What is the Key to Maturity?

Tonight I was reading and came to a section in the book Bait of Satan where John Brevere comments that the key for maturing in the Christian walk is obedience, not knowledge of Scripture. He was not saying that knowledge is unnecessary, but only that the key to maturity is obedience.

As I thought about it, I think I understand what he was trying to say, that is, that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). But rather than helping his argument I think he made a fatal flaw and cut the limb upon which he was attempting to make his argument. Obedience is not the key to maturity, knowledge is. Obedience is the fruit of true knowledge. Obedience can never circumvent knowledge, rather it grows out of it. Notice the relationship between obedience and knowledge:

1) Those who do not control their bodies for holiness and honor but disobey through the passions of lust do not know God. Therefor, if one knew God they would obey him and honor him with their body.

For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God (1Thes 4:5)

2) Idolatry is due ignorance of God. Knowledge of God, or rather to be known by God, liberates a man to obey.

Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more? (Gal 4:8-9)

3) Love is the fruit of knowing God. Not to love means not to know him.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. (1 Jn 4:8)

So how do we mature? It is no good just to say ... "Obey God!" That's like telling a blind child, "Read the book!" He cannot read it until his eyes are opened. Even then he must know how to read before he can obey.

Paul's logic is not, "Obey God, and then you will know him," but, "Know God, and then you will obey him." The objection to this is that there are plenty of disobedient people who claim to "know God."

I have two responses: First, I don't think they truly know God, or at least they do not know him as they ought. The unbelieving Gentiles acted in dishonorable ways with their bodies precisely because they did not know God (1 Thes 4:5). Paul exhorts the Ephesians to no longer walk as the Gentiles "in the futility of their minds" (Eph 4:17). he then goes on to explain that this Gentile mindset is because of their ignorance (v18). But the Epesians are different, they have learned Christ and been taught in him (v20-21).

Second, I think that Galatians touches on an important aspect of "knowing God." It is far better to be known by God than to claim to know God. One could claim to know Tiger Woods, but the mark of truth comes when Tiger acknowledges that he knows that person. Jesus comments on this when he speaks of those who will profess to have known him and have even done many great miracles in his name. But Jesus will look at them and say, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness" (Mat 7:23). If they had known Jesus, or rather, had been known by him, they would not have been "workers of lawlessness."

So let us press on to know Him. Let us discard the myth that ignorance is bliss. No, ignorance is slavery. Knowledge of God leads to obedience which is a sign of maturity.