Judging in the Light of Scripture

How many times have we heard others say, “Judge not, that you be not judged, (Matthew 7:1), making it sound as if we won’t have to stand in judgment ourselves if we do not judge others. However, this is not what this verse means. Ecclesiastes 3:17 reads, “God will judge the righteous and the wicked, for there is a time for every matter and for every work.”

Matthew 7:3-5 goes on to say, “Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye.” In other words, we will be guilty of hypocrisy if we even attempt to deal with a ‘brother’ or ‘sister’s’ transgression- IF we are in unrepentant sin ourselves.

Matthew 7:6 tells us “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.” Jesus makes it clear in this verse that shortly follows verse 1 that says “Do not judge, that you be not judged,”- that we must make a judgment on those who would be considered ‘dogs’ or ‘swine’ that we need to beware of.

Jesus said,”The one who rejects me and does not receive my words has a judge; the word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak” (John 12:48-49).

In other words, we will all be judged by the word of God, “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). We cannot judge another person’s heart, “Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1 Corinthians 4:5). However, we are to judge clear violations of the commands of God’s law.

John 7:24 tells us, “Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment.” We can judge (in the sense of determining whether an action is right or wrong) only in the light of scripture, not according to what we ‘think’, or how things may appear to be, but only with right judgment according to the truth of God’s word and knowledge of His law.Matthew 7:15-16 tells us to “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will recognize them by their fruits.” 

 In 2 Corinthians 13:5 we are told to, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you fail to meet the test” (2 Corinthians 13:5)! Jesus said, “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it” (Matthew 7:25-27).

Our desire should be to act out of love for others with the desire to see them follow after Christ, and so our judging must be done in the light of this, in order to steer others toward obedience to scripture’s teaching, so that they would become more and more like Christ. This is the way God judges us, and this is how we should want others to judge us as well, “For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you” (Matthew 7:2). When we fail to judge according to the truth of scripture’s teaching, we fail to display a true Christ-like love to others.

Discipline versus Punishment

From a worldly perspective there is really no difference between the following two terms; discipline and punishment. If we look up the word punishment, it is defined as “the infliction or imposition of a penalty as retribution for an offense.” The definition of discipline is “the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behavior, using punishment to correct disobedience.” In other words, one is punished because they have caused an offense by failing to follow rules or a code of behavior as set forth by the one offended. However, from a biblical perspective there is a vast difference between discipline and punishment. Punishment is still the infliction of a penalty as retribution for an offense- which amounts to God’s wrath against sin, however, discipline is the training of one to be a disciple. The correct definition of the word discipline does not involve punishment. If we are being disciplined by God, it is in order to train us toward being a better disciple of Christ. If we think, as children of our Heavenly Father, that we can still be punished for our sins, then we are in grave error.

God’s word tells us that, “….. God is love” (1 John 4:8b). It also tells us that, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear, fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love, (1 John 4:18). We are not understanding the perfect love of God if we believe we can still be punished for our sins.

IF we have truly been ‘born again’ into God’s family, Christ has already paid the full punishment (that being the wrath of God) for all of our sins, “but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God” (Romans 5:8-9). A righteous and just God will not require the suffering of added punishment on top of Christ’s atoning work.

We should, however, understand that there are always consequences suffered to sin. We may experience many hardships and dire consequences due to our disobedience to our Father’s commands. King David can attest to this. When Nathan confronted David he said to him, “Why have you despised the word of the Lord, to do what is evil in his sight? You have struck down Uriah the Hittite with the sword and have taken his wife to be your wife and have killed him with the sword of the Ammonites” (2 Samuel 12:9). Then he told David what the consequences would be to his transgressions, “Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the Lord, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house” (vss. 10-11); “because by this deed you have utterly scorned the Lord, the child who is born to you shall die” (2 Samuel 12: 14).

If we are living in unrepentant sin, God may allow difficulties into our lives in order to steer us back to Him and obedience to His word, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons, (Hebrews 12:6-8). The longer we fail to seek God through His word and an exercising of our wills toward obedience to that Word, the more and greater consequences we may have to suffer. If we continue to live in disobedience and fail to repent, we are giving evidence to show that we are not true sons of God.

In John 3:36 we are told, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Ephesians 5:5-6 gives this warning, “For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.” “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth” (Romans 1:18). These verses speak of God’s punishment toward those who fail to come to repentance.

