“To Will and To Do”
Monday, June 24, 2019
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12–13
Time and again, the Scriptures instruct us to study and memorize and meditate on the Word of God and to be faithfully hearing it taught and preached. We must obey those commands. But we must also remember that the purpose of learning the Bible is not primarily to know more, but to do more. Dr. George Truett said, “To know the will of God is our greatest knowledge; to do the will of God is our greatest challenge.”
We see this principle in practice in the life of Jesus. He was not content with merely knowing what was right, but instead set an example of living what was right. The writer of Hebrews describes the motivation of Jesus this way: “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9). When Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized, John realized that Jesus was above Him and protested that he was not worthy to baptize the Lord. Yet Jesus insisted. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him” (Matthew 3:15).
The temptation to think that we are growing in grace because we are growing in knowledge is very real. However, we only grow in grace when we put into practice what we know. Reading every book available about lifting weights, running, and other exercises does nothing to improve our health. It is only when we actually do what we have learned that we benefit.
“Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.”
Philippians 2:12–13
Time and again, the Scriptures instruct us to study and memorize and meditate on the Word of God and to be faithfully hearing it taught and preached. We must obey those commands. But we must also remember that the purpose of learning the Bible is not primarily to know more, but to do more. Dr. George Truett said, “To know the will of God is our greatest knowledge; to do the will of God is our greatest challenge.”
We see this principle in practice in the life of Jesus. He was not content with merely knowing what was right, but instead set an example of living what was right. The writer of Hebrews describes the motivation of Jesus this way: “Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second” (Hebrews 10:9). When Jesus went to John the Baptist to be baptized, John realized that Jesus was above Him and protested that he was not worthy to baptize the Lord. Yet Jesus insisted. “And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him” (Matthew 3:15).
The temptation to think that we are growing in grace because we are growing in knowledge is very real. However, we only grow in grace when we put into practice what we know. Reading every book available about lifting weights, running, and other exercises does nothing to improve our health. It is only when we actually do what we have learned that we benefit.
Today's Growth Principle:
We must apply the truths of Scripture that we know in order to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.
We must apply the truths of Scripture that we know in order to fulfill God’s purpose for our lives.
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