If we see what the Bible teaches but do not do it, we soon lose the power to see the truth. I see this in real life every day. I talk with a shocking number of Christians, who are living in terrible dire circumstances, and are disobeying some of the easiest and simplest principles of Christianity. How do they expect to understand and obey the difficult principles?
While you say, ‘I am rich, I have prospered, and there is nothing that I need’, you have no eyes to see that you are wretched, pitiable, poverty-stricken, blind and naked. (Revelation 3:17)
Jesus told these people to clean the inside of the cup before they worried about the outside. Like Samuel Clemens said, “It ain’t those parts of the Bible that I can’t understand that bother me, it is the parts that I do understand.” Choose something you know you should be doing and start doing it.
I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that I have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life, that thou mayest live, thou and thy seed: (Deuteronomy 30:19)
- Truth obeyed leads to more truth.
- Truth disobeyed destroys the capacity to discover truth.
There must be not only a surrender of the will but specific practical obedience to each new discovery in God’s word:
- Obeying the truth we already see will solve enigmas in the verses we do not yet understand.
- Disobeying the truth we see darkens the whole world of truth. Truth not stood and lived for flees.
Listen and pay attention!
Do not be arrogant, for the LORD has spoken.
Give glory to the LORD your God
before it is too late.
Acknowledge him before he brings darkness upon you,
causing you to stumble and fall on the darkening mountains.
For then, when you look for light,
you will find only terrible darkness and gloom.
And if you still refuse to listen,
I will weep alone because of your pride.
My eyes will overflow with tears,
because the LORD’s flock will be led away into exile. (Jeremiah 13:15-17)