“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” (John 7:17).
Once Jesus arrived at the Feast of Tabernacles, He began to teach. The Jewish leaders, who had been critical of Him, were perplexed by the knowledge and wisdom He displayed. But they did not give Him the respect He deserved; instead, they were immediately skeptical, saying, “How can He really know anything since He did not attend a rabbinical seminary?” The Jewish leaders assumed that He had either learned His doctrine from a rabbi or He was merely espousing His own vain ideas. They knew the former was not the case, so they concluded that He must be uttering His own private opinions.
Jesus, of course, refutes them on this point. The doctrine He taught did not come from man and was not designed for His own exaltation, but it came from God and was proclaimed for God’s glory. We must be careful that the doctrine we teach is not our own and espoused for our own glory, but that it is the true doctrine of Scripture proclaimed for the glory of God.
Our Lord goes on to say that true knowledge is inextricably bound to obedience. If we really claim to be doing God’s will, that obedience will be derived from sound teaching according to the Scriptures. This is where the Jews failed miserably. They claimed to have knowledge (from Moses), but they did not do the will of God. Jesus did the will of His Father and gave Him the glory—two proofs that His teaching was true. All those who sincerely seek to obey God’s will know true teaching when they hear it.
We see the connection between knowledge, love, and obedience, love being included because if you love Him, you will obey Him. Each of these three aspects go together. “When we speak of knowledge, love, and obedience, we are not thinking of three altogether separate experiences, but of one single, comprehensive experience in which the three are united in such a manner that each contributes it’s share, and all cooperate unto man’s salvation and God’s glory,” Hendriksen writes. “Knowledge, therefore, will never be sanctified to the heart (in love) and lead to true discernment of the divine character and origin of Christ’s teaching unless the willingness to do God’s will is present first of all.”
Which category do you tend toward: a) those who don’t care about doctrine or obedience but want to love Jesus; b) those who care only for doctrine but not about love; c) those who care about obedience but not about love. Pray that you will be more balanced, that you will know truth, love Christ, and obey His will.