From Believing to Living: Putting God's Word into Practice

Believing Is the Beginning

The foundation of the Christian faith is the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:3–4 that Christ died for our sins, was buried, and rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.

This is not simply a philosophy or a set of principles for improving our lives. It is the good news of what Christ has done for us.

We are saved by God's grace through faith, not by our works (Ephesians 2:8–9). But does our learning stop when we believe the gospel? What happens after we have believed?

God's Word has much to say about how we think, how we respond to circumstances, and how we live.

Let's look at Philippians 4:6–9.

1. Bring Our Concerns to God — Philippians 4:6

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

We may know this verse by heart, but knowing the words and putting them into practice are two different things.

When trouble comes, our first response may be worry. Paul directs us instead to prayer, supplication, and thanksgiving.

We are not promised that every situation will turn out the way we want. We are instructed to bring our concerns to God.

The question is not simply whether we know what the verse says, but whether we remember its instruction when we need it.

2. Trust God's Provision of Peace — Philippians 4:7

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Paul follows his instruction about prayer with a statement about the peace of God.

Notice that he speaks of our hearts and minds. God's peace is not dependent upon our understanding every circumstance or knowing how everything will turn out.

We can believe that God hears us and still struggle with worry. But as we learn to take His Word seriously, we have a truth to return to when our thoughts begin to trouble us.

The more familiar we become with what God has said, the more readily we can bring His truth to mind when we need it.

3. Give Attention to What Is Right — Philippians 4:8

"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

What occupies our minds matters.

We can spend our time dwelling on disappointment, fear, and things we cannot change. Paul reminds us to direct our thoughts toward things that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, and worthy of praise.

This does not mean pretending that difficulties do not exist. It means learning to consider them in the light of what is true rather than allowing our thoughts to be governed by fear or discouragement.

We may know these words intellectually, but the challenge is to remember them when our minds are occupied with other things.

4. Put What We Have Learned into Practice — Philippians 4:9

"Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

Here Paul brings his instruction to a practical conclusion.

He speaks of things the believers had learned, received, heard, and seen in his example. Then he gives them a direct instruction: "do not for salvation of course, but  for your grounding of your faith in Christ.

It is possible to accumulate Bible knowledge without allowing it to influence our conduct. We can know what a passage says without considering how its truth should affect our decisions.

Learning God's Word involves more than remembering the words. We need to understand what He has said and recognize how that truth applies to our lives.

Then comes the opportunity to put it into practice.

From Knowing to Doing

Consider the progression in these verses:

• Verse 6: We learn to bring our concerns to God in prayer.

• Verse 7: We look to the peace of God to keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

• Verse 8: We give attention to things that are worthy of our thoughts.

• Verse 9: We practice what we have learned and received.

These verses remind us that learning and living are connected.

This does not mean we earn God's favor through our behavior. Our salvation rests upon what Christ has done, not upon our ability to live perfectly. Rather, we are learning to live in light of Him whom we have believed.

Keep Learning, Keep Growing

There is a difference between knowing what the Bible says and allowing its truth to guide our thinking and conduct.

We should continue to study God's Word, examine what we believe, and be willing to correct our understanding when the Scriptures show us that we are mistaken.

And there is value in sharing what we have learned. Explaining a passage to someone else often makes us examine it more carefully and recognize what we understand and what we still need to study.

The goal is not merely to know more Bible verses or to become better at explaining them. It is to understand God's Word and live in accordance with what He has revealed.

We cannot earn salvation by our works, but the truth we believe should matter in the way we live.

The question is not only, "What have I learned from God's Word?" It is also, "What am I doing with what I have learned?"

If you want to know what God says read the Bible. If you want to hear what God says read the Bible out loud.

You only get two educations the one you're given and the one you give yourself.