What does it take for someone to be truly rooted in the faith such that trials may not weaken or destroy them? Even prior, what is required for someone to come to saving faith?
We could answer these questions from a number of different biblical angles, but one that I find particularly helpful comes from 1 John 5:20. Living and ministering in South Asia, I have heard countless stories—from disgruntled pastors, usually—of people “backsliding” in their faith. The complexities of such instances are many, to be sure. Yet John’s words at the end of his first letter provide a stark and simple clarity to the matter:
“And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.” (1 John 5:20)
Here John points out that the Son of God has come, and has given us—that is, those who follow Jesus—understanding. Note then what the consequences of such understanding are. With this God-given understanding, we now (1) know God, (2) are united to him (i.e., “we are in him who is true”), and (3) have eternal life. All these things flow from understanding, and without such understanding none of them are possible.
We cannot know God if we do not understand the message of the Bible. We cannot be united to Christ if we do not know him. And we cannot gain eternal life apart from being united to him.
All of this indicates the premium we must place on imparting an understanding of God’s Word to others. Such understanding is prerequisite to both faith and faithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah notes, “Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols” (Jer 51:17). We see here a clear connection between a lack of knowledge and the practice of idolatry—a connection that John noted as well (1 John 5:21). If we hope then to see others come to saving faith, we must be committed to teaching and imparting genuine understanding to those who are lost in idolatry.
While the imparting of understanding is ultimately the work of the Lord (as John indicates), it is also the responsibility of those who serve as his priests (1 Pet 2:9–10). The Bible underscores this point in various places.
Consider the following passages:
A Call to Impart Understanding
Isaiah 43:10–11 –– “‘You are my witnesses,’ declares the Lord, ‘and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior.”
Here the “servant” of Isaiah refers to God’s people, who are called as witnesses (see Acts 1:8) because of the knowledge and understanding they have—that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is the only God and savior.
Elsewhere, we see an example of leaders of God’s people diligently imparting understanding to others:
Nehemiah 8:7–8 –– After God’s people had assembled, various leaders “helped the people to understand the Law, while the people remained in their places. They read from the book, from the Law of God, clearly, and they gave the sense, so that the people understood the reading.”
The prophet Malachi explains that such instruction in knowledge should mark the work of God’s priests.
Malachi 2:7 –– “For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.”
A Failure to Impart Understanding
Unfortunately, this high calling—of guarding and imparting knowledge and understanding—was frequently disregarded by leaders of God’s people. This reality surfaces immediately after Malachi explains the role of a priest and also comes to the fore throughout the Scriptures:
Malachi 2:8 –– “But you have turned aside from the way. You have caused many to stumble by your instruction. You have corrupted the covenant of Levi.”
Hosea 4:6 –– “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children.”
Proverbs 1:28–29 –– “Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 5:13 –– “Therefore my people go into exile for lack of knowledge; their honored men go hungry, and their multitude is parched with thirst.”
Jeremiah 14:18 –– “For both prophet and priest ply their trade through the land and have no knowledge.”
We see the same precedent in the New Testament as well:
Luke 11:52 –– “Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge. You did not enter yourselves, and you hindered those who were entering.”
The One Who Imparts Understanding
Fortunately, as John notes (1 John 5:20), the Son of God came and imparted such understanding to those who lacked. The prophets anticipated this turn of events:
Isaiah 11:1–2 –– “There shall come forth a shoot from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from his roots shall bear fruit. And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord.”
Isaiah 52:15 –– “Behold, my servant shall act wisely; he shall be high and lifted up, and shall be exalted. As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—so shall he sprinkle many nations. Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.”
While the leaders of God’s people often failed to impart understanding, the Scriptures promised that the Messiah would come and succeed in the very area where many Old Testament leaders failed. Thus, John could claim, “The Son of God has come and has given us understanding” (1 John 5:20).
Those Entrusted with Understanding
Note however, that the Lord also entrusts this task of imparting understanding:
Jeremiah 3:15 –– “And I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding.”
To this we must give ourselves—to feeding others with knowledge and understanding. Anyone who thus seeks to shepherd others into saving faith and ongoing faithfulness must do so by imparting an understanding of the gospel and God’s word, for genuine faith and faithfulness cannot exist apart from such knowledge.
Therefore, among the myriad of activities to which missionaries and church leaders can give themselves, one of the chief tasks must remain that of cultivating genuine understanding of the message and implications of God’s living word. Only then may we hope to see others truly know God the Father, be united to his Son, and be regenerated by his Spirit.
Photo by Tim Wildsmith on Unsplash
