 in my list of Bible verses to live life by (you could probably guess #1 is MT 19:26 😉)…

Anyway…
Luke 12:48 From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.

If God graces us with knowledge or the ability to learn then yes He expects us to gain even more knowledge.

He even show us this in…

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Talents
14 “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; 15 to one he gave five talents,[a] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. 16 The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. 17 In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. 18 But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 After a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. 20 Then the one who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five more talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me five talents; see, I have made five more talents.’ 21 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 22 And the one with the two talents also came forward, saying, ‘Master, you handed over to me two talents; see, I have made two more talents.’ 23 His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.’ 24 Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; 25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ 26 But his master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy slave! You knew, did you, that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter? 27 Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received what was my own with interest. 28 So take the talent from him, and give it to the one with the ten talents. 29 For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 30 As for this worthless slave, throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Just substitute the word knowledge for talent and there you go. Your knowledge is a part of God’s endowment. We must invest in these talents for the good of others in order to increase our heavenly earnings. It is a sin to take the blessings and abilities given to us by God and squander them because of fear and laziness.

Hope this helps,

God Bless
 
Sirach and all the wisdom books talk a lot about knowledge of facts and reason being useful, and pointing to God.

For example, medicine and pharmaceuticals:

“Honour the physician for the need you have of him. For the Most High has created him. For all healing is from God… The skill of the physician shall lift up his head, and in the sight of great men he shall be praised. The Most High has created medicines out of the earth… The virtue of these things is come to the knowledge of men, and the Most High has given knowledge to men, so that He may be honoured in His wonders.” (Sirach 38:1-6)

Engineering and craftsmanship:

“And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: 'Behold, I have called by name Bezaleel… and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with wisdom and understanding, and knowledge in all manner of work… And I have put wisdom in the heart of every skillful man, that they may make all things which I have commanded you.” (Exodus 31:1-6)

Seamanship:

“And Hiram sent his servants in the fleet, sailors that had knowledge of the sea, with the servants of Solomon.” (1 Kgs. 9:27)

Music:

“Sing skillfully!” (Ps. 47:7)

“Play skillfully!” (Ps. 33:3)

And everything, pretty much. (Wisdom 7:15-21)
"God has given me to speak as I would, and to conceive thoughts worthy of those things that are given me: because He is the guide of Wisdom, and the director of the wise. For in His hand are both we and our words; and all wisdom, and the knowledge and skill of works.

For He has given me the true knowledge of the things that are: to know the disposition of the whole world, and the virtues of the elements; the beginning, and ending, and midst of the times; the alterations of their courses, and the changes of seasons; the revolutions of the year, and the positions of the stars; the natures of living creatures, and the rage of wild beasts; the force of winds, and the reasonings of men; the diversities of plants, and the virtues of roots; and all such things as are hid and not foreseen, I have learned.

For Wisdom, which is the worker of all things, taught me."
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Of course, there’s the alternate or corrective viewpoint in the Bible, because God loves us to look at things in proportion:

“Of making many books there is no end: and much study is an affliction of the flesh.” (Ecclesiastes 12:12)

The author/editor of the 2nd Book of Maccabees is clearly in favor of studiousness and learning. I love him so much, so here’s his tasty little preface (2 Macc. 2:24-33)
"And all such things as have been comprised in five books by Jason of Cyrene, we have attempted to abridge in one book. For considering the multitude of books, and the difficulty that they find who desire to undertake the narrations of histories (because of the multitude of the matter), we have taken care for those indeed that are willing to read, that it might be a pleasure of mind; and for the studious, that they may more easily commit to memory; and that all who read might receive profit.

"And as to ourselves indeed, in undertaking this work of abridging, we have taken in hand no easy task, yea rather a business full of watching and sweat. But as they that prepare a feast, and seek to satisfy the will of others: for the sake of many, we willingly undergo the labour, leaving to the authors the exact handling of every particular, and as for ourselves, according to the plan proposed, studying to be brief.

"For as the master builder of a new house must have care of the whole building, but he that takes care to paint it, must seek out fit things for the adorning of it, so must it be judged for us.

"For to collect all that is to be known, to put the discourse in order, and carefully to discuss every particular point, is the duty of the author of a history. But to pursue brevity of speech, and to avoid exact declarations of things, is to be granted to him that makes an abridgment.

