OUR UNDERSTANDING - PART 3

WEDNESDAY 30 AUGUST 2023

A man's understanding will always become the determining element by which He functions in life. By this I mean that our understanding hugely determines our outcomes, as well as the way we relate to others. When the Spirit of God comes to dwell in a man, his relation now consists in His spiritual understanding because the Holy Spirit is presently at work in the inward being. Therefore to sustain a concrete conception of spiritual understanding, the born again Christian must continue to run with the specific sense of divine rules, which are in accordance with God's Word.

Reference: Psalm 119:32 New International Version (NIV) "I run in the path of your commands, for you have broadened my understanding."

There are two important aspects of the Psalmist versified message in the above Scripture: God's commands which denote Godly wisdom, as well as our understanding which denotes comprehension, assimilation, discernment or perception. In this article, I'm going to expound the meaning of both words within the contexts of their Greek rendering - in accordance with the Holy Scriptures.

Commandment is found in the Hebrew Old Testament definition as the word, "mitsvah", which is a precept relating to lineage; of the Mosaic precept concerning the priesthood. Commandment is also found in the Greek new testament Grammar as the word, 'entolē' , which is a divine rule or precepts. In Thayer's Greek Lexicon, the word 'entolē' suggests an order, command, charge, precept, injunction. Secondly, it also implies that which is prescribed to one by reason of his office. In general, I summarise the word as a prescribed rule in accordance with God's "all-purpose" will.

Running or functioning in the path of God's commands means that your steps are ordered by the Lord. In other words, He guarantees your flow in divine path. As Christians, we must come to the point where we understand that nothing is more important to God than keeping His commands. To that effect, apostle Paul noted in 1st Corinthians 7:19 saying, "Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God's commands is what counts" (NIV). Did you get it now?

God's commands are considered as a divine rule to be kept by His chosen people (Psalm 119:4 ESV). To instantiate this verity with clarity of understanding, apostle Paul made it remarkably simple in 1st Corinthians 14:37 (KJV) by saying, "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write to you are the commandments of the Lord." Furthermore, the Message translation specifically refers it as set of divine rules. It reads, "If any one of you thinks God has something for you to say or has inspired you to do something, pay close attention to what I have written. This is the way the Master wants it. If you won't play by these rules, God can't use you. Sorry" (MSG). Notice the phrase "play by these rules", which implies running in the path of God's commands.

On the other hand, understanding is the Greek Grammar, 'nous' which is mainly associated with the mind realm, the reason, the reasoning faculty, and the intellect. It is the God-given capacity of humans to think (reason) through their minds; their mental capacity to exercise reflective thinking. For the born again Christian, it is more so, the organ of receiving God's thoughts and imbibing His perspective through faith. To instantiate this verity, when Jesus was raised from the dead, He appeared to His disciples and later unveiled the Scriptures to them. Luke 24:45 reads, "And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures" (NIV).

So our spiritual understanding of the divine rule is the great exponent or the product of the doctrine of our justification by faith, bearing in mind that every born again Christian is called to play by a different set of rules (God's commands) and be conversant with the necessity of running in that path. Stay tuned for part 4. Shalom!

Scripture Reading - Leviticus 20:8; Joshua 1:7-8; Psalm 78:7; Luke 11:28; Psalm 119:4; Galatians 6:2.

Exuberant Declaration: My continuous growth in the Word is marked by great spiritual understanding firmly instilled in me by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. He broadens my understanding by the powerful and efficacious grace that originates from the Word of truth. Blessed be God!