Tony Williams
Note what our Lord says in John 7:17, “If anyone wills to do His will, he shall know concerning the doctrine, whether it is from God or whether I speak on My own authority.” Jesus is not saying that if any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine. That would make the doing of His will in advance of knowledge. But He is talking about the preparation of the heart. Do I have a desire to do God’s will? Am I really hungering and thirsting after Heaven’s truth? Am I free from prejudice to the extent that I can say, “Lord speak and I will hear, command and I will obey”? Do I simply want God’s Word, and to that attach my hope for eternity? We must reach that point of honesty with ourselves. Do we have the desire to find out what God wants us to know regarding how to be saved, how to worship, how to live our lives?
If I am ever to get to Heaven, I must first reach a point where there is no interest in anything except the truth of God. If something helps me get to Heaven, I should embrace it; if not, it should be shunned. This is an example of a person who has willed to do God’s will. What does Jesus say about that man? He says that man shall know the doctrine. Not may, not perhaps, but with God’s providence, the clear path of duty will open up before him.
What makes a man yearn to learn what God’s word is all about? What is the difference between that man and one who is indifferent to the Bible? Someone could be a member of the church and still be indifferent regarding study of the Bible. That person could be eternally lost. We should make our whole life about learning what God wants us to do. We all have but a few years on this earth, so we should be learning all we can in the time that we have here to find out what it takes to get to Heaven.
What is your attitude toward this book called the Bible? Is it something you yearn to study? Or, is it something put on the back burner? Perhaps it’s something you’ll have time for later. Is it something you are not interested in since you think you are just fine because you go to church?
Now then, that puts the responsibility upon every individual. Do I solidly and seriously, personally and individually want to go to Heaven when I die? No one on Earth can answer that but me. Do I want to know what the will of the Lord is?