Thankfully, Jesus intercedes for His own, praying to the Father, “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth” (John 17:17). If we are not understanding that, “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11), then perhaps we do not have the assurance that we are indeed sons of God, nor “that in all things God works for the good of those who love him who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Let us be mindful of the following verses in Revelation 3:13, 19, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches,…..Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent.” In displaying a Godly repentance, we show that we are not illegitimate sons who will suffer God’s punishment for their unrighteous deeds. Praise God that those who are true sons “are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,”(Romans 3:24).

Deceivers and Deceived suffer the same Consequences

Due to my recent scripture reading, I’ve been thinking on the fact that not only those who deceive others will suffer the consequences to their wrong actions, but those who are being deceived themselves will also suffer those same consequences.

In 2 Peter 2 verses 1-3 we read; “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction. And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed. And in their greed they will exploit you with false words. Their condemnation from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

2 Peter 2:10-13 and 15 reads, “Bold and willful, they do not tremble as they blaspheme the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a blasphemous judgment against them before the Lord. But these, like irrational animals, creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed, blaspheming about matters of which they are ignorant, will also be destroyed in their destruction, suffering wrong as the wage for their wrongdoing. They count it pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, while they feast with you….. Forsaking the right way, they have gone astray.”

In 2 Peter 2:17-19 we read more of the fate of these deceivers,“These are waterless springs and mists driven by a storm. For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved. For, speaking loud boasts of folly, they entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error. They promise them freedom, but they themselves are slaves of corruption. For whatever overcomes a person, to that he is enslaved.”

False teachers promise great things to those they deceive, but those promises will never be fulfilled because they serve the Father of lies, “You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). The fate of those who are deceived will be the same as that of the deceivers (who for the most part are religious leaders). In Matthew 23:15 we read, “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than yourselves,” and 2 John 9-11 reads, “Everyone who goes on ahead and does not abide in the teaching of Christ, does not have God. Whoever abides in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house or give him any greeting, for whoever greets him takes part in his wicked works.” 

 

Only those who serve the living God of the Bible can be assured of fulfilled promises. As those who “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;” (Titus 1:2), we know from history that, “Not one word of all the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of Israel had failed; all came to pass” (Joshua 21:45); “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Pray we not suffer the fate of the deceivers or the deceived who serve the Father of lies. Rather may we be found to serve the true and living God of the Bible who cannot lie and is working through all things for the good of those who love Him. Deuteronomy 10:12 reads, “.. what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good”?

Appearances Can Be Deceiving

I have been thinking on how deceiving appearances can be.. This is why we must be very careful not to make rash judgments. Often times we may find ourselves thinking one way of a person only to find out later how very wrong we had been in our judgment. I know I have been guilty of wrongly judging others- both ways. I have made the assumption that one was a sincere and dedicated Christian only to find out down the road that I had been very wrong, due to that one turning from the faith. I have also made a false judgment of one due to a misunderstanding, that this person couldn’t be a genuine believer, only to be (seemingly) proven wrong- again. Even though we cannot judge another’s heart, we can judge the fruit that we see. God alone knows the hearts of men, and He alone will judge those hearts aright, “It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God” (1 Corinthians 4:4-5).

One can appear to be living a faithful and dedicated Christian life, when that one’s heart may in actuality be far from God. How can this be? It doesn't matter how diligent we may be as far as church attendance and so on- if our thought life is contrary to scripture's teaching, we are living in rebellion. Those 'off track' thoughts will eventually reveal themselves through actions that are 'off track'. Luke 6:45 reads, “The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks.” Considering the fact that God alone is good, the only good we can do is the good that He produces in and through us. This does not refer to simply moral acts of ‘goodness’, but rather actions that come through the motivation to please God and glorify Him through obedience to His word.

