Knowing God's Doctrine - John 7:17

The apostle John wrote how in the middle of the feast, “Jesus went up into the temple, and taught. And the Jews marveled, saying, How knows this man letters, having never learned? Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me”, and in chapter seven and verse seventeen of his book, John shared how Jesus said, “if any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God” where we read:

If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine,

whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.

The verse reads, “If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, ...” John began with the words, “If any man” or “Whether a certain male or female person” “will do his will” which means “has in mind, intends, takes delight in or has pleasure to perform, produce and make ready God the Father's desire, purpose, wish, inclination, choice and pleasure”, “he shall know” or “that person will understand, perceive and become acquainted with” “of the doctrine” which means “pertaining to the teaching and instruction”. John shared how Jesus declared “if” a person will “practice” God's pleasure and purpose, that person would understand His “teaching and instruction.

The verse continues, “... whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” John added the words, “whether it be of God” which means “if the teaching and doctrine exists from the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”, “or whether I speak of myself” or “or if, I, Jesus, utter, declare, proclaim and talk about myself, Jesus”. John shared how Jesus said the person who “does the will of God” will know whether the “teaching and instruction” about which He speaks has it's origin in “God the Father” or in Jesus Himself.

When we meditate upon John's words in this verse, we note how a person perceives the “doctrine” of Jesus. When a person submits to the will of God, they learn the teachings and instruction of Jesus, and by complying with what the word of God says, they learn more and more as they progress in their Christian walk. God desires to have a personal relationship with every person through His Son Jesus, and those who desire to know the teachings of God must surrender their will to His. Let all who read these words surrender to God's will and discover His teachings are perfect for everything they do.

Next time John shares how Jesus says, “he that speaks of himself seeks his own glory”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".