I
was sitting in the caff one day with a young woman, when out of the
blue she blurted “I don’t think adultery is wrong!” I think she
was hitting on me! I looked her non-judgementally in the eye and
gently replied “That’s because you want to do it.” She brought
her hand up to cover her mouth, not quite quickly enough to hide her
‘guilty as charged’ smile. There's an interesting connection
between the knowledge of God and obedience to His Word. In Romans
1:18 we read that we suppress the truth in unrighteousness. Well,
nobody wants to think of themselves as a villain, and if you want
to commit adultery, but God says it’s wrong (Exodus 20:14), then
, either the adultery will have to go, or your faith in God.
It
works both positively and negatively. In particular Jesus tells us
“If anyone is willing to do His will, he will know of the teaching,
whether it is of God or whether I speak from Myself” (John 7:17
NASB). This positive aspect of knowing is progressive (it grows),
as can seen in the Greek tenses of John 8:31, 32. Emphasizing the
force of these tenses, these verses can be translated as “If
you continue in my Word, you will progressively know the truth, and
the truth will progressively set you free.” The Amplified Bible,
expands the word translated ‘continue,’ with “hold fast to My
teachings and live in accordance with them.” And as we have been
saying, Biblical knowing is not just knowing statements about the
truth, it's about encounter, experiencing Jesus, who is the living
Truth (John 14:6). It's revelation truth, truth that comes with the
Grace that enables, that gives us the wherewithal to embrace and obey
the truth that is being unveiled. It even changes our wrong desires
(Philippians 2:13).
These
things are not obtained without our full surrender and obedience
however. In Romans 12:1, 2 we read “I beseech you therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable
service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by
the renewing of your mind.” Being conformed to the World is
lawlessness. In particular “Whoever commits sin also commits
lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness” (1 John 3:4). On the other
hand full surrender and obedience to His Word, is our part in the
transformation of our minds. And the fact of the matter is, that we
are either growing in obedience and in the grace and knowledge of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18) who is the Truth, or
we are being given over to a reprobate mind (Romans 1:28).
Father,
there is such lawlessness and apathy among those of us who say that
we belong to You. I fear that many of us are deceived. Lord I do not
want, on that day, to hear from You the words “Depart from Me you
workers of iniquity, I never knew you” (Matthew 7:23). Open our
eyes Lord to see that if we are not on fire for You, then our
testimony to this wicked and hurting World that is going to hell in a
hand-basket, will mean nothing. Only You Lord can keep us close to
the flame, but You will only do Your part if we do ours. Thank You
Lord that You help us even in this, when we are willing, and when we
repent. Thank You Lord in Jesus Name Amen
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