I said, "I am going to teach you this concept called "The Deeper Why" and I think it's going to help you."
After six weeks they were excited to open up their Bibles and read it. Why? Because that big book was starting to make a lot more sense!
DOCTRINE #9: THE DEEPER WHY
When he chooses to go one step beyond thinking as a man, he connects with God's WHY...THE DEEPER WHY. He consciously decides to think from God's perspective, and his words are proven by his actions, which is WISDOM, the HOW. At the deeper why, by using God's definitions, he can connect the Bible with his life. Which means, he has a Right WHAT with a Right WHY/HOW. He has all three building blocks working together....knowledge, understanding, and wisdom!
Check out the pictures within the Scripture section!
Question: Do you believe that you can understand and live out God's deeper why?
Next Doctrine: Doctrine #10
Table of Contents
If you need it, here is the support from God's Word...
SCRIPTURE
In Doctrine #7: Wisdom, we saw the last portion of the following passage. Now, look at how this passage began.
"4 So shalt thou find favor and good understanding In the sight of God and man.
5 Trust in Jehovah with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding:
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, And he will direct thy paths.
7 Be not wise in thine own eyes; Fear Jehovah, and depart from evil:
8 It will be health to thy navel, And marrow to thy bones.
9 Honor Jehovah with thy substance, And with the first-fruits of all thine increase:
10 So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, And thy vats shall overflow with new wine.
11 My son, despise not the chastening of Jehovah; Neither be weary of his reproof:
12 For whom Jehovah loveth he reproveth; Even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.
13 Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, And the man that getteth understanding.
14 For the gaining of it is better than the gaining of silver, And the profit thereof than fine gold.
15 She is more precious than rubies: And none of the things thou canst desire are to be compared unto her." (Proverbs 3:4-15)
(When we chose not to think consciously, we will act like beasts: Animal Thinking. However, we also can choose to intentionally think according to our own understanding and our wisdom or God's understanding and wisdom. Here is how I see it.)
(We can think like an animal and only focus on the WHAT. We can think in our own understanding and stop at the immediate WHY. However, the WHY behind our personal situation is not connected to the WHY behind the Bible passage. There is a disconnect when the Word of God is having no effect on my life. If I asked you what you do as a "Christian" you may say, "Love God, Love others!" This is a Right WHAT! WHY and HOW do you love?)
"7 But in vain do they worship me, Teaching as their doctrines the precepts of men.
8 Ye leave the commandment of God, and hold fast the tradition of men." (Mark 7:7-8)
(Five verses later, Jesus summarized the situation.)
"13 making void the word of God by your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things ye do." (Mark 7:13)
(Man-made tradition is an effect of man's understanding and man's wisdom. Jesus said these things make the word of God void and worshipping Jesus vain. Tradition stops at the immediate WHY. Man looks for a WHY that backs up his point because he desires comfort. If a man uses a WHY to support his animal thinking (the desires of his flesh), this is called "rationalizing.")
"1 For I would have you know how greatly I strive for you, and for them at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;
2 that their hearts may be comforted, they being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, that they may know the mystery of God, even Christ,
3 in whom are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden.
4 This I say, that no one may delude you with persuasiveness of speech.
5 For though I am absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of your faith in Christ.
6 As therefore ye received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him,
7 rooted and builded up in him, and established in your faith, even as ye were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.
8 Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ:" (Colossians 2:1-8)
(Paul referenced the benefits of knowledge, understanding, and wisdom relative to knowing the mystery of God, even Christ. He also said that faith would help a person be built up in God, while man's philosophy and vain deceit were equated with the tradition of men.)
"17 And if ye call on him as Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to each man's work, pass the time of your sojourning in fear:
18 knowing that ye were redeemed, not with corruptible things, with silver or gold, from your vain manner of life handed down from your fathers;
19 but with precious blood, as of a lamb without spot, even the blood of Christ:
20 who was foreknown indeed before the foundation of the world, but was manifested at the end of times for your sake,
21 who through him are believers in God, that raised him from the dead, and gave him glory; so that your faith and hope might be in God." (1 Peter 1:17-21)
(This time, Peter equated tradition with a vain manner, while knowing we are redeemed by the blood of Christ was associated with faith and hope. Remember, "vain" is a Right WHAT with a wrong/no HOW/WHY. )
"2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard." (Hebrews 4:2)
(This verse stated that hearing the word of God did not profit these people because it was not united/mixed with faith. We will cover the Doctrine of faith later on, for now, we can see that faith and tradition of men are complete opposites. Tradition prevents the word of God from being useful in our lives. Tradition + The Word of God = Nothing! So, how do we make the word of God useful?)
(We need to think according to God's Thinking! The key to making the Bible applicable to your life is to know the WHY supporting the Bible. Most people think they know the why behind the words in the Bible. When people tell me this, I ask them to go one more why deeper, to go to the deeper why. We naturally pursue facts; this is man's way of thinking. We need to intentionally choose to get wisdom and understanding: the deeper why. This is God's way of thinking. This connection is made through definitions. If you understand the definitions of the words you use, and the definitions of the words in the Bible, you can make the word of God profitable if your words have the same definitions as the Bible. If you project onto the Bible your definitions, then you are making the word of God of none effect.)
"1 Hear, my sons, the instruction of a father, And attend to know understanding:
2 For I give you good doctrine; Forsake ye not my law.
3 For I was a son unto my father, Tender and only beloved in the sight of my mother.
4 And he taught me, and said unto me: Let thy heart retain my words; Keep my commandments, and live;
5 Get wisdom, get understanding; Forget not, neither decline from the words of my mouth;
6 Forsake her not, and she will preserve thee; Love her, and she will keep thee.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom; Yea, with all thy getting get understanding." (Proverbs 4:1-7)
(We need to intentionally learn God's Wisdom and God's Understanding according to God's Definitions for the words used in The Bible.)
"1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel:
2 To know wisdom and instruction; To discern the words of understanding;
3 To receive instruction in wise dealing, In righteousness and justice and equity;
4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion:
5 That the wise man may hear, and increase in learning; And that the man of understanding may attain unto sound counsels:
6 To understand a proverb, and a figure, The words of the wise, and their dark sayings.
7 The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction." (Proverbs 1:1-7)
(The Bible was meant to teach us how to understand God better. We need to think more, not less. Remember, we are renewed in our MINDS!)
This entire blog is here to lay out the definitions of words that God uses, and the deeper why is our process of doing that. You can take any word like "love" or "truth" to find God's What, God's Why, and God's How!
This is the most important post yet, but we couldn't get here without having the previous building blocks in place. We are going to continue to build upon the foundation that we have, and I believe if you align your understanding with God's at the deeper why the Bible will apply to your life!
