The House (simple) Church (planting) Project blog…exploring structure in a postmodern world
27 Feb
This morning I was continuing on my journey through the “Purple Book,” and I will now, from time to time, share my thoughts on my morning devotionals. The Scripture that hit me today was John 8:31:
“If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” (NIV)
The NASB says, “if you continue in my Word…”
The Message says, “If you stick with this, living out what I tell you…”
Basically, the word for “hold, continue, stick with this” in the Greek means to, “remain, abide, stay”. It connotes holding onto and not letting go, living in a place for a while.
What struck me is that the obedience comes before the freedom. Often times we want God to explain why we should do something before we do it. This passage shows us that God works the opposite way: First we obey, then we understand the reason for obeying. I guess this is why we walk by faith, not by sight.
God is telling us that if we abide in His teaching, then we will “know the truth.” Abiding comes up in an explanatory passage in James 1:22-25:
“Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this (abides by this (NASB)), not forgetting what he has herd, but doing it–he will be blessed in what he does.”
So here this passage in James mimics the teaching of Jesus, If we continue to act (obey, abide, hold to, stick with) on Gods word, THEN we will know this truth. We will know it because we will have lived it out, and by doing it, it will set us free.
For God to set us free from our old mindsets, we have to obey Gods word in faith. Then we have to hold in our obedience. Eventually, God reveal the “why?” behind his truth…
And we will have new liberty to live in.
“So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit.”Gal 6:9 (MSG)
4 Responses for "Obey First, Understand Later"
I think you make a solid point on freedom and its association with obedience. I point to John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Because He is the Truth we not only need to abide to his teachings but that if we do we will know the truth, thereby knowing Him. I prefer not to look at our relationship with Christ in the linear perspective but rather in the round. We follow him, we know Him, we know truth and because we know truth we continue to follow Him and to know Him and to know truth which causes us to………..
It just struck me as interesting. I think when you come to Christ (salvation) you have to trust in Christ before the Holy Spirit really hits you.
I wish I thought more in the round. I think I need to become Asian for a bit!
Thanks for commenting!
More asian. hahhh. That is funny. Maybe true though. I think our culture thinks so linearly that we forget the roundness and evolution of all things. I agree with you. You must first trust in Christ before He will fully release the Holy Spirit on you. I don’t think it is because you need to prove yourself to Him but more of because in the words of Jack-O….”[we] can’t handle the truth.” Man, could you imagine not being sold out to Christ and having the majesty of the Holy Spirit unleashed on you? It would be something else, for sure.
I am looking for the place where Jesus says in effect, “If you want to know whether what I’m teaching is true or not, do it” I’ve google searched every combination I can think of and haven’t found it. anybody know?
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