Receiving the Key of Knowledge

Scripture tells us that receiving the Spirit of Christ into our hearts is the key to unlock and truly understand the scriptures.

By JOSHUA L. BURNS (10/8/25)

Luke 11:52

"Woe to you experts in the law! For you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

Hosea 4:6

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I will also reject you as My priests.

In Jesus’ time the people known as lawyers were the experts on the Mosaic Law. This article will take a quick look at the lawyers of today. Not the experts in civil or criminal law, but the experts on the Bible. We will see what the Key of Knowledge is and exactly how today’s experts have taken it away from great numbers of believers in today’s churches.

Literalism Is The Problem

A great number of bible scholars and teachers tell us that the proper way to understand the Bible is through consistent literal interpretation. This is expressed as The Law of Literal Interpretation. This law would have us always interpret scripture literally wherever possible. It tells us that if the literal sense makes the most sense then seek no other sense.

It is most unusual that there is never any scriptural justification offered for adopting this principle. You will find many reasons offered, and all of them sound logical, but no supporting verses are given. It’s not about what they are telling us to do, but about what this law is telling us not to do! It's telling us not to seek; to seek no other sense and not to seek anything further than the literal meaning of scripture. But is that what God tells us in his Word? It says just the opposite, instructing us to seek long, hard and diligently for the truth. We must seek after wisdom with a passion.

Scriptures on Seeking

Proverbs 2:1-6

My son, if you accept my words and hide my commandments within you, if you incline your ear to wisdom and direct your heart to understanding, if you truly call out to insight and lift your voice to understanding, if you seek it like silver and search it out like hidden treasure, then you will discern the fear of YHWH and discover the knowledge of God. For YHWH gives wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.

Matthew 7:7

Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Luke 11:9

So I tell you: Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.

Psalm 27:4

One thing I have asked of YHWH, that I shall seek: to dwell in the house of YHWH all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of YHWH and seek Him in His temple.

Jeremiah 33:3

Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.

Proverbs 3:5

Trust in YHWH with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding.

The Key of Knowledge

It’s a simple matter to under stand what all these scriptures are getting at. We could write several more pages analyzing these verses, but it’s pretty plain what they mean. The Key of Knowledge is to seek for it. But here we are being told by supposed experts not to seek after wisdom and knowledge. And this is exactly how the Law of literal interpretation takes away the Key of Knowledge, by teaching us not to seek for it. So the ‘lawyers' who teach literalism today are just like the ones in Jesus’ day. They do not acquire any knowledge for themselves, and they hinder those who would seek after it.

Colossians 2:2-3

That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ;
In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Hidden in Christ, who is the Word of God, are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. This means that deep revelation, rich understanding, and mature insight await all those who seek after it in the Word. The Bible instructs us to seek after it, but the Literalist says to not bother looking, as for him the literal meaning is all there is.

1 Corinthians 8:2

And if any man thinks that he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he ought to know.

So keep on seeking Christ, our key to the knowledge of God.