“Here then we will begin the narration. Let this be enough by way of a preface. For it is a foolish thing to make a long prologue, and to be short in the story itself.”
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I like to think of this tart little Jewish scholar finding himself in Heaven among the Sacred Writers, and probably as bewildered as he is delighted.

Anyway, the point is that God clearly approves of “watching and sweat,” “pleasure of mind,” and “studiousness,” particularly when pursued in just proportion to one’s duties.
 
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In general, we are to use the resources available to us for the purpose of the Christian mission given to us by God. God calls us to love him so that we can be with him in heaven. He also calls us to lead others to him, so they can also love him and be with him in heaven. Therefore, when talking to fellow Christians it is perfectly fine to use the Bible, Catholic teaching, writings of the saints, and other texts for the purpose of helping others grow in love for God. A little study of other religions is also acceptable if, for example, you are called to evangelize someone that belongs to another faith. Understanding their faith is going to make you more relatable to them, putting them more at ease and helping them trust you more. The more they trust you, the more likely they are to take a leap of faith and take a look if what you say is true.

Beyond evangelization, more knowledge about your work is going to help you do a better job, get promotions, and make more money. This money can then be used to help you and your family grow in the faith (for example by buying a rosary or crucifix), buy food for the hungry, or help build a new Catholic school. Gaining knowledge in that job or trade has led to more good, so it was good to have that knowledge.

As always, knowledge can also be used for evil. Some people seek knowledge in an effort to know more than God, to be above God. Other people want to take advantage of others with their knowledge. These would be sins of pride, thinking they are better than God or others. Going back to the example of making more money, the knowledge could be used to make money that goes to selfish things like buying a luxury car. This would be the sin of greed.

Overall, God definitely wants us to gain more knowledge but for the purposes of loving him more, our neighbors more, and ourselves more. As an example of loving ourselves more, we might gain in knowledge about our health and what we need to do to prolong our life. The longer we live, the more time we have to do good works both serving God and our neighbors. Knowledge is a blessing from God. Like all blessings, we must use it well.
 
Not Biblical, but from the opening bit of the Imitation of Christ, which is one of the big Catholic classics…
As for knowledge, it comes natural to all of us to want it; but what can knowledge do for us, without the fear of God? Give me a plain, unpretentious farm-hand, content to serve God; there is more to be made of him than of some conceited University professor who forgets that he has a soul to save, because he is so busy watching the stars. To know yourself-- that means feeling your own worthlessness, losing all taste for human praise. If my knowledge embraced the whole of creation, what good would it do me in God’s sight? It is by my actions that he will judge me.
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So, yes. Gain knowledge. Learn lots. Be educated about things around you. But in the process of pursuing that learning, don’t lose sight of what’s really important: God, your place in the universe, eternity, the people around you, love and charity, death/judgment/heaven/hell, etc.
 
anhphan said:
Are there any Bible verse supporting for that? Thank you very much.
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Our first pope taught that we should never stop increasing in the following 7 attributes. Learning is at the top of the list. And notice it has a condition, if we don’t ever increase in these attributes

2 Pet 1:
5 For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For whoever lacks these things is blind and shortsighted and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be the more zealous to confirm your call and election, for if you do this you will never fall; 11 so there will be richly provided for you an entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
 
Thank you very much. I have another question. Is ignorance a sin? In case I was born in a poor family and my family couldn’t afford to let me go to school.
 
Supposing that I got F for my exam because of my laziness. Am I guilty?
 
Hopefully you guys can give me more Bible verses. Love you guys
 
Ignorance just means you don’t know. That’s not a sin; it’s a circumstance. Nobody blames a baby for being ignorant.

Everybody has things they don’t know. (Except God, obviously.)

If you get an F because of being lazy, that’s not a sin. It’s a punishment in itself. 🙂 The thing to do is to try harder, and to figure out better ways to learn. Not everybody learns and memorizes in the same way.

If you want to learn more, you can do it! Sometimes it will be easy, sometimes it will be hard. A lot of times, it will be hard. But the more you practice studying, the better you will get at it. You will also start to see connections between different things that you learn.
 
In 1 Thessolonians we are told “13 But we would not have you ignorant”. To avoid ignorance we must learn.
 
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