WHAT IS EPIGNOSIS?

The morning air probably brought chills across my chubby checks, air drifted across the big hall, hanging between the trusses of the building was a big black bird that had nested there for a while, the palm trees lined outside the building engaged in a romantic dance, the wind breezed through unabated, the paint on some parts of the room was angrily parting ways with the plaster, the white plastic chairs arranged in a neat pattern protested silently as they endured the morning breeze, when the security checkpoints fang open, swarms of people burst forth into the rectangular building, there was no burgundy bricks but a mixture of monolith and steel, you would have a feeling the windows hadn’t been opened in weeks, the glazes were fuzzy. 

As you enter through any of the five entrances, the smartly dressed ushers would smile at you and some generous ones give you a warm embrace. In no seconds, a well-trimmed man suddenly appears on the dark and white patched stage, his job would be to welcome everybody and speak in tongues for a few minutes, when the room burst into tongues, you could mistake the church for peters upper chamber, there seemed not any man who wouldn’t bubble in unknown tongues,  shortly the choir had been ushered in and was singing one of the most bespoke Christian music you could ever find, a lady with a dark complexion played the guitar while a very energetic young man, well into his 20s played the drums, he hit them so hard that you couldn’t know there was a man playing a saxophone.  When the preacher took to the stage, he spoke very articulately and expounded on a greater dimension of knowledge unbeknownst to me, while he uttered one word that had never been heard by my indigenous acoustic meatus, the word epignosis.

What exactly is Epignosis?

Epignosis (pronounced e-pē’-gnō-sēs) is a compound Greek word from EPI (meaning - upon) and GINOSIS (meaning - knowledge). Thus, "upon knowledge" .This word family occurs 62 times in the New Testament. The verb (EPIGNOSKO) occurs 42 times while the noun (EPIGNOSIS) occurs 20 times. [Credit: https://epignosisministries.wordpress.com/what-is-epignosis/]

It differs in use from other words translated “knowledge” (gnosis, ginosko, etc.). Epignosis refers to ethical and divine knowledge of God, which is precise and correct. Paul writes to the church in Philippians praying that the Philippians’ love may abound more and more IN precise and correct knowledge and in all judgment.

“And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;” (Philippians 1:9)

Again, in Colossians 3:10, Paul tells us that the new man who believers put on is renewed IN precise and correct knowledge after the image of the creator God.

“And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:” (Colossians 3:10)

In writing to the church in Ephesus, Paul prays that God the Father of glory, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, give the Ephesian Christians the spirit of wisdom and revelation IN the precise and correct knowledge of Himself.

“That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:” (Ephesians 1:17)

Knowledge is multi-dimensional in Greek and it is defined as Epignosis, Epiginosko or ginosko; Epignosko “denotes (a) “to observe, fully perceive, notice attentively, discern, recognize” and “suggests generally a directive, a more special, recognition of the object “known” than does ginosko; it also may suggest advanced “knowledge” or special appreciation; thus, in Rom. 1:32, “knowing the ordinance of God” (epiginosko) means “knowing full well,” whereas in Rom. 1:21 “knowing God” (ginosko) simply suggests that they could not avoid the perception. Sometimes epiginosko implies a special participation in the object “known,” and gives greater weight to what is stated; thus in John 8:32, “ye shall know the truth,” ginosko is used, whereas in 1 Tim. 4:3, “them that believe and know the truth,” epiginosko lays stress on participation in the truth.”

Epignosis is completely superior to these types of knowledge. The next time you want to execute a decision, idea, concept, weigh it against knowledge which is Epignosis, you will move very fast. You will do in one year what it takes other men 20 years to do.