If a person has not been truly born again of the Spirit, this will become apparent through various things within one’s life. It will become apparent in the kind of music one listens to, the kind of programs one watches and the kind of books one reads,(plus negligence in reading the most important book, the Bible). It will also show itself in the kind of company one desires to keep. If these things lead that one away from following our Lord’s commands, this would be a good indication that person is rebelling against those commands within his/her heart. One doesn’t totally rebel all at once; to begin with a person will start to slowly turn from doing what they know is right to things that may appear harmless at the time. However, the farther one strays- the harder that heart will become to the things of the Lord- until it may become so hardened a person turns completely away from following Him. We must be mindful of the following verse, “The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you” (2 Chronicles 15:2b). How can we reconcile this verse with the following, where the writer says, “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5) I believe both verses to be true. It is true that the LORD will never forsake those who belong to Him, but if someone is deceiving themselves and others with a false profession and this deception becomes apparent when that person turns his/her back on one’s faith, that is a good indication that they did not possess a saving faith to begin with, and they are in need of repentance and a true turning to the Lord, for in James 4:8 we read, “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.”

God is faithful and will do all He says. We are 100% responsible for our actions and must turn to Him in obedience if we would desire to have Him always near us. Deuteronomy 4:29 reads,“seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.” 1 Chronicles 16:11 admonishes us to, “Seek the Lord and his strength; seek his presence continually”! If we are not truly seeking God through the study of His word and prayer, as well as striving to live in obedience to His word, we are deceiving ourselves if we think we are genuine in the faith, but God is not deceived. He alone knows the truth of the matter, “For I know their works and their thoughts...” (Isaiah 66:18). He will truly judge the hearts of all men, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience. For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account” (Hebrews 4:11-13).

Not Merely Hearers- But Doers of the Word

I have been thinking on the following comment made by a well-known preacher in a recent sermon. He made the statement that “God preserves those who persevere.” I found that statement very helpful. It brings out the importance of understanding not only God’s sovereignty in our salvation, but our responsibility as well. While it is true that we have no part to play in attaining our salvation, it is also true that once we have experienced salvation (that comes from trusting in Christ’s righteousness alone), we are 100 % responsible for our actions. James 1:22-25 admonishes us with the following words, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be *blessed in his doing” (James 1:22-25). *meaning spiritually

Many people who believe themselves to be Christians are hearers of God’s word, but fail to be doers of it. Scripture clearly teaches that “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness,’” (Matthew 7:21-23).

How can we know that we are truly doers of the Word, and not merely hearers? I believe the following statement best describes how we can know if we are truly saved by grace, "The Holy Spirit testifies to us as we see increasingly His work of transforming us into the image of Christ." Our Lord’s words as found in John 14:16-17 read as follows, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you, (John 14:16-17). If the Holy Spirit truly dwells within us, we will know it. Romans 8:16-17 reads, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.”

Children of God are also marked by suffering, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,” (2 Timothy 3:12). This kind of suffering (or persecution) is a means God uses to transform us into the image of Christ. In 1 Peter 2:20-21 we read, “For what credit is it if, when you sin and are beaten for it, you endure? But if when you do good and suffer for it you endure, this is a gracious thing in the sight of God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps.” Even though we may not suffer physically for the cause of Christ, we will no doubt suffer emotional and perhaps even spiritual abuse as we strive to live in obedience to God’s commands.

Even though we can expect suffering if we are in the faith, it will still be our desire and delight to live in obedience to our Lord’s commands, “For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3). Jesus’ words in John 15:19 read as follows, “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love” (John 15:9-10).

Obedience in our walk of faith is essential. James says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead....For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead” (James 2:14-17, 26). So, let us truly be doers of the word and not hearers only, “For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Romans 2:13).

Prosperity now or Comfort for Eternity

I have been thinking on the parable of Lazarus and the rich man. “There was a rich man who was clothed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. And at his gate was laid a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who desired to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Moreover, even the dogs came and licked his sores” (Luke 16:20-21). If one were to stop reading here they would likely think that the rich man was far better off than Lazarus. What we need to realize in such circumstances is that the one who is poor, or sickly or struggling in some way may be far better off than the one who (from an outward appearance) is living his/her best life now.

If we are professing Christians, we need to understand that all of life’s trials are for the purpose of our sanctification. The hope that we have in this life is an eternal one, not one for prosperity and ease in the here and now. In Hebrews 3: 3-5 we are admonished to “Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him.” In our struggles against sin, we must understand that all the troubles and trials we undergo- no matter how big or small, are for the purpose of making us more and more like Christ. Our Heavenly Father is disciplining us. Too many times we think of discipline as punishment. Since the time of public education, the word discipline became associated with punishment. Discipline is not punishment. The definition of discipline according to the 1604 edition of the Robert Cawdrey dictionary meant simply “instruction or training up” and the definition of disciple was “scholar.”Just as Jesus instructed his disciples, disciplining them through his word, (never punishing them), so too are we disciplined through our Lord’s instructions, “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, ” (Hebrews 12:6 (a)). “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love” (1 John 4:18).

