“If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17)
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (James 1:22)
“But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” (James 1:25)
As Christians, we must understand the all-important truth that God’s will for us is not to merely know His Word, but to really obey it. The reason why we acquire knowledge of the Word of God is that we may be clear about what God requires of us in the first instance, and then make personal choices to willingly add obedience to the knowledge that we have acquired. In short, God doesn’t want us to camp at the place of knowledge, He wants us to move on to the place of obedience!
The three scriptures quoted above (John 13:17, James 1:22, James 1:25) clearly emphasise the need for us to not merely hear or know God’s Word, but to be doers of it as well. Obedience is what really pleases God, not ordinary knowledge of His Word. In fact, obedience is what God has always required of man right from the beginning. It was what God required of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it is what He still requires of every one of us today.
Blessing is in Obedience to God
Jesus said, “If ye know these things, HAPPY are ye if ye do them.” (John 13:17)
The word translated HAPPY in the above verse of scripture literally means BLESSED. Therefore, Jesus is clearly revealing to us therein that blessing comes from doing rather than mere knowing. In other words, we need to add obedience to our knowledge if we want to experience the blessings that we desire from God! Ordinary knowledge of God’s Word is not sufficient!
The Bible also says, “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a DOER of the work, this man shall be BLESSED in his deed.” (James 1:25). In other words, it is specifically the man who is doing (obeying) the Word of God who shall be blessed!
Also, the truth about obedience being the key to receiving God’s blessings is clearly revealed in Deuteronomy 28:1-14 where all the blessings listed are conditioned upon “if thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe and to do all his commandments which I command thee this day…” as stated in verse 1.
Wisdom is in Obedience to God
Jesus said, “Therefore whosoever HEARETH these sayings of mine, and DOETH them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: 25 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.” (Matthew 7:24-25).
This clearly shows that obedience to the Word of God is the basis of the all-important wisdom that we need to help us live a stable, victorious and successful life. The man who hears (i.e. knows) and does God’s Word is the one who is truly wise. In contrast, the man who hears (i.e. knows) but doesn’t do God’s Word is foolish (Matthew 7:26-27). And as the Bible says in Proverbs 4:7, “wisdom is the principal thing” to get for successful living in this world!
Prosperity is in Obedience to God
God said to Joshua, “This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest OBSERVE TO DO according to all that is written therein: FOR THEN THOU SHALT MAKE THY WAY PROSPEROUS, and then thou shalt have good success.” (Joshua 1:8).
This clearly shows that in order to prosper and succeed in all endeavours of life, we need to cultivate a lifestyle of obedience to the Word of God. True and lasting prosperity comes from God alone! Every other source of prosperity apart from God will eventually lead to failure, sorrow and destruction (Psalm 73:12, 17-19). It is the blessing that comes from God that genuinely enriches without any form of sorrow or regret (Proverbs 10:22).
Justification is in Obedience to God
Paul said, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” (Romans 2:13)
The word translated JUST or JUSTIFIED in the above verse of scripture means to be RIGHT or APPROVED in God’s sight.
Therefore, if we truly want our ways to meet with God’s approval, we need to live in obedience to His Word!
How to Move from Knowledge to Obedience
1. Be willing to make the move and choose to do so.
Firstly, personal willingness is required because without it you cannot obey God. This is why the Bible says, “If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land.” (Isaiah 1:19). Secondly, personal choice is necessary because God never forces us to obey Him. He has given us a free will to make personal choices. This is why God said to the Israelites, “I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.” (Deuteronomy 30:19).
2. Humbly pray, asking God for GRACE.
The fundamental truth is that if we are to walk in the Spirit and obey God rather than walk in the flesh and disobey Him (Galatians 5:16), we need the grace of God to help us. This is because there is a weakness in our flesh that only God can help us overcome. Jesus said, “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). And according to 2 Corinthians 12:9, the Grace of God is sufficient to help us overcome our weaknesses in the flesh. Therefore, if we humbly surrender to God in prayer and ask for His Grace to help us in obeying His Word, He will be able to have access to “work in us both to will and to do of His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
