Gospel Knowledge: “He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” Isaiah 53:11. This chapter in Isaiah has long been recognized as one of the clearest testimonies to the sufferings and work of Christ. Every line points to Him, and this verse gathers much of that testimony into a single statement. Yet within it is a phrase that is not without its difficulty: “by his knowledge.” What is meant by this? How are we to understand the “knowledge” that is here connected with justification? In the light of Scripture, and in the context of the gospel, here are some thoughts.
The prophet does not shift the ground of justification from Christ’s work to something taking place in man, as though the “many” are made righteous by acquiring a certain kind of knowledge. This is made clear by the verse itself, which immediately roots their justification in this: “for he shall bear their iniquities.” So whatever is meant by “his knowledge” it must be read in the light of that redemptive work, not as something added to it, but as bound up with the One who has borne sin and justified many. Romans 3:24-25.
Here we must be careful not to read the verse backwards. It does not say that the many are justified because they have come into a certain knowledge, but that their justification stands in the righteous Servant who bears their iniquities. That alone is the ground of it. The knowledge spoken of here, then, is not to be taken narrowly, but more fully, as that acquaintance with Christ by which He is known as He is revealed, and the righteousness He has accomplished is made known. I John 1:2. It’s never a cold or empty thing, as though it amounted to nothing more than agreeing with certain facts or holding the right ideas in the mind. It is not about knowing about Christ but knowing Him as He is made known in the Scriptures. In this way, the apostle speaks when he says, “that I may know him, and the power of his resurrection.” Philippians 3:10.
And how is He made known? Not as One to be weighed at a distance in the mind, but as the One who has borne sin and established righteousness, the One who has actually accomplished what the gospel declares. The knowledge, then, is bound up with Him as He is revealed, not separated from Him as something abstract or detached. It is not that knowledge produces life, but that Christ Himself is life. And for that reason, when He is truly set forth and known, it is never a lifeless thing. It does not leave a man as it finds him, and it is never fruitless. Colossians 1:6.
When someone is brought to see that their sin has been borne, not in theory, but in truth, that the guilt they could never answer for has been answered, and the righteousness they could never produce has been established in Another, they do not walk away from that unchanged. Job 42:5. It reorders everything in light of what they have seen. Luke 5:11. It is not something they just tuck away among other thoughts. It reaches them where it matters most, because it deals with their guilt and righteousness before God. And once seen, it cannot be unseen, for even the little they have been allowed to see leaves no part of them untouched. Seen in this light, the verse remains simple and undivided. Christ bears iniquity, and in that, justifies many. The knowledge spoken of does not add to His work but belongs to Him and to the way He is made known in the Scriptures. And so this knowledge does not terminate in the mind, but in Christ, in whom all is finished, and by whom it is made known. II Corinthians 5:21. MPJ