If we are truly born again, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16-17).

Reading on in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus we discover the truth of who was really better off in the end, “The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried, and in Hades, being in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in anguish in this flame.’ But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here, and you are in anguish” (verses 22-25). We should never wish for our best life now, we just might get it.

Thankfully, if we are in Christ, we need not fear eternal punishment,“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works” (Titus 2:11-14).

If we suffer in this lifetime, we should not be surprised nor discouraged, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us” (Romans 8:18). Praise God for our “hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began” (Titus 1:2).

Tranforming our Minds- In the Light of Scripture

We can be quite the creatures of habit, can't we? How many of us, after moving a piece of furniture that has been in the same location for some time, find ourselves going to the former location of that furnishing expecting to find it there? We do this out of habit for awhile until we get used to going to its new spot. I don't know how many times my family went to the original location of the garbage can (after I moved it) until we finally had ourselves trained to take a different path in order to get to where we needed in order to put the garbage in the can.

This little scenario made me think on how important it is that we steer clear of paths we used to follow before we were converted and train ourselves (through the renewing of our minds) to follow the right path, the one that leads to righteousness, (Romans 12:2 reads, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect”. If God first does a work of grace within our hearts making us a new creation, we still may go to those same old places we once went to out of habit, places we should not be finding ourselves as Christians, “for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them” (Ephesians 5:8-10).

Even though, as those who have been born again, God does (by His Spirit) put the desire in our hearts to produce good fruit such as “...love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control..” (Galatians 5:22-23), we must understand that we still live with a nature to sin- so there is a struggle that goes on within us when faced with temptation, (see Romans 7:14-20). We must exercise our responsibility to be obedient to God's word, which tells us the importance of thinking on things that are good and pure.. etc. ”Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things”(Philippians 4:8).

We train ourselves to think this way through the study of God's word so it will be easier for us to be obedient to scripture's teaching when it tells us to; “Set your minds on things above, not on the things that are on earth...put to death what is earthly in you; sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, covetousness which is idolatry....In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander and obsene talk... Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” (Colossians 3:1-10).

When we fail to draw near to God, our love for Him will grow cold and the temptations to sin will be harder to overcome. Any time we give in to the temptation to sin, we are showing our love for that sin to be stronger than our love for God, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). We are given the ability (through God's Holy Spirit) to do right, but if we are not filling our minds with His word, [“I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you” (Psalm 119:11),] drawing near to God, [“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you” (James 4:7-8)], and seeking the help of His Spirit to guide us into right living, we will often find ourselves off that right path. We also must understand our responsibility to exercise our wills to obedience. John 3:36 reads, Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” In Proverbs 4:26-27 we are admonished to, “Ponder the path of your feet, then all your ways will be sure, Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.”

If we put garbage into a garbage can, it just makes sense that if we dump that can out, we will see only garbage. It is the same with our minds. We must expect that the kind of fruit we produce in our lives will be a reflection of what we put into our minds. If we put the kinds of things into our minds that would produce unfruitful works of darkness in our lives- those things that are opposed to godly living, then we cannot expect to produce good fruit that leads to righteousness. Our thoughts, words, and actions are a reflection of what we put into our minds. That is why it is so important that we fill our minds with God's word. In Hosea 4:1 scripture reads, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” We cannot be as discerning as we need to be about the kinds of books, movies, and music we expose ourselves to if we are not filling our minds with God’s word first and foremost. The Bible is very clear in its teaching that if we acknowledge Him in all our ways, He will direct our paths, “In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make straight your paths” (Proverbs 3:6). “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore” (Psalm 16:11).

That pathway we are led along (by the Spirit) is the path of sanctification, which grows continually brighter as we grow in our knowledge and a right understanding of God's word until we reach a full understanding of it- which won't be until we are fully sanctified in heaven. We can liken this to the sun as it slowly begins to rise, gradually illuminating the dark of the night before until it is fully risen and totally dispells all darkness, “the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day” (Proverbs 4:18).