This week I have more thoughts on repentance. In my last blog I wrote about being led by the Spirit rather than succumbing to the desires of the flesh.

     To refresh your memory, I wrote:

     “Through the revelation of the Holy Spirit, we see the incongruity between our behavior and the Word of God… realizing we are out of step. By repenting, turning from the flesh to the ways of God, our walk is restored. As we implement the Biblical verses the Spirit reveals, we are back in step with Him.

In repentance we proclaim “not my way, but your way God.” We turn from sin and turn toward God and His will. It is often a radical transformation of attitude and direction.^1”

This time I want to explore Job 28:28, a Scripture pinned to my bulletin board in front of my desk.

Job 28:28—“And he said to man,

‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,

and to turn away from evil is understanding.'” ESV

     We depart from evil, ways that separate us from God, when we understand Scripture, God’s ways and how to walk in them. That is repentance.

     The Bible is a book about God. Who He is, why humans were created, and how we fit in His plan. We gain knowledge when we study Scripture but to apply it, we need wisdom and that comes when we can see it through the lens of God based on His attributes.

The application of Scripture leads to godly living, evidence of understanding. The ability to walk out Scripture.

How do we get to the point of understanding?

-Do not be wise in your own eyes

     When we act independently of God, making our decisions apart from Scripture and prayer, we are wise in our own eyes.

     Sometimes this happens because the decision seems obvious. At other times we may go along to get along. Or the decision may be self-serving.

     Not long ago I decided to make an illegal U-turn because I was in a hurry and everybody else was doing it. The difficulty was a result of a closed road due to construction therefore I felt justified.  My actions did not honor God and I needed to ask forgiveness.

     Consider these questions:

     Do you skip any portion of God’s Word because you don’t want to sit with it for as long as it takes to gain understanding?

Are there any sections with which you disagree?

Are there commands that you balk at, asking “did God really say?”

Remember Scripture supports Scripture so there are other verses that can clarify the meaning.

-Seek God’s wisdom

     In Isaiah 55:8-9 we read, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” NLT

     We find this verse inspiring unless the way we are inclined to go clashes with God’s wisdom.

     Something may be easier, more attractive to us, seem more beneficial but if it doesn’t please God, it is not the right choice. When we fear the Lord, our desire is to honor Him.

-Recognize how to be victorious

When we understand how to apply a Scripture we have gained understanding. But we never walk it out in our power. In the book of Romans, the apostle Paul discusses our battle with the flesh [Ro. 7:14-14-20] and directs us to the Holy Spirit for help.

In the book of 2 Corinthians, Paul tells of an issue he struggled with and how God’s grace helped him in his weakness. [2 Corinthians 12:9]

Knowing how to walk out the Scripture we study goes beyond a head and heart transformation to a reliance transformation. And that brings us full circle back to being wise in our own eyes.

God is our source of victory. And we need the full counsel of God to be victorious in our walk.

©2024 Susan Cort Johnson *All Rights Reserved

References:

1-The Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms by Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki & Cherith Fee Nordling. InterVarsity Press, Downers Grove, Illinois.