Seek Knowledge for the Benefit of Your Souls

What is your motivation to know truth? To some, the secret motive to know a lot is to be honored by people as smart. To others, knowledge is only pursued in order to debate and correct others. The Christian is to pursue knowledge for the benefit of the soul and to practice biblically wise living. Jonathan Edwards has a good thought on this:

"Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice.—If applause be your end, you will not be so likely to be led to the knowledge of the truth, but may justly, as often is the case of those who are proud of their knowledge, be led into error to your own perdition. This being your end, if you should obtain much rational knowledge, it would not be likely to be of any benefit to you, but would puff you up with pride: I Corinthians 8:1 'Knowledge puffeth up.'"