"Teach me, O Lord, the way of Thy statutes; And I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep Thy law; Yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.” (Psalm 119:33-34)
It goes without saying that obedience to God's Word is impossible for those who are unaware of what it has to say. Aside from the basic law of God which is written in the heart (Rom. 2:15), the "special revelation" from God that is found in Scripture must be intentionally studied before it can be obeyed (Rom. 10:14-17). Simply put, conformity to the image of Christ does not happen by accident; it is always the result of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of a believer (Gal. 5:22-23), as well as the believer's own diligence in studying the Word of God and doing his best to be a doer of the Word, and not a hearer only (Jam. 1:22). I believe this principle of knowledge preceding obedience goes a long way in explaining our culture's obvious downward spiral into sin, and its general disinterest in spiritual things. To put it bluntly, most Americans are Biblically illiterate. Here are a few statistics I came across recently that I believe illustrate this point:
- Fewer than half of all adults can name all four Gospels.
- 60% of Americans can't name even five of the Ten Commandments.
- 12% of adults believe Joan of Arc was Noah's wife.
- More than 50% of graduating high school seniors believe Sodom and Gomorrah were husband and wife.
As alarming as these numbers are, what's even more distressing is that professing Christians did little better when asked many of the same questions. While 82% of all Americans believe "God helps those who help themselves" is a Bible verse, those who identified themselves as born-again believers did better by just 1%. The problem isn't just that most people are unable to name more than two or three of Jesus' disciples; it's that the Christians of our society are often unable to shed any light on these issues themselves. This is where systematic Scripture memorization comes into play. The wisdom of Proverbs must be mined for by actually reading and memorizing those invaluable passages. The comfort of the Psalms and the Gospel of the New Testament must be purposefully studied before their value can begin to be understood. Just as Paul said that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17), Christian obedience is only possible to the extent that we are aware of what God has to say - information that can only be found in the Scriptures, and that can only be constantly retained through memorization.
FAQs
Hebrews 5:8–9, “Although he was a son” — although Jesus was the Son of God — “he learned obedience” — catch that phrase — “he learned obedience through what he suffered. And being made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.”
What is the explanation of Philippians 2 8? ›
"He humbled Himself by becoming obedient"—Christ's humility and obedience is shown in His willingness to do His Father's will at all times. "obedient to the point of death"—The depth of Christ's humility is displayed in His obedience even as it leads to His death.
What does Hebrews 5 9 mean? ›
The prior verse explained that Jesus "learned" obedience, which also should be understood as a focus more on experience than on knowledge. Here, it is said that Jesus was "made perfect." The term "perfect," in most biblical contexts, carries the idea of completion or maturity.
What is the meaning of Deuteronomy 28 1 14? ›
In Deuteronomy 28:1-14 Moses lays out the blessings for obeying God. All of these blessings point to the greater realities of the blessings of the new heavens and the new earth, and though obedience in no way contributes to one's merit before God, it is necessary to obtain the blessing.
What is the commentary on Hebrews 5 7 and 8? ›
Hebrews 5:7-9 expands on Jesus' dual identities as Son of God and High Priest. Part of Jesus' priestly service involved offering up prayers and supplications while identifying fully with humanity (5:7a; note how the technical term “offer up” was also used in 5:1,3 in connection to human priestly service).
What does Hebrews 5 teach us? ›
For the sake of Jewish Christians, in particular, the author explains that Christ is superior to all other figures, and His covenant is superior to all other relationships. Chapter 5 continues the point made in chapter 4, that Christ's humanity makes Him a uniquely qualified High Priest.
What is Ephesians 2 8? ›
“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8). Salvation is a gift from God.
What is the message version of Philippians 2 5 8? ›
Think of yourselves the way Christ Jesus thought of himself. He had equal status with God but didn't think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what.
What is Romans 8 34? ›
Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.
What is Romans 3 23? ›
23 for fall have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 gand are justified hby his grace as a gift, ithrough the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God jput forward as ka propitiation lby his blood, to be received by faith.
8 Though he was God's Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. 9 Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, 10 he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him.
How did Jesus learn obedience? ›
“Although he was a son, he learned obedience through what he suffered” (Heb. 5:8). Yesterday we saw how, in God's plan of redemption, it was necessary that the Son become the High Priest (Heb. 5:5–6).
What is Psalm 95 vs 1 to 11? ›
O come, let us sing unto the LORD: Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, And make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the LORD is a great God, And a great King above all gods.
What is Deuteronomy 20 4? ›
For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”
What is the meaning of John 14 23 24? ›
Jesus' death is imminent, but his concern is for the disciples rather than himself. He reassures them that they will not be alone, and promises them peace. He offers hope not only to his immediate disciples but also to all who love him and keep his word (v. 23).
What is the Hebrews 5 8 sermon? ›
It is hard to fathom, but even the incarnate Son of God learned and grew through the heartaches He suffered (Hebrews 5:8). As we think about His sorrow and His concern for our sorrow, we gain a better appreciation for what God is trying to accomplish in us through the grief we bear.
What does Hebrews 5 8 KJV mean? ›
Christ's sonship did not exempt him from obedience and sufferings; this shows the dignity of Christ's person, that he is the Son of God, not as Mediator, for as such he is a servant; and it would be no wonder that he should learn obedience as a servant; and this shows also the great humility and condescension of Christ ...
What does God mean by being sober-minded? ›
Sober-mindedness, according to Peter, means living with a single-minded focus. What is that focus? “Being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” It means this; sober-mindedness is living with eternity in view.
What does it mean to learn obedience through suffering? ›
He says that when the Bible speaks of Christ learning obedience it is talking about experiencing obedience. According to Owen: “One special kind of obedience is intended here, namely a submission to great, hard, and terrible things, accompanied by patience and quiet endurance, and faith for deliverance from them.
