In Pastor Gregg’s message from May 26, 2024, entitled “His Principles Revealed,” a continuation of the Light in the Darkness series, he said, “We have carnal minds; we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand Scripture.” He also said, “Obedience brings knowledge and understanding, Obedience brings truth.” He cited Genesis 3. Adam and Eve were disobedient; therefore, their understanding was darkened, and they were laden with earthly sorrows and death. The cause was pride. Satan appealed to Eve’s pride in order to lead her to destruction. In verse 5, he tells her, “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil” (NLT). Who among us has not at some point presumed to think that our way is the best way, even if it conflicts with God’s way? Because we are like the parents of the human race, we too struggle with pride. 

Allow me to share a story. Hat tip to my amazing wife Christi for giving me the idea to do so.

The whole time Pastor Gregg was preaching this sermon, I was thinking of a friend, an extremely intelligent person who knows a lot. Although he claims to be saved, I am not sure that he is. One of PG’s takeaways was that apart from faith, knowledge leads to misunderstanding; 2 Timothy 3:7: always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth (NIV). My friend, we will call him "Sam," has a lot of misunderstanding.

Sam is also prideful. He recently raised his hand to show that he wanted to be saved at a church altar call. But since then, little change has been evident in his life. He continues to be disobedient to some of the basic principles of a personal relationship with Jesus. I think maybe he is saved in his head but not his heart. Pastor Gregg said, “Disobedience always leads to misunderstanding” (John 7:16-19). How can you be obedient if you don’t read the Bible? How can you be obedient if you don’t go to church and sit under sound biblical preaching? Yet Sam is arrogant and self-righteous; he objects to regular church attendance and condemns “so-called Christians,” saying that there are too many hypocrites in church. He vehemently says no one is going to tell him what to do, and no one who claims to have knowledge of the truth can be right if they contradict his ideas.

Knowledge is empty without God, and true wisdom cannot be found apart from Him. “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding” Proverbs 9:10 (KJV). I am afraid this is Sam’s problem; he lacks a genuine, transforming fear and knowledge of the LORD.

All of this is very frustrating and painful because I care about Sam and want him to experience God’s best. But it is difficult to talk to him because of his attitude.

Can you relate?

Do you have a friend who is in a similar state, or maybe you have been there before yourself?

Here’s the heart of the matter, as PG pointed out: there is hope for all of the Sams. He cited the example of Nicodemus. This man, one of seventy members of the Sanhedrin, the most intelligent, knowledgeable and learned in the law, visited Jesus by night, in order to conduct an honest inquiry about who He was (from this conversation we got John 3:16-17). Nicodemus consequently began a spiritual journey that led him to believe that Jesus was the Christ.  As Pastor Gregg reminded me, in John 7 Nicodemus continued his spiritual evolution in his argument for a fair trial for Jesus and continued to grow in faith in John 19 as he brought spices to honor His body and help prepare it for burial.

If the Gospel message was powerful enough to persuade a Mosaic lawyer like Nicodemus, it is more than enough to win over the skeptical, stubborn Sams among us. There is hope for them if they can get out of their heads (PG’s phrasing) and be convinced of the superiority of faith over knowledge. Our job is to keep loving them, keep telling them the truth, keep pointing to faith and the loving work of the Holy Spirit, and praying for them to embrace Christ’s resurrection power (more credit here to PG’s words). 

And he said, The things which are impossible with men are possible with God. -Luke 18:27 (KJV)

Taste and see,

Lamar