In 1 Corinthians 8:1 Paul says, “Knowledge inflates with pride, but love builds up.” An image that helps me put this verse into perspective is Spongebob Squarepants, or should I say Musclebob Buffpants. In this episode Spongebob purchases inflatable arms to impress people who lift at the beach.

Spongebob is adored by everyone, but there is a problem: he is no stronger than he was before he got the arms. He was all look but no substance.

I was a lot like SpongeBob when I first became a Christian, and am tempted to be that again. I felt a lot of pride in knowing more about God than everybody else. I thought my holiness was based on what I knew. I wanted to show people how “good” of a Christian I was by how well I knew my Bible. The problem was my knowledge didn’t make me love God and people more. I probably looked better than I actually was. And as I’m in grad school learning more about the Bible I have to ask myself, “Am I here to learn a lot and impress people, or am I here to be better equipped to serve the Church and love God more deeply?” If it’s the former I become like SpongeBob, puffing myself up but staying spiritually in the same place. But if it’s the latter, both the Church and my spirit are strengthened.

Consider the Pharisees. They knew more about God’s law than anybody, yet neglected justice, mercy, and faith (Matthew 23:23). Christians, as we strive to know more about God may it not be at the expense of intimately knowing and loving God. As we learn may we not puff ourselves up, thinking we are better because we are aware of theological concepts, but rather strengthen our character and build up the Church as we are conformed to the image of Christ. May God humble us, give us courage to be honest about the state of our hearts, and grant us grace to persevere as we struggle to love Him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.