The knowledge spoken of in 1:5 is the full knowledge of God and of our Lord.

[jidong xiao]

彼后一章五节里所说到的知识，是对神和我们主的充分认识。我们需要充分认识的，不是未经过过程的神，“生的”神，乃是经过过程的神。“经过过程的神”是指那藉着成为肉体来作人，在地上生活三十三年半，死在十字架上，并且埋葬，复活，升到诸天之上的神。成为肉体、人性生活、钉十字架、复活并升天，都是漫长过程的一部分。因为基督经过了这样的过程，祂就不再仅仅是带着神性元素的神；祂也是带着人性元素的人。我们的主是神而人者，兼有神性和人性。不仅如此，祂也包括人性生活、祂包罗万有之死、和祂分赐生命之复活的元素。这样关于经过过程之神的话，对那些只肤浅认识主话的人，听来也许很生疏、奇特。但照着彼得在一章五节所说的，我们需要在我们的美德上，充足的供应对神的充分认识。

信徒若没有正确的知识，如何能有一章五至七节所描述的发展？没有对神的充分认识，就不可能有这发展。有些信徒几乎没有任何发展。他们甚至没有充分领悟同样宝贵的信，不知道这信就是他们里面包罗万有的种子。他们从未听过这种教训。他们的知识不在这条线上，反而联于肤浅的宗教领会。

The knowledge spoken of in 1:5 is the full knowledge of God and of our Lord. We need a full knowledge not of the unprocessed God, the "raw" God, but of the processed God. The expression "processed God" refers to the God who became a man through incarnation, who lived on earth for thirty-three and a half years, who died on the cross and was buried, who was resurrected, and who has ascended to the heavens. Incarnation, human living, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension are all a part of a long process. Because Christ has passed through such a process, no longer is He merely God with the element of divinity; He is also man with the element of humanity. Our Lord is both God and man. He has both the divine nature and the human nature. Moreover, He also includes the elements of human living, His all-inclusive death, and His life-imparting resurrection. Such a word concerning the processed God may sound alien or strange to those who have only a superficial knowledge of the Word. But according to what Peter says in 1:5, we need to supply bountifully in our virtue the full knowledge of God. 

If believers do not have the proper knowledge, how can they have the development described in 1:5-7? It is not possible to have this development apart from the full knowledge of God. With some believers there is hardly any development. They may not even have a full realization concerning the like precious faith, not knowing that this faith is the all-inclusive seed within them. They have never heard this kind of teaching. Their knowledge is not on this line, but is related instead to a superficial religious